Lat Aloo Wai Wai, also known as instant noodles with potatoes and a fiery gravy is a classic street food you’ll find in West Bengal. It’s also a taste of what to expect from India Local, a cookbook by Sonal Ved that explores the classic Indian street foods and chaats. If you’re like me, they’re recipes you’ve never heard of – but they’ll take you on a culinary journey through India – from the bustle of Delhi to the hills of Darjeeling and everywhere in between.
Dietary Notes
The recipes are mostly vegetarian – think plant based, with carbs and some form of dairy.
Best For
Those who love Indian street food.
Cooking Level
Intermediate – advanced. I found the recipes to be quite involved, requiring many steps and ingredients you may have never heard of.
The recipe for lat aloo wai wai seemed cool – a quick lunch made with instant noodles. Or so I thought, turns out it’s a 50 minute meal to make. It’s a comforting dish, but in my opinion too much effort for the result. Curious to try? Recipe below.
Lat Aloo Wai Wai
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 5 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 7 garlic cloves peeled
- 10 dry cred chillies divided
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 2 cups diced and boiled potato about 2 medium potatoes
- 1 packet instant noodles
Instructions
- Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the water reaches a simmer, tip in the tomatoes, garlic and 8 of the dry red chillies. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes soften. Cool the softened tomatoes in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
- Heat the mustard oil in a deep pan over medium heat and add the cumin and fennel seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add the remaining 2 dry red chillies. Sauté for another minute to temper the spices and add the freshly blended tomato sauce. Cook for another 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the chickpea flour with just enough water to obtain a thick pancake-like batter. Pour the batter into the tomato mixture and stir. allow the gravy to simmer for 7-8 minutes, adding water if it gets too thick, before tipping in the boiled potatoes and add a little salt. Simmer for another few minutes and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan without any oil over medium heat. Crush the instant noodle packet with your hands before opening it. Shake out the crushed noodles as well as the dry spice mix that accompanies the noodles into the pan. Lower the heat and toast the noodles and spices for a few minutes.
- To serve, portion the toasted noodles equally into bowls and pour over the tomato gravy. Allow the noodles to soften for a few minutes before eating.
India Local is published by Roli Books and distributed by Jonathan Ball Publishers. It is available here.
