78 NOVEMBER 2020
MAKE AHEAD Store cut bark in an airtight
container in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Bring bark to room temperature before
serving.
NOTE To check for one-string consistency,
remove pan from heat, and dip a spoon
into the syrup; let it cool for a few
seconds, letting excess drip off, and run
your pointer finger across spoon. Rub
syrup between your thumb and pointer
finger, and gently pull fingers apart. If a
single small string is formed and does not
break when your thumb and pointer finger
are pulled apart, the syrup is ready.Hash Brown Chaat
PHOTO P. 72
TOTAL 55 MIN; SERVES 8Apple butter chutney, green chutney,
crunchy toppings, and a plethora of herbs
give this potato-based dish the riot of tex-
tures and flavors that are essential to
chaat (a category of Indian cuisine that
roughly means “snacks”). Seek out black
salt, which adds distinct funkiness to the
dish. Save leftover green chutney to use on
top of scrambled eggs, tacos, or chicken.1 cup apple butter
1 / 3 c u p p l u s 6 t o 8 T b s p. w a t e r , d i v i d e d
5 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 3
limes), divided
11 / 2 tsp. freshly ground coriander (such
as Burlap & Barrel Nile Coriander),
divided
11 / 2 tsp. freshly ground cumin (such as
Burlap & Barrel Wild Mountain
Cumin), divided
11 /^4 tsp. red chile powder (such as
Diaspora Co. Ground Sannam
Chillies), divided
21 / 2 tsp. fine sea salt, divided
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and
tender stems roughly chopped
(about 3 cups), plus finely chopped
cilantro, for garnish
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 large fresh serrano chile, unseeded,
finely chopped, divided
1 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger,
divided
11 /^2 lb. russet potatoes (about 2 large
potatoes), peeled and grated on
large holes of a box grater
11 / 2 tsp. madras curry powder (such as
Spicewalla)
1 / 2 tsp. black salt (kala namak) (such
as Rani) (optional)
1 / 2 cup finely chopped red onion,
rinsed, divided
1 / 3 cup chickpea flour (fine besan)
(about 1 oz.) (such as Bob’s Red Mill
Chickpea Flour)
3 Tbsp. whole milk
6 Tbsp. vegetable oilFinely chopped plum tomatoes,
pomegranate arils, sev (fried
chickpea noodles) (such as Deep),
and chaat masala (such as
Spicewalla), for serving- Stir together apple butter,^1 / 3 cup water,
21 / 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 teaspoon
coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon
red chile powder, and^1 / 2 teaspoon salt in a
medium bowl. Set aside up to 2 hours, or
cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. - Combine cilantro, mint, 6 tablespoons
water, 1 tablespoon serrano,^1 / 2 table-
spoon ginger,^3 / 4 teaspoon fine sea salt,
and remaining 2^1 / 2 tablespoons lime juice
in a blender. Process until smooth, about
45 seconds, adding up to 2 tablespoons
water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed
for blender to process. Transfer to a small
bowl; set aside up to 1 hour, or cover and
refrigerate up to 1 day. - Place grated potatoes in a colander;
rinse under cold water until water runs
clear, about 1 minute. Drain well. Transfer
potatoes to a clean towel; squeeze to
remove as much moisture as possible.
Stir together potatoes, curry powder,
black salt (if using), 2 tablespoons onion,
remaining serrano, remaining^1 / 2 table-
spoon ginger, remaining 1^1 / 4 teaspoons
fine sea salt, remaining^1 / 2 teaspoon cori-
ander, remaining^1 / 2 teaspoon cumin, and
remaining^1 / 4 teaspoon red chile powder
in a large bowl. Stir in chickpea flour and
milk until well combined. - Shape potato mixture evenly into 8
(2-inch) balls. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in
a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over
medium. Arrange 4 potato balls 3 inches
apart in skillet. Using a spatula, gently
press each ball to flatten into a 3^1 / 2 -inch
disk. Cook until golden brown and crisp,
6 to 8 minutes, flipping once halfway
through cook time. Transfer hash browns
to a plate lined with paper towels; let drain
30 seconds, and transfer to a serving
plate. Repeat process with remaining oil
and potato balls. - Spoon about 1 tablespoon apple butter
chutney and 1 tablespoon green chutney
onto each hash brown; reserve remaining
chutney for another use. Sprinkle evenly
with remaining 6 tablespoons onion. Top
with tomatoes, pomegranate arils, sev,
and chaat masala. Garnish with cilantro.
Serve immediately. —HETAL VASAVADA
MAKE AHEAD Apple butter chutney can
be made up to 3 days ahead. Green
chutney can be made up to 1 day ahead.
Ungarnished hash browns can be kept
warm in a 200°F oven up to 20 minutes.
WINE Dry sparkling rosé: NV JCB No. 13
Crémant de Bourgogne
NOTE Find black salt, chickpea flour, and
sev at your local Indian grocery store.
Pista Burfi Bark
ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 15 MIN
SERVES 18 TO 20Pistachios and fragrant cardamom shine
in this rich and nutty dessert inspired by
burfi, a fudge-like Indian sweet. For best
results, use fresh spices from vendors
such as Diaspora Co. or Burlap & Barrel.
For sources for gold leaf and rose petals,
see “Hetal’s Metals & Petals,” p. 75.21 / 2 cups dry-roasted pistachios
(preferably Turkish pistachios)
3 / 4 cup granulated sugar
1 / 3 cup water
3 / 4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 /^4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ghee
5 oz. 35% white chocolate (such as
Valrhona Ivoire), chopped (about 1
cup)
Fresh soft edible flowers, dried
edible rose petals, and edible gold
leaf, for decoration- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with
parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch over-
hang on all sides. Working in 2 batches,
process pistachios in a food processor
until a very fine powder forms, about 40
seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl. - Bring sugar and^1 / 3 cup water to a boil in
a medium saucepan over medium, stirring
occasionally to dissolve sugar. Boil, undis-
turbed, until syrup reaches one-string
consistency (see Note) or a candy ther-
mometer registers 220°F, 2 to 3 minutes. - Add pistachio powder, cardamom,
and salt to sugar syrup. Reduce heat to
low, and cook, stirring constantly, until
mixture thickens and resembles wet
sand, about 2 minutes. Transfer pistachio
mixture to prepared pan; roughly press
mixture into pan using a moistened rub-
ber spatula. Lightly grease a small offset
spatula with ghee, and press mixture into
a flat, even layer. Let stand 15 minutes. - Place white chocolate in a small micro-
wavable bowl. Microwave chocolate
on medium (50% power) in 10-second
intervals, stirring thoroughly between
intervals, until melted and smooth, about
50 seconds. Pour melted chocolate over
pistachio mixture in pan, and gently tilt
to cover in an even layer of chocolate.
Tap pan a few times on counter to level
chocolate. Top with flowers and rose pet-
als. Gently tap pan 2 times on counter to
settle toppings. Freeze until set, about 20
minutes. Decorate with additional flowers
and gold leaf, if desired. Using parchment
as handles, transfer bark to a cutting
board; remove parchment. Using a sharp
chef’s knife, cut bark into angular, bite-
size pieces. —HETAL VASAVADA