Aloo Tikki

At the weekend, the boy is greatly in favour of snacks. Some weekends tend towards grazing rather than proper meals. These potato cakes depend on having something to dip them in – though not having a dip rarely stops the boy.

400g floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 ½ tsp cumin seeds

1tbsp chopped ginger

½ tsp chopped green chilli

2tbsp chopped coriander leaves

2tbsp oil

Perfect for lazy Saturdays when the Guardian is spread all over the living room and Handel’s Saul is playing a little too loudly. Oratorios are made for weekends. The boy and I have Bloody Marys and are ready for some cooking.

Parboil the potatoes – about 7 minutes. Drain them and grate when cool. Add everything but the oil. Shape into cakes about 1cm thick and 5cm in diameter. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes so they firm up. This is 20 minutes to spend with the boy. He has quite coarse hair so we’re letting an expensive conditioner do its work. It seems to have an effect. It smells of Tea Tree.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the cakes on each side until browned and crispy. Serve with any chutney or raita. The boy has made a raita of finely chopped cucumber with mint leaves and salt, stirred into thick yoghurt. The sweet, hot mango chutney is bottled.

There’s a great play on the radio. Stroke his hair. Dip the tikki. Enjoy the slow pace of the weekend.