Shreya 
Masala refers to a blend of spices used in Indian cooking. Masala and Indian cooking go hand in hand. Spices like cardamom, ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon have been used for centuries in Indian cooking for flavor as well as their herbal medicinal properties. Growing up in an Indian household, I often saw my grandmother reverting to homemade spice remedies like drinking fennel infused water, turmeric in milk before going to bed, chewing on a clove or two to alleviate cough, etc. I can’t attest to their medicinal properties but as a kid it sure was impressive that she always had a solution in her kitchen. Whenever my non-Indian friends visit me, they say I have a thousand spices in my kitchen but to be honest, I don’t have enough!
Yes, you read the title right. Giving this “desi”* twist to these baked masala sweet potato fries really makes them finger licking good. I honestly wasn’t a fan a sweet potatoes when I stumbled upon a tandoori sweet potato fries recipe once. This recipe however, takes it up another level and believe me they are so addictive ! It’s vegan, gluten free and baked, could it get any better !!
Let’s get straight into it.
| Yield | 4 servings | |
| Prep time | 0 hrs | 10 mins |
| Cook time | 0 hrs | 20 mins |
| Total time | 0 hrs | 30 mins |
Ingredients
- Seasoning as mentioned below
- Three sweet potatoes (peeled, washed and cut into wedges or crinkled cut)
- Corn starch
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chaat masala
What really elevates this dish is a generous sprinkle of the chaat masala at the end. Chaat masala is a salty, spicy, tangy spice mix from South Asia which is used in fruit salads, potatoes, chaats and various other dishes in India.
How to make the seasoning for the fries?
You will simply need a bunch of readily available ingredients such as
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp tandoori masala
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (add more to taste)
If you don’t have the tandoori masala, no worries, you can skip it. It does contain some of the other spices in varying amounts and you can still make these masala fries.
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 450ºF/230ºC
- Cut the sweet potato in your desired shape. Try to make them all the same size and shape so they all cook evenly
- Toss the cut pieces in corn starch to coat them well. This step is very important if you want nice crispy fries
- Coat the pieces in the seasoning mix
- Add the oil and give it a good toss. Make sure all the pieces are well coated in the oil and seasoning
- Place the pieces on a baking tray and space them out, otherwise they will become soggy instead of crispy. Bake for 20-25 mins, turning the fries to the other side at half time to ensure even cooking
- Sprinkle with finishing salt if needed, otherwise the chaat masala should be enough as it also contains some salt.
What if I want to use regular potatoes?
This recipe tastes equally good with russet or red potatoes. The taste would be slightly different because you won’t have the sweetness from the sweet potatoes but if you’re more of a savory person, definitely go ahead with regular potatoes.
What should I use as a dip with these fries?
These fries taste amazing with any kind of creamy dip, whether its sour cream and chive, French onion, garlic aioli, or just mayonnaise. My personal favorite is garlic aioli because its thick , creamy and garlic-y. I make a quick version with store bought mayonnaise, a squeeze of fresh lemon and grated garlic. The best thing about making it at home is that you can adjust it to your taste.
