What Makes Indian-Ish Baked Potatoes Unique?

Potatoes are found in culinary cultures all over the world. And since baked potatoes work well with so many different toppings, creating fusion twists makes a lot of sense. Enter, the Indian-ish baked potato.

In 2019, food journalist Priya Krishna published a cookbook, which she co-authored with her mother, Ritu Krishna, called "Indian-ish." The New York Times website's cooking section shared her recipe for Indian-ish baked potatoes along with an adapted excerpt from the book. In it, Priya describes how her mother developed this dish after many business trips to London, where, as a strict vegetarian, she would often opt to eat a baked potato for dinner at the pub. 

Here, the usual toppings are swapped out for vibrant ingredients like fresh ginger, Indian green chiles, and chaat masala. It's the addition of these new, flavorful ingredients that truly make this dish stand out from your run-of-the-mill loaded baked potato.

Along with the ginger, chiles, and chaat masala, the Indian-ish baked potatoes call for sour cream, red onions, cilantro, and salt. What makes this dish special is the green chile peppers and chaat masala. The latter is a traditional seasoning with tangy, salty, and slightly spicy notes. Depending on the recipe, it may contain coriander and cumin seeds, pomegranate seeds, black salt, ajowan, and other spices or herbs.

Fresh ginger imparts a warm, peppery note to the dish, while red onion adds a sweet crunch. Indian green chiles deliver a fiery kick, while the salty spices in the chaat masala bring it all together. You'll also add sour cream to balance the spiciness of the hot peppers. Lastly, garnish the potatoes with fresh cilantro for a pop of color and a subtle herbal note.

Indian-ish baked potatoes can be a delicious appetizer, side dish, or snack. On top of that, you can add your spin to the dish to make it spicier, sweeter, or vegan-friendly. 

The Indian-ish baked potato recipe in Priya Krishna's book works great as is, but you can customize it to your liking. For example, vegans can substitute soy yogurt or coconut cream for sour cream. Alternatively, you can blend a handful of cashews, lemon juice, and water and use it as a sour cream alternative. Or opt for Greek yogurt, light mayo, or cottage cheese.

You can draw inspiration from other Indian-style baked potato recipes. Some call for turmeric, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, or other flavors. If you run out of chaat masala or can't find it in local stores, try these easy spice substitutes. For instance, garam masala could replace chaat masala in some recipes, imparting a warm, aromatic flavor to the dish.

For extra protein, stuff the potatoes with bacon, chickpeas, tofu, or black beans. If you can't handle the heat, use red or green bell peppers instead of Indian green chiles. Apart from that, it's okay to add a drizzle of honey for sweetness.