Celeriac chaat with celeriac purée and papdi
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Celeriac is roasted, puréed and pickled as part of an achaar in this inventive Indian chaat dish from Will Bowlby. With a cornucopia of contrasting textures and flavours all bouncing off one another, it's a stunning recipe that adds heaps of balanced spice to earthy, sweet celeriac.
First published in 2021
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Chaat
- 1 small celeriac
- 1 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 dash of rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 100ml of lime juice
- 50g of dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 20g of coriander stalks, finely chopped
- 30g of red onion, finely chopped
- salt, to taste
Andrha spice mix
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 5 curry leaves, ideally fresh
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp basmati rice
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 mace
- 1 whole dried kashmiri chilli
Celeriac purée
- 1 small celeriac
- 300ml of whole milk
- 300ml of double cream
- salt, to taste
Achaar
- 1 small celeriac
- 250ml of mustard oil
- 2 tsp panch poran, a Bengali and northern Indian spice blend – if you can’t find it to buy simply mix equal quantities of fenugreek, cumin, nigella, fennel and black mustard seeds and toast until fragrant (do not blitz to a powder)
- 10g of curry leaves, ideally fresh
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- salt, to taste
- caster sugar, to taste
Coriander chutney
- 125g of coriander
- 50g of vegetable oil
- 1 knob of ginger, small, peeled
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/2 green chilli
- 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 pinch of caster sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
To garnish
- 50g of papdi, (a type of cracker popular in India for chaat dishes)
- 20g of tamarind chutney
- 10g of sev, (a type of fried vermicelli use in chaat dishes)
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Method
1
To make the Andhra spice mix, toast all the ingredients in a dry frying pan over a very low heat for 5-10 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to brown. Allow to cool, then blitz to a powder. You’ll have more than you need for this dish, but it will keep in an airtight container
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 5 curry leaves, ideally fresh
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp basmati rice
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 mace
- 1 whole dried kashmiri chilli
2
Begin by making the achaar, as this can be done up to a month in advance. Peel and finely dice the celeriac, then weigh out 300g of it (any leftover can be used in the purée). Place in a saucepan with the rest of the ingredients and cook over a low-medium heat until the celeriac is just softened (around 15-20 minutes). Leave to cool completely, then transfer to a jar, seal and store in the fridge for up to a month
- 1 small celeriac
- 250ml of mustard oil
- 2 tsp panch poran, a Bengali and northern Indian spice blend – if you can’t find it to buy simply mix equal quantities of fenugreek, cumin, nigella, fennel and black mustard seeds and toast until fragrant (do not blitz to a powder)
- 10g of curry leaves, ideally fresh
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- salt, to taste
- caster sugar, to taste
3
For the chaat mix, preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Peel and dice the celeriac into 1-inch cubes, then toss with the chilli powder, oil and a pinch of salt. Place on a baking tray and cook for around 25 minutes, until cooked. Allow to cool
- 1 small celeriac
- 1 tbsp of Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 dash of rapeseed oil
- salt, to taste
4
While the celeriac roasts in the oven, prepare the purée. Peel and dice the celeriac, then place in a saucepan with the milk and cream, seasoning with a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of the Andrha spice mix. Bring to the boil, then place a circle of baking paper on the surface of the liquid (known as a cartouche) and turn down to a simmer. Cook for around 20 minutes until the celeriac is soft, then strain the celeriac (reserving the liquid) and place into a blender or food processor. Blitz until smooth, adding back some of the cooking liquid if necessary
- 1 small celeriac
- 300ml of whole milk
- 300ml of double cream
- salt, to taste
5
Once the roast celeriac has cooled, mix it with the rest of the ingredients for the chaat, adjusting the amount of lime juice and chaat masala to taste
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 100ml of lime juice
- 50g of dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 20g of coriander stalks, finely chopped
- 30g of red onion, finely chopped
6
To make the coriander chutney, simply blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor until they form a fine paste. Season to taste with salt and sugar. You'll probably be left with more than you use for this recipe, but it will keep for a few days in the fridge
- 125g of coriander
- 50g of vegetable oil
- 1 knob of ginger, small, peeled
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/2 green chilli
- 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 pinch of caster sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
7
To serve, ensure the celeriac purée is at room temperature (or slightly warmer), reheating if needed. Place a large spoonful of it on each serving dish, then make a well in the centre and add a teaspoon of achaar per person. Arrange the chaat next to the purée, then garnish with the chutneys, papdi and sev
- 50g of papdi, (a type of cracker popular in India for chaat dishes)
- 20g of tamarind chutney
- 10g of sev, (a type of fried vermicelli use in chaat dishes)
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