Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tandoori Bok Choy

Cilantro chutney is my favorite type of leftover sauce with which to improvise.  I always make a big enough batch so I can either eat it with a spoon or find a creative new way to pair it.  It surprisingly goes with anything.. samosas, pappadums, steamed dhokla, chicken, fish, grilled or roasted vegetables, tortilla chips, bread.. my finger.  I even tried it with steak!  Sacriledge.. but who really cares.  That's not the point.  What I love is that the pairing sometimes completely blows me away.  When I make it for samosas, I know exactly what the outcome will be.. and that's good because it's exactly what I'm expecting.  Today I paired it with some roasted sweet potato slices.

Wow.

I don't think I can ever eat sweet potatoes without them.  They are like soulmates.. completely in contrast but beautifully symbiotic.  The sweetness of the sweet potato contrasts the harshness of the raw green.  With a little bit of coconut, it comes out as an incredible vegan main dish.

Since I was going for improvisational pairing, I decided to go completely vegan and pair this with a green veggie instead of meat.

After coming home from the Indian Wonderland Market downtown, my tandoori packet wanted to fuse with my blood cells.  It is made with all natural ingredients and no food coloring, but has a deep red color from the ground chiles.  If I didn't use it tonight, I would have snorted lines of it.  Tandoori seasoning smells so familiar it's aroma is like a sensual whisper.  It also goes well with grilled veggies.  I've done broccoli and cauliflower with very happy endings.. so grilled bok choy seemed like an interesting successful combination.

This meal was so simple to put together but so perfect in its uniqueness that I couldn't let it go without properly documenting it.

Cilantro Chutney - yield 1 1/2 cups
3 green onions
1 green chile
1/2 bunch cilantro
4 cloves garlic
juice from 1 lime
4 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp oregano
pinch fleur de sel
Blend it all together

Roasted Sweet Potatoes - serves 1
1 sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
pinch fleur de sel
1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
1 Tbsp dried coconut for garnish
Toss with olive oil, fleur de sel, and amchur.  Bake at 200°C 400°F for 30 minutes, then serve garnished with some cilantro chutney and coconut.

Tandoori Bok Choy - serves 1
1 medium bok choy, sliced in half lengthwise
pinch fleur de sel
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
healthy sprinkling tandoori spices (about 2 tsp)
Rub the bok choy halves with the grated garlic, making sure to get the garlic into the crevices.  Sprinkle with fleur de sel and tandoori spices, then drizzle olive oil onto the open halves, rubbing it all over the bok choy.
Heat a griddle pan or cast iron pan on high, then grill the bok choy face down for about 3-4 minutes.  It should have nice char marks.  Flip them over and grill another 3 minutes.

This seems like a light meal, but it was very filling and satisfied all my longing senses without having to cut lines of tandoori powder and inhale them...