These unusual little fried patties showcase sago – pearls of starch derived from palm stems, not too dissimilar to tapioca. The vegetarian kebabs are mixed with fried potato and kale, then accompanied by more sago flavoured with mint, beetroot and saffron.
Soak the sago pearls in plenty of cold water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the kale for 1 minute, then drain. Boil the potatoes until tender, then peel and cut or grate into small pieces
Once the sago pearls have been soaking for 30 minutes, drain them and then blanch in boiling water for around 10 minutes, until they turn translucent. Drain and spread out the pearls on a tea towel to drain (they will be quite sticky, but this is fine)
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Fry the grated cooked potato in a little oil until it crisps up and turns golden, then finely shred the blanched kale. Mix the fried potato and kale together in a bowl, then add the green chilli, ginger and a pinch of salt
To prepare the three coloured sago garnishes, blitz the mint leaves to make the green paste, blitz the beetroot to make the pink paste and soak the saffron in warm water to make the yellow paste. Place 4 tablespoons of the blanched sago into each paste and mix with a pinch of salt (you may need to add a little extra water to ensure they are covered). Set aside until ready to serve
Take three-quarters of the remaining sago and stir into the potato mixture, then form into 12 patties. Press the last quarter of sago pearls onto each side of the patties, then fry the patties in a few centimetres of hot oil until golden and crisp
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To serve, place 3 sago kebabs on each plate, along with a spoonful of the mint, beetroot and saffron sago. Pipe the cream cheese on top of each kebab
A master of subtle, balanced spicing and with plenty of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants under his belt, Dayashankar Sharma cooks regional Indian dishes with panache at Grand Trunk Road.
