Bombay Potatoes Recipe (Indian Style Spicy Potatoes)
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Bombay Potatoes (Indian-Style Spicy Potatoes) is a Indian style dish made with baby potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and a few basic Indian spices. It is popularly served at restaurants in the UK. Serve it as a side dish with hot, flaky lachha paratha or tawa parathas or a simple dal phulka or dal rice for a comforting Indian-style meal.
Here are some more Indian potato recipes that you can try: Aloo Methi Sabzi, Punjabi Style Aloo Gobhi, and Sindhi Aloo Tuk.
Table of Contents
On our trip to London a few years back, I came across Bombay Potatoes on the menu of an Indian restaurant. I had visited Bombay many times, but never came across anything by this make. I obviously ordered it, and I am glad I did. Spicy, masala-coated potatoes paired perfectly with the bread.
After researching this dish upon returning home, I realized it is the Londoners’ version of Indian-spiced potatoes.
I worked my taste buds hard to figure out the ingredients involved, and my homemade version was ready within a few hours of returning home. Guess what? It was love at first bite. Do try this spicy Bombay potatoes recipe. It is super simple to make and tastes delicious.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – The restaurant I went to made this curry with baby potatoes. If baby potatoes are unavailable, you can use regular potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Yukon Gold, Russet, etc., are some options. If you live in the UK, use Maris Piper or baking potatoes.
- Oil – I use canola oil to make this Bombay aloo recipe, but you can also use sunflower oil, light olive oil, mustard oil, or ghee.
- Spice Powders – You will need basic Indian spice powders such as coriander powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder.
- Green chillies – Adjust to suit your taste.
- Crushed fennel seeds (saunf) & crushed coriander seeds (dhaniya beej) – To crush coriander and fennel seeds, add the whole seeds to a mortar and pestle and crush them roughly. You can also crush the seeds in a grinder: add the whole seeds and pulse for 2-3 seconds.
- Lime Juice – It adds a nice tangy flavor to the sabji. Lime juice can be replaced with lemon juice. You can also use dry mango powder (amchur powder) for the tang.
- Others – You will also need brown mustard seeds, asafetida (hing), fenugreek seeds (methi dana), cumin seeds (jeera), red onions, fresh ginger, curry leaves, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).
Skip adding asafetida to make gluten-free Bombay potatoes.
You can also add some curry powder to the recipe for a taste change.
Add a little garam masala powder and cumin powder to make the curry even more flavorful.
Some restaurants add a little tomato puree or paste to this aloo curry. You can try it too.
How To Make Bombay Potato Recipe
Cook The Potatoes
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Step 1: Wash 500 g of baby potatoes, then add them to a pressure cooker with 2 teaspoon of salt. Add water to cover the potatoes, then cook for 2 whistles on high heat.
If using regular potatoes, wash and cut them into 1-inch cubes.
Remove the pressure cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the cooker and run the potatoes under cold water. Peel them and keep them aside.
You can choose to keep the potato skins if you wish.
In An Instant Pot
- Add 500 g of potatoes to the inner pot of the Instant Pot along with 2 teaspoon of salt. Add water to cover them.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, do a 10-minute NPR followed by QPR.
- Open the lid and run the potatoes under cold water. Peel them and keep them aside.
Make The Sabji
Step 2: Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Add the following ingredients once the oil is hot, and let them crackle for 5-6 seconds.
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
Step 4: Add 10-12 curry leaves and ½ cup of chopped red onions and saute until they turn light brown (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.
Step 5: Now, add 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and 2 teaspoon of chopped green chilies, and sauté for another minute.
Step 6: Now add the following ingredients and cook for 10-15 seconds, stirring continuously.
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Step 7: Add ½ cup of water and cook for a minute.
Step 8: Now add the cooked potatoes to the pan and toss them well in the masala. Cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times.
Step 9: Now add 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice and mix well. Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Pro Tips By Neha
Don’t overcook the potatoes. They should hold their shape and not get mushy. If the baby potatoes you got are large, cook them for an additional minute.
Adjust the chilies as per your heat tolerance. My recipe makes medium-spiced potatoes.
Bombay Potatoes FAQs
Bombay potatoes and jeera aloo are dishes featuring potatoes cooked with cumin seeds and spices. However, there are slight variations in the ingredients and preparation method. Jeera aloo is milder, whereas Bombay potatoes are spicy and robust.
You can add green peas, sweet corn kernels, chopped spinach, fenugreek leaves, etc., to this sabji.
Leftover Bombay potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until hot, then serve.
You can also freeze them for upto a month. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
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Bombay Potatoes Recipe (Indian Style Spicy Potatoes)
Ingredients
To Cook The Potatoes
- 500 grams baby potatoes (or regular potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- water (as needed)
For The Sabji
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds (sarson)
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing) (skip for gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds (saunf)
- 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds (dhaniya beej)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- ½ cup chopped red onions
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
Instructions
Cook The Potatoes
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Wash the potatoes and add them to a pressure cooker along with salt. Add water to cover the potatoes and cook for two whistles on high heat.
- Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the cooker and run the potatoes under cold water. Peel them and keep them aside.
In An Instant Pot
- Add the potatoes to the inner pot of the instant pot along with salt. Add water to cover them.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, do a 10-minute NPR followed by QPR.
- Open the lid and run the potatoes under cold water. Peel them and keep them aside.
Make The Sabji
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds, and let them crackle for 5-6 seconds.
- Add curry leaves and onions and saute until they turn light brown in color (5-6 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Add ginger and green chilies and saute for another minute.
- Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, and salt, and cook for 10-15 seconds, stirring continuously.
- Add ½ cup of water and cook for a minute.
- Now add the cooked potatoes to the pan and toss them well in the masala.
- Cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times in between.
- Now add lime juice and mix well. Garnish the Bombay potatoes with cilantro and serve hot.
This was extremely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
It’s delicious, I am also adding green bling beans. It gives extra colour, nutrition and taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe:)
Awesome! Thank you…
🙂
Great
Thanks
Same like this recipe i have eaten in Poona, they have added tomato juice & more masala to it. After all your recipe is very nice.
Thnx 🙂
Turned out amazing ???? thanks for sharing!
Thnx for trying and leaving your feedback 🙂
I like all ur recipes a lot
Thnx 🙂
I like all ur recipes a lot.
Looks yummy. For me, it’s different from those aloo curry that we cook often. Most importantly, It’s quick and easy! Will try this for sure. Thanks for sharing ?
Thnx Tarang.Do try, I am sure you will love it.
Beautiful clicks, I make it the same way, as you said tomatoes do give their own taste when added and my hubby doesn’t prefer that, kids love the taste with flavours only with the potatoes , they just eat it as it is, but I usually make it with Rasam or pulka. Your baby potatoes is reminding of back home
Thnx Jayasri. Don’t you get these baby potatoes in Uk?