Spicy Indian Bombay Potatoes With Chiles

By
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett has written five books about plant-based cooking and has developed hundreds of vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/24/21
Serve spicy Indian bombay potatoes

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 2 to 3 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
470 Calories
25g Fat
57g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 3
Amount per serving
Calories 470
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 764mg 33%
Total Carbohydrate 57g 21%
Dietary Fiber 7g 23%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 207mg 1,034%
Calcium 67mg 5%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 1450mg 31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This spicy Indian Bombay potatoes recipe is an easy vegetarian and vegan Indian dish that really packs the heat thanks to the fresh green chiles. One of the secrets to the perfect spicy Bombay potatoes is in the cooking oil; using mustard oil gives Indian food dishes that little extra burst of authentic taste.

This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan.

1:33

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Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 medium unpeeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 cup oil, more as needed

  • 5 small green chiles, minced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon chili sauce, or hot sauce

  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 3 medium green onions, coarsely chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients spicy Bombay potatoes with chilies
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a bit of water in a bowl, adding just enough water to make a pancake-like batter. Whisk together until smooth.

    Flour
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  3. Coat each potato piece with batter.

    Potatoes
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. Deep-fry in oil until golden brown on all sides.

    Add oil
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. In a separate skillet, heat minced green chilies, minced garlic, soy sauce, chili sauce or hot sauce, and tomato paste in a bit of oil, stirring well.

    Sauce
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and potatoes, and stir well to coat potatoes with spices.

    Potatoes in pan
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and chopped green onions.

    Add basil
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Tips

Recipe Variations

Bombay potatoes are a typically a dry dish, also called Bombay aloo. This recipe keeps things simple without any spices that would require a trip to a specialty market. But there are many ways you can change the spices and ingredients:

  • If you like your Indian food spicy, add a couple extra chilies, or cut back to reduce the spice a bit.
  • If you don't have mustard oil available, add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds to the oil to impart that flavor. A teaspoon of cumin seeds will also add more authentic flavor.
  • Rather than deep-frying, you can reduce the oil to just a couple of tablespoons by precooking your potatoes in the microwave. Cube your potatoes and place them in a microwave steamer or bowl. Cook on high for 5 minutes. Now coat the potatoes in the batter and cook with oil in a nonstick frying pan on all sides.
  • If you need it to be gluten-free, swap out the flour for gluten-free flour and be sure to use gluten-free tamari in place of the regular soy sauce. The remaining ingredients are all gluten-free.