Bombay Potatoes are my go-to for a quick, spicy Indian potato recipe. These crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside potatoes are a family recipe and a staple and has been shared over 3000 times on social media! Perfectly seasoned, they’re vegan, gluten-free, and incredibly easy to make. Plus, I use just 7 ingredients and can make this in 30 minutes so it’s perfect for busy weeknights or really any meal.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you’re in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” above!
💭 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfect, crispy potatoes: Foolproof recipe to get super crispy potatoes that are soft and fluffy on the inside (just like my crispy garlic air fryer smashed potatoes or sheet pan Aloo Gobi).
- Quick and easy to make: This dish uses 7 simple ingredients and comes together in 30 minutes, so it’s the perfect quick side dish!
- Make-ahead friendly: Fresh in the fridge for up to a week.
📋 Ingredients and notes
You’ll need potatoes, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, vegetable oil, a dash of chickpea flour for this recipe and some fresh cilantro garnish. You can also use ground cumin or coriander in the spice mix.
Notes & Variations
- Substitute for black mustard seeds. Substitute this with half a teaspoon of whole grain mustard. However, the latter is more concentrated so make sure to start with a little dash, then taste and adjust as needed.
- Don’t hesitate to play with the spices. I use basic spices but you can totally mix it up. If you don’t have cumin seeds, you can use cumin powder. You can add curry powder, garam masala, fresh ginger, garlic or other warm Indian spices.
- Other variations: For instance, add a handful of cherry tomatoes for sweetness, chopped spinach in the last few minutes, drained canned chickpeas for protein, or even some cauliflower to bulk it up!
- Use waxy potatoes. These hold their shape after cooking, and have higher moisture content so they turn out fluffier. I use Yukon Gold (aka Maris Piper or “baking” potatoes) but you can also use red potatoes, fingerlings,
👩🏽🍳 Make Bombay potatoes from scratch!
Parboil / pre-cook the potatoes
Add quartered potatoes to a pot of water along with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, and parboil the potatoes until fork tender.
This typically takes around 10 to 12 minutes from when the water is at a rolling boil, depending on age, type, and size. Peel potatoes, set aside after draining.
Don’t boil them all the way like you might for mashed potatoes. Boiling just until fork tender ensures it’s cooked inside but it holds shape once you fry them.
Prepare the spice mixture
Mix turmeric, red chili powder, and chickpea flour to create a spice mix. Toss the cooked potatoes in this spice mix. Add some water to help bind the spices to the boiled potatoes (1 teaspoon water to 1 tablespoon chickpea flour ratio).
Pan fry the potatoes with spices
Heat some vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil here, it’ll burn) in a skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is hot (it’ll appear to glisten) add black mustard seeds. Once they start to sputter, add cumin seeds. If you are using cumin powder, hold off on this step.
Once the cumin seeds are toasted, shake the potatoes to get excess slurry off of them. Then, toss them into the skillet for pan frying. Add cumin powder at this stage if you’re using them instead of seeds.
Give them a good stir to get the spices nicely dispersed. Then, cook untouched for about 3 to 4 minutes to create delicious spicy potatoes.
The chickpea flour helps crisp up the potatoes and helps the spices adhere to the potatoes better (this is a trick that my mom has used for ages!)
Give it one more stir, and let it cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. When the potatoes start turning golden brown on the outside, you’re good to turn off the heat. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and some raita for a delicious side!
Shruthi’s Top Tip
Don’t skip the chickpea flour. Dredging the parboiled potatoes in the chickpea flour + spice mixture before pan frying them helps make the potatoes ultra crispy, and take on the flavors of the spices much better.
- Choose potatoes that are similar in size so that they cook evenly.
- Boiling time will depend on the type and size of potato. Baby potatoes take ~10 minutes while quartered Yukon Gold will take about 14 minutes (from when the water starts boiling).
- Crispiness depends on the type of potato, the size of potato chunks and the skillet or pan used. I use a non-stick skillet (this ridiculously non-stick Caraway fry pan) or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. It’s never let me down!
- Adjust spiciness to your preferred level. I use Kashmiri red chili powder in this recipe, so a little goes a long way. You can substitute this with paprika, cayenne or reduce the quantity to meet your spice tolerance.
👩🏽🍳 FAQs
Yes! Instead of parboiling the potatoes, you can peel, quarter, and pre-cook the potatoes in an air fryer at 380°F for 15 minutes. Then, toss potatoes in the spice mix and return to air fryer for 20 minutes. Shake basket or turn the potatoes halfway through and make sure to cook until golden brown!
Same steps until you get the potatoes dredged in the spice mix. Then, spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 380°F for 30 to 45 minutes. Check every 5 minutes after 30 minutes, until done.
Glad you asked! Bombay potatoes (or Bombay Aloo) get their name from the British. The British Raj introduced potatoes to India to replace indigenous vegetables with “superior” plants. At home, we just call them ‘aloo subzi’ (aka, “sauté of potatoes”).
🍴 What to serve with roast Bombay potatoes
I love eating these spicy Indian potatoes by themselves, but here are three more great ways to eat them:
- Serve as a side dish. Instead of a classic potato salad, serve these warmly spiced potatoes, and you have a hit on your hands. Goes great with most mains (whether that’s a robust meat dish or a grilled vegetable)
- Use as taco filling. Add some pickled red onions, maybe some cilantro-lime sauce and you’re all set. Or simply add to my gochujang cauliflower tacos.
- Eat with naan or rice. Check out my foolproof homemade naan recipe for the fluffiest, pillowy naan bread you can make at home. Or, try this jeera rice for another perfect pairing!
Storing & Reheating
You can store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. You could reheat in a microwave, but popping them back into the pan will give you crispier potatoes.
I don’t recommend freezing potatoes (they tend to get mushy and reheating doesn’t replicate the crispy texture nearly as well).
More great potato dishes:
Leftover potatoes? No worries! Make some of these amazing potato dishes.
- Aloo Gobi Masala (sheet pan roasted Indian potatoes and cauliflower)
- Air Fryer Samosas
- Instant Pot, No Drain Mashed Potatoes
- Classic American Potato Salad
- Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
If you’re looking for Indian dishes, check out these curries and street foods.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bombay Potatoes (Spicy Indian Roast Potatoes)
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 4 tablespoons chickpea flour
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons red chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder, adjust to taste!
- 4 teaspoons water, to form slurry with chickpea flour
Bombay Potatoes
- 6 potatoes, medium sized, Yukon Gold
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, substitute ½ teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds, substitute with cumin powder
Instructions
Parboil the potatoes
- Bring a pot of water to boil along with turmeric powder. Quarter potatoes (no need to peel) and drop them in water. Boil for 10-15 minutes, after you start to see bubbles appear in the water (rolling boil). Note: At 10 minute mark, check if potatoes are fork-tender. Otherwise, let them cook a bit more, checking every minute. You don't want to over boil them.
Prepare spice mix
- In a medium sized bowl (that can hold all the potatoes) add the chickpea flour, remaining turmeric, salt, and red chili powder and give it a good whisk.
Make Bombay Potatoes!
- Once the potatoes are done boiling, remove from heat using a colander or slotted spoon. Rinse the potatoes under cold water to stop them from further cooking and peel the potatoes (the peels should come right off)
- Drop the peeled potatoes into the bowl with the spice mix and give it a good toss to coat them evenly. Now, add about 4 teaspoons of water to make sure the spices stick to the potatoes. Don't add too much water!
- In a skillet, heat vegetable oil on medium heat.
- Once the oil starts to glisten, add mustard seeds. Then, once the mustard seeds starts sputtering, add cumin seeds. Toast for about 20 seconds taking care not to burn the seeds. Note: You can skip the mustard seeds if you don't have them, and add the cumin seeds straight to the oil. If you plan to use cumin powder, skip this step entirely and add the cumin powder after you add the potatoes.
- Toss the potatoes into the skillet, taking care not to overcrowd them. Give them a good stir and let them cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then give them one more good stir and let them cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Your potatoes should be golden brown by this time. If not, give it a few more minutes until they are.
- Once they are golden brown, turn the heat off, garnish with some curry leaves (note: these are not bay leaves!) or cilantro if you wish, and serve hot with naan, rice or any other main dish of choice.
Video
Notes
- Using the chickpea flour makes the potatoes ultra crispy. If you don’t have that on hand, you can just toss the potatoes in the spices and drop them in the oil. You might need to watch the potatoes as they cook to make sure they’re crispy the way you want it (and it might take a bit more time!)
- Adjust the spice to your taste levels. In my household, we use Kashmiri red chili powder when I need heat – this is quite potent. If you want milder flavors but still a kick, you can use paprika instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these as a side dish to Tandoori Chicken. I made them as written and they tasted wonderful, but I had some problems getting the coating to stick to the potatoes. A lot of it came off in the last step. We ate it anyway since it was so tasty, but what did I do wrong? Did I overcook the potatoes?
Hey Kelly! Sorry to hear that. It sounds like the potatoes may have been too wet or overcooked, which can cause the coating to slide off. Try draining and cooling them thoroughly before tossing them in the spice mix, and make sure you’re only adding just enough water to make the coating stick. Also, be gentle when stirring in the final step to keep the coating intact!
Thank you for the tip of not boiling them all the way! They were delicious 😋
These potatoes were crispy and delicious and a nice change from the roasted potatoes I normally make. My family all enjoyed them a lot.
You can also use rice flour, or you could choose to skip it too! It just adds a bit more crispiness on the outside 🙂
I love potatoes and am always on the quest for a great new recipe.
I love your Bombay potatoes! I had to cut down on the chili, but it was terrific. Crispy and rich in flavor, the best combination.
Thank you.
These were such a perfect side dish for our tofu masala! These had such a great flavor. I’ll be making them again!
The chickpea flour really gives these potatoes a wonderful texture! Plus I love getting a tiny protein boost.
This may be a silly question, but do you cut the potatoes after you peel them. I don’t see that in the instructions unless I missed this.
Hi Sara – no worries! I usually quarter the potatoes before I boil them (you can see this in Step 1) – so I don’t cut them after I peel them! But depending on how big your potatoes are, you totally can (or use baby potatoes, but those can be annoying to peel!) Hope this helps.
I found your recipe when looking for a Bombay Aloo recipe because I was craving that dish after having it at a semi-local Indian restaurant. Forgive me for having to change it around a little bit, but I was just cooking for me this evening (as the family had already grabbed something on the run) and I had to work with what I had and was “hangry” LOL I substituted dry mustard powder for the seeds, chili oil for the chili pepper and rice flour for the chickpea flour since that’s what I had. I also sliced the potato in thin slices vs boiling first for a quick prep/cooking time. I had everything else in the recipe and cooked them in a skillet. Once they were close to done, I sprinkled cilantro over them. They were delicious and satisfied the craving! I look forward to when I have time to do the traditional version! Thank you!
Love the modifications! I think all of these are great substitutes, so thanks for taking the time to share back! 🙂
Very impressed with the simplicity of this recipe, and the results were superb. Thank you
Thank you so much Paul! Glad you liked it!!
This was amazingly simple and flavorful! Wish I had used a nonstick skillet. Otherwise a fantastic meal for the rotation!
Thank you so much Blake – yes, non-stick or a well-seasoned cast iron will give you maximum crispiness without sticking! Thank you so much.
Tried tonight, family loved it. I went heavy on the floor and spice mix. Turmeric in the potato water is a great idea.
Didnt have chick pea flour so went with SR flour. Have to get some though.
Loved it, easy to make, good starter recipe for newbie like me.
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much, Mick! Love the tweaks and so glad your family enjoyed it.
My husband and I really liked this! I needed to use up some potatoes and to have something more to serve alongside leftover Baingan Bharta I’d made a few days earlier. I’d used up all the hot chili powder I’d bought on a trip to India so substituted Vindaloo curry seasoning, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The potatoes browned perfectly with the chickpea flour and were so wonderfully crispy! Delicious. Have a feeling this will become a go-to recipe for us 🙂
I’m so glad you loved the recipe and what a great idea to use Vindaloo seasoning! Thanks so much!!
Absolutely delicious and so easy! Thank you
So simple and so yummy – love this crispy version of the homely jeera aloo💯💯
This recipe is super easy to follow and I love the simplicity of the spice mixture. They turned out fabulous and this will definitely be a staple in our house moving forward. If you dont typically cook with salt (we dont normally) – I’d cut the salt in half. We didn’t have mustard seeds so I skipped that but honestly the flavor is incredible even without them. Another great recipe from Urban Farmie 🙂
Thanks so much, Naila! Totally hear you on the salt, and so glad that it turned out awesome even without mustard seeds 🙂
Can you parboil the potatoes ahead of time and start with cold potatoes?
Hi, yes, you can! As long as it’s parboiled, it should be okay!
Bombay potatoes look so tempting with their crispy texture. Loved the addition of chickpea flour.