I love potatoes. And I love Indian cooking. So Bombay potatoes are a dream dish for me. If you like potatoes, this could be your new favourite way to cook them. For an Indian dinner anyway. This is a thick curry. A dry curry almost. Like a crazy seasoning paste on potatoes. Not like the usual saucy curries you get at restaurants. That’s what makes it special. Intensely flavoured. Perfect against the mild taste of potato.
In your face delicious Bombay potatoes
It’s not like a lot of the recipes out there for Bombay potatoes. This is in your face restaurant cooking. No subtlety here. None. Not your mom’s Bombay aloo. Tomato. Onion. Garlic. Ginger. Mustard seed. Spice. And a bit of tart zing from amchoor powder. Not super spicy though. Unless you want to go there. Well seasoned. Big bold tastes. Good eating. Amchoor is dried mango. You can get it at any Indian grocer. It’s one of those ingredients you didn’t know you needed until you try it. Then you have to have it. But lemon works as well if you don’t feel like going to the store. I’m not super clear on the origin of Bombay potatoes. Some say it started in Goa where potatoes were introduced to India. Others claim this is a mostly British dish that was introduced to anglicize Indian cooking. It’s big in Bombay as well. Guess that’s why they call it Bombay aloo. Aloo is potato in Hindi. Doesn’t really matter where Bombay potatoes come from though. What matters is you can make them at home. Serve them to friends. Or just eat them all up yourself. I know I’m guilty of doing that…
Learn how to make Bombay potatoes (video)
Pick your potatoes wisely
Choice of potato is important. Probably the most important thing in this recipe. You want a waxy potato. Floury potatoes like russets are good for mashed potatoes. If you want Bombay potato mash then try that. Otherwise stick to waxy. I like whole waxy potatoes the size of golf balls. That works well for me. I like round too. Square cut is a bit more delicate. You are boiling the potatoes before you make the curry. They will be a bit soft. Round seems to hold up better. For me, anyway. Guess I’m a bit picky… Bombay aloo. Bombay potatoes. Potato curry. Who cares what it’s called. What matters is it’s delicious. And you can make it at home. Try it. It may surprise you.
