This sabji of Bombay Potatoes is delicious and full of authentic flavors. It requires pantry staples and makes a great accompaniment to Indian flatbread.
The dish of Bombay Potatoes is flavorful, easy to make, and distinguished from your routine potato curry. It is a semi-dry curry without onion and garlic and is definitely high in taste and comfort.
About Bombay Potatoes
In India, you will find various Potato or Aloo sabji recipes from one place to another. Moreover, every family has its own way of making it. Aloo sabji or curry is one of the easiest and most popular dishes. Most of the kids especially love to have it rather than green sabji.
Anyway, back to Bombay Potatoes. They are a perfect side dish accompaniment to veggies and other Indian dishes. They are fragrant with Indian spices, moderately spicy, tangy, and delicious.
I have used pantry staple ingredients for this recipe; however, feel free to make this dish your own. Like other curry recipes, this sabji has plenty of room for flexibility. You can use your favorite spices and adjust the amount to suit your taste preferences.
Bombay Potatoes Sabji is made without onion and garlic, so to make the thick masala, I used celery. It makes the tomato mixture thick and helps it stick well to the potatoes. But if you do not have celery, you can skip it or replace it with a small turnip.
Why You Will Love This Sabji
- The Sabji of Bombay Potatoes is simple but flavorful.
- It is delicious and comforting.
- The recipe is easy to make with pantry staples.
- It is a vegan, no onion, no garlic recipe.
- This Sabji is excellent to have with Indian flatbread or as a side dish.
Ingredients and Notes
- Potatoes: I have used all-purpose white potatoes, but you can use any variety of potatoes you like for this recipe. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until they are tender and cooked through. But do not overcook; otherwise, they will become mushy while cooking further with masala.
- Ginger and Chili: Ginger provides a peppery, sharp, earthy flavor to this sabji; try not to skip it. Add less green chili or more to make the sabji as spicy as you prefer.
- Tomatoes: Use ripe and juicy tomatoes; I have used the Roma variety.
- Celery: Celery adds an earthy flavor to the dish. It makes the tomato mixture thick and helps it stick well to the potatoes. But if you do not have celery, that’s perfectly fine! You can skip this vegetable, or if you want, you can substitute it with a small turnip.
- Ground Spices: We need basic Indian ground spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala. You can check out this homemade Punjabi Garam Masala Powder recipe.
- Amchur: Amchur powder is dried mango powder that adds tanginess. If you do not have amchur powder, you can squeeze some lemon juice before serving.
- Cilantro: Add lots of fresh coriander leaves for fresh and earthy flavors.
How To Make Bombay Potatoes
Cooking Potatoes
- Cut the potatoes in half.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add salt and halved potatoes, and boil until potatoes are just tender.
- Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool down.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and chop them into 1-inch cubes.
Making Bombay Potatoes
- Blend together the ginger, green chili, tomatoes, and celery until smooth.
- Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet.
- Add mustard seeds, and when they start to crackle, add cumin seeds.
- Allow cumin seeds to sizzle, and then add the prepared tomato mixture.
- Stir well.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala.
- Mix well.
- Continue cooking the tomato mixture for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture thickens on low-medium heat.
- Stir the mixture frequently.
- Add the potato cubes, mix well, and cook for 4-5 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Check the seasoning, adjust if needed, and add amchur powder and chopped coriander leaves.
- Mix well, then turn off the heat and serve.
Serving Suggestions
This Bombay Potato sabji goes perfectly well with Indian Flatbread. Serve it with Roti for comfort or Puri for more like a feast.
To pack lunch for school or work, make a Roti or Paratha wrap with the filling of this sabji. Or place it between bread slices to make a toaster sandwich.
Instead of serving it with plain Roti or Paratha, you can serve it with veggie-loaded Paratha. Some suggestions are:
Storing Suggestions
If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to two days.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
If you use a stovetop, reheat the sabji in a small pan or skillet on low heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water if needed.
Helpful Tips For Making Bombay Potatoes
Potatoes: Boil the potatoes until tender and cooked through but not overcooked. If they are very soft, they will become mushy when mixed with tomato masala.
Celery: Celery makes the gravy thicker, which is also a great way to include it in our recipes. But if you do not have celery, you can skip it or replace it with ¼ cup of chopped turnip.
Spices: Add spices according to your taste preferences.
Variations: For tanginess, you can add chaat masala instead of amchur powder. If you have none, you can squeeze some lemon juice. You can also add Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) at the end for more flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use waxy potatoes that hold their shape after cooking and are not crumbly and mealy. Yellow, new, all-purpose white, and red potatoes work well for this recipe.
The main reason for using celery is to thicken the tomato mixture and get the earthy flavor it offers. But instead of celery, you can use ¼ cup of chopped turnip. Adding cashew or almond paste will also help. If you do not want to use any of these, you can mash 3-4 small cubes of potatoes and mix them with the tomato mixture. Then, cook until the tomato puree becomes thick.
More Potato Recipes
Recipe Card
Bombay Potatoes (No Onion No Garlic)
Ingredients
For Tomato Mixture
- 1- inch ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 green chili roughly chopped
- 2 tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 small celery stick roughly chopped (optional)
For Bombay Potatoes
- 800 g potatoes (about four to five medium potatoes)
- 3 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon amchur powder
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Cooking Potatoes
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the potatoes in halves.
- Add salt and halved potatoes to boiling water, and cook until potatoes are just tender. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool down.
Making Bombay Potatoes
- Blend together the ginger, green chili, tomatoes, and celery until smooth. Set aside.
- When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and chop them into 1-inch cubes.
- Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet. Add mustard seeds and when they start to crackle, add cumin seeds.
- Allow cumin seeds to sizzle, and then add the prepared tomato mixture. Stir well.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala. Mix well and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture thickens on low-medium heat.
- Add the potato cubes, mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes. Check the seasoning, adjust if needed and then add amchur powder and chopped coriander leaves.
- Turn off the heat and serve.
Serving Suggestions
- This Bombay Potato sabji goes perfectly well with Indian Flatbread. Serve it with Roti for comfort or Puri for more like a feast.
- To pack lunch for school or work, make a Roti or Paratha wrap with the filling of this sabji. Or place it between bread slices to make a toaster sandwich.
Storing Suggestions
- If you have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to two days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. If you use a stovetop, reheat the sabji in a small pan or skillet on low heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water if needed.
Notes
- Potatoes: Boil the potatoes until they are tender and cooked but not overcooked. If potatoes are very soft, they will become mushy while mixed with tomato masala.
- Celery: It makes the gravy thicker and is a great way to include it in our recipes. But if you do not have celery, you can skip it or replace it with a ¼ cup of chopped turnip.
- Spices: Add spices according to your taste preferences.
- Variations: If you like, you can add chaat masala instead of amchur powder for tanginess. Or if you have none, you can squeeze some lemon juice. You can also add Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) at the end for more flavor.
Nutrition (Approximate Values)
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