This easy and quick Bombay Potato Curry Soup is creamy, savoury, tangy and packed with tasty spices. This hearty curry soup is a meal-in-a-bowl and so comforting as the warm spices pair so well with the potatoes.
Garnish this Bombay Potato Curry Soup with toasted cashews, fresh coriander and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for extra tastiness. Serve a bowl of delicious thick Bombay potato soup ladled over rice or with your favourite naan or flatbreads, or crispy poppadum's.
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Origins of Bombay Potato Curry
Bombay Potatoes, also known as Bombay Aloo, is a popular side-dish from Northern India. Aloo translates to a potato dish from Hindi. As potatoes are not native to India they made there way over via the Portuguese colonialists at some point during the 17th Century. Potatoes originate from Peru, South America, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. Potatoes were easily incorporated into Indian cooking as potatoes proved to be a successful crop that flourished within the Indian climate and soil. Also potatoes are an incredibly versatile and relatively inexpensive ingredient so was quickly added to tasty curry dishes. Bombay potato curry features potatoes cooked in Indian spices with the result being a drier sort of curry with less sauce compared with regular curries.
Ingredients
As we are a vegan and plant-based family food blog our recipes use 100% animal-free ingredients, and our recipe notes and tips are from a plant-based stand-point so we will never recommend dairy ingredients, etc., as alternatives. However, we would like our recipes to be used by everyone, including meat-eaters who are looking to add more plant-based meals to their diets, so feel free to substitute any ingredient for a suitable slaternative.
The ingredients you will need for this soup are:
- coconut oil or a small amount of vegetable stock/broth
- potatoes
- nigella seeds
- curry powder
- turmeric powder
- chilli powder
- garam masala powder
- fresh garlic (or garlic powder or paste)
- creamed coconut
- canned tomatoes
- vegetable stock/broth
- salt & pepper & optional chilli flakes
How to prepare
This is a nice and easy soup recipe that stars the humble potato by cooking it in delicious Indian spices. A hot steaming bowl is perfect for warming you up during the chillier months with its hearty plant-based goodness. We love to sprinkle our Bombay soup with toasted cashews but these can be replaced with flaked almonds, crushed peanuts, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds.
Step 1: Cook the onions using either coconut oil or vegetable stock.
Step 2: Add in the nigella seeds.
Step 3: Next, sprinkle in the curry powder, turmeric and chilli powder along with the potato and garlic.
Step 4: Season with salt, pepper and optional chilli flakes.
Step 5: Stir and cook the potato mix for 8 minutes.
Step 6: Pour in the chopped tomatoes.
Step 7: Next, add in the vegetable stock and the creamed coconut.
Step 8: Simmer for 25-35 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Step 9: Stir through the garam masala and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Optional serving suggestions: Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of fresh coriander [cilantro] and a few toasted cashew nuts. Extra chilli flakes are welcomed by those who love their curries nice and spicy.
Recipe notes
Storing
Leftover soup can be stored, within a covered food container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw out in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Reheating
Leftover soup will become very thick so if necessary add a splash of water, vegetable stock or plant-based milk, or canned coconut milk, and reheat in a non-stick pot until piping hot. Stir frequently whilst reheating. Or reheat using a microwave until piping hot.
FAQ'S
This soup can be easily prepared as gluten-free by using a gluten-free vegetable stock and ensuring that your curry spices are free from gluten-ingredients as some may contain flour as a thickener.
Yes, here are a few ideas that we like to do:
* Leftovers can be frozen in individual portions and enjoyed for a quick lunch or dinner.
* As leftovers become very thick enjoy as a curry for next days lunch or dinner along with rice, veggies and flatbreads or naans.
* Use thick leftover Bombay curry soup as a pie filling for homemade curry pot pies or pasties. The potatoes can be mashed up a little. Use vegan-friendly puff pastry and bake according to the puff pastry instructions until golden.
* Or use filo pastry and create little Bombay potato pies, perhaps using a muffin tray as mini pie dishes.
* Enjoy a Bombay grilled cheese toastie. Fill your favourite bread with thick Bombay potato leftovers along with a sprinkle of vegan shredded cheese and grill, toast, or dry-fry in a skillet or fry pan until golden, toasty and the filling is bubbling.
* Use the thick Bombay potato leftovers as a chilled tortilla wrap filling for a quick breakfast or lunch.
* Or prepare quesadilla's by spreading a tortilla with the filling and sprinkling shredded cheese over. Next place a second tortilla over the filling and place the quesadilla into a hot skillet or non-stick fry pan or on to a hotplate (such as an electric pancake/crepe maker) and cook each side until golden and the filling hot and bubbling. Slice into quarters. Spreading the tortillas with mango chutney or sweet chilli sauce is a nice idea before adding the cheese and filling.
* Pop a few of the Bombay potato chunks onto a pizza along with dollops of mango chutney for an Indian inspired pizza.
Any potatoes you have to hand are perfect for this soup. We tend to just use any potatoes we may have such as new or baby potatoes, russets, Maris piper, red potatoes, Albert Bartlett, Yukon Gold, or just ordinary supermarket potatoes with no special name or simply labelled as white potatoes.
Yes, there are a few substitutions that would be an especially delicious alternative for potatoes in a curry soup, such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, vegetable marrow, courgettes [zucchini], cauliflower, broccoli, parsnip, celeriac, or a mixture of veggies. Other ideas include chickpeas, butterbeans, or kidney beans. Although do keep in mind that the finished soup won't be Bombay potato soup it will be Bombay... soup, fill in the black with whatever you choose to add.
More meat-free curry soup recipes
We love curry soups as well as curried anything, so there are always more curry recipes being added to our growing collection of family Vegan Curry Recipes.
We especially love this budget-friendly Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dal Soup and this Curried Cauliflower Soup which has delicious chickpea croutons. For a curry soup classic our Mulligatawny soup is always welcomed and so is out Spicy Chickpea Soup.
For another family favourite which is especially tasty during parsnip season when the supermarkets are full of inexpensive parsnips, have a look at our easy Curried Parsnip Soup.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Bombay Potato Curry Soup
Equipment
- Large non-stick pot
- Small non-stick pan/skillet optional, for toasting cashews
- mixing spoon
Ingredients
Saute veggies:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil [or olive, vegetable oil, vegan margarine, or vegan butter, or replace with ½ cup of veggie stock and add more as required]
Bombay potato soup:
- 1 medium onion [chopped]
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds [also known as black cumin seeds]
- 800 grams potatoes [chopped into bitesize chunks]
- 4 cloves garlic [sliced or minced, can replace with 2 teaspoons garlic powder]
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons curry powder [such as a Madras curry powder]
- ¾ teaspoon chilli powder [use a mild version for less spice if required. plus a pinch or two of chilli flakes although the flakes are optional!]
- 1 can chopped tomatoes [canned diced tomatoes, 400g [14oz] can]
- 1 litre vegetable stock [use a vegan 'chicken' flavour if available, such as 2 meat-free chicken OXO cubes)
- 60 grams creamed coconut [or reduce the veggie stock by 1-2 cups 240-480 millilitres and replace with the same amount of canned coconut milk or cashew cream -blended cashew nuts and water]
Add after soup is ready:
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice [use more of less as preferred]
Optional garnish:
- 4 tablespoons fresh coriander [cilantro, use more if preferred]
- 4 tablespoons chopped cashews [toasted or plain, or replace with sunflower/pumpkin seeds/flaked almonds/crushed peanuts]
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in the pot over a medium heat.[Or if using vegetable stock heat to a simmer over a medium heat.]2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stir frequently.1 medium onion
- Stir through the nigella seeds and cook for 1 minute.1 teaspoon nigella seeds
- Add in the potatoes, garlic, curry powder, chilli powder and turmeric. Season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper. Also sprinkle in a few pinches of chilli flakes if liked.800 grams potatoes, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons curry powder, ¾ teaspoon chilli powder
- Mix everything well and cook for 8 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Next, pour in the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, and the creamed coconut. The creamed coconut will dissolve as the soup cooks.1 can chopped tomatoes, 1 litre vegetable stock, 60 grams creamed coconut
- Bring to the boil, lower the heat to low-medium, and simmer for 25-35 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the soup is thick. If the potatoes are taking their time to soften pop a lid over the pan, to concentrate the heat, and cook for a few more minutes.
- Stir through the garam masala and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the finished soup if liked.1 teaspoon garam masala powder, ½ tablespoon lemon juice
Optional serving suggestion:
- Serve with fresh coriander and a sprinkle of toasted or plain cashew nuts.4 tablespoons fresh coriander, 4 tablespoons chopped cashews
Optional, toast the cashew nuts:
- Add chopped cashews to a small non-stick pan and over a medium-high heat toast the cashews for a few minutes until tinged with golden toasty bits.
- Shake the pan often to prevent burning and once the cashews start to colour, the pan can be removed from the heat and shaken back and forth as the cashews will continue to toast in the residual heat.
- Optional: add a pinch of garam masala and salt to the cashews before you toast.
Notes
- Leftover Bombay potato soup can be stored, within a covered food container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Or freeze for 2-3 months.
- Leftover potato soup will become very thick so if necessary add a splash of water, vegetable stock, plant-based milk, or canned coconut milk, and reheat in a non-stick pan until piping hot. Stir frequently whilst reheating.
- Any potatoes you have to hand are perfect for this curry soup. Such as new/baby potatoes, russets, Maris piper, red potatoes, Albert Bartlett, Yukon Gold, or just ordinary supermarket potatoes with no special name! If some potatoes become crushed or loose the shape it is not an issue as the soup will be just as delicious.
- For a change replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, vegetable marrow, large courgettes, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, chickpeas or other bean such as butterbeans. Or try a veggie mix. Adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Leftover Bombay curry soup will become very thick as it sits in the refrigerator so can be perfect for a homemade pot-pie or pasties filling, or as a filling for a grilled cheese toastie, tortilla wrap or sandwich filling, etc.
Nutrition
Comments
Prepared our Bombay Potato Curry Soup? Do pop back and let us know how you got on with the recipe as we love hearing from you. Its very much appreciated. Thanks so much, Jacq x
will grant says
Easy to make . My family love this
Jacq says
Hello Will, I am very happy to hear that your family love the Bombay soup and that you found the recipe easy to prepare! Jacq x