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Home » Lunch » Soup

Bombay Potato Curry Soup

Published: Feb 24, 2022 · Modified: Oct 17, 2023 by Jacq · This post may contain affiliate links ·Leave a Comment

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This easy Bombay Potato Curry Soup is incredibly creamy, savoury, tangy and packed with plant-based curry spices and flavours. This veggie soup is a meal-in-a-bowl and so comforting as the warm spices pair so well with the fluffy creamy potatoes.

A bowl of Bombay curry soup sitting on a straw matt with a gold spoon in the bowl.

Garnish this Bombay Potato Curry Soup with toasted cashews, fresh coriander and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for extra specialness. Serve a bowl of delicious thick Bombay potato soup ladled over rice or with your favourite naan or flatbreads, or crispy poppadum's.

Origins of Bombay Potato Curry

Bombay Potatoes are also known as Bombay Aloo and are a popular side-dish hailing 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 is simply a dish of tasty potatoes cooked in Indian spices with the result being a drier sort of curry, with less sauce, compared with regular curries.

Bombay potato curry soup served with small pan of toasted cashew nuts and wooden mortar bowl with fresh cilantro and slice of lemon in bowl, mat background with orange scarf to side.

Bombay potato curry soup

This recipe for Bombay potato curry soup is similar to the flavours of a Bombay potato curry, but as it is a soup there is much more tasty curry sauce to enjoy!

The flavours used to prepare this curried potato soup include nigella seeds, curry powder, chilli powder, turmeric, coconut, coriander [cilantro], lemon and tomato.

Of course this recipe is not an authentic recipe for Indian Bombay potatoes but it is a wonderful vegan and plant-based adaption that is now one of our favourite family soups.

Preparing Bombay potato soup is so easy and quick with the entire dish prepared in one-pot. The optional garnish of toasted cashew nuts, fresh coriander and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice sets off the finished soup beautifully.

Toasting the cashews is really easy and there is a simple method included within the recipe card. My kids love toasted cashews especially with a pinch of salt and a few extra pinches of garam masala spice mix added to the pan during toasting. Although a few plain cashews are also tasty as are flaked almonds or crushed peanuts.

For extra hungry dinner guests or family members, a tasty naan bread, chapati or poppadum to dip into and soak up all the mouth-watering Bombay curry sauce is always welcomed.

Close up of Bombay potato soup in cream coloured pan, large pieces of fresh coriander garnish, only the side of the pan is shown with an orange scarf with golden tassels to side.

How to prepare Bombay potato curry soup

This is a nice and easy soup recipe that elevates the humble potato by cooking it in delicious Indian spices. A hot steaming bowl is perfect for warming you up during the chilly months with its hearty, wholesome, and rustic 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. An easy method for toasting the cashews are included within the recipe card.

Onions cooking in coconut oil in cream coloured pan with wooden spatula.
Nigella seeds added to the onions cooking.
First, cook the onions using either coconut oil or veggie stock.

Scatter in the nigella seeds.
Spices and potato chunks added to onions in pan.
Chopped tomatoes added to Bombay potato soup in pan with wooden spatula to side.
Next, sprinkle in the curry powder, turmeric and chilli powder along with the bite-size potato chunks and sliced garlic.

Season with salt, pepper and optional chilli flakes.

Stir and cook the potato mix for 8 minutes.

Pour in the chopped tomatoes.
Creamed coconut block and veggie stock added to the potatoes and onion mix.
Bombay potato soup cooked and ready with garam masala sprinkled over to finish the soup.
Next, add in the veggie stock and pop in the creamed coconut block.

Simmer for 25-35 minutes until the potatoes are soft and creamy.

Stir through the garam masala.

Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Bombay soup ready to serve in cooking pan with coriander and cashew nut garnish, black ladle in soup, orange Indian style scarf background with gold tassels.
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 and FAQ's

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 veggie meals to their diets, so feel free to substitute any staple ingredient for whatever you have in your refrigerator or pantry.

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, veggie 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.

Is this soup gluten-free?

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.

Is Bombay potato soup good for meal prep?

Yes, this soup is perfect for meal prepping as the flavours will just get even more delicious as its stored and the soup copes well with freezing. Prepare a double batch, enjoy one batch for dinner, and then freeze the second in individual portions or the full pot full for easy, quick meals.

Any ideas on how to repurpose the leftover soup?

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.

What are the best potatoes to use for Bombay potato soup?

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 - white potatoes.

Can I substitute the white potatoes for another ingredient?

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!

Can I replace the creamed coconut block?

Yes. If preferred or if you can't source a block of creamed coconut replace with homemade cashew cream or canned coconut milk. If replacing the creamed coconut with a liquid then do reduce the veggie stock by the same amount.

* To prepare homemade cashew cream simply soak one and a half cups of cashew nuts in water for a few hours or overnight and then strain the water away. Tip the cashew nuts into a blender along with an equal amount of fresh water. So if you soaked ½ a cup of cashews add ½ cup of water. If you don't have a measuring cup just use a teacup or mug. Blend until smooth or as smooth as you can achieve, add extra water if required. The cashew cream can be strained through a sieve to remove any gritty pieces if preferred, but if we are adding the cream to a curry or soup we tend to just add the gritty bits and we don't tend to notice them in the finished meal. If you don't have a high speed blender soak the cashew nuts with boiling water as this will help soften them up.

* Alternatively, replace the creamed coconut with one-two cups of canned coconut milk, just remember to reduce the vegetable stock required in the recipe by the same amount.

What are nigella seeds?

Nigella seeds, also known as kalonji or black cumin, [also sometimes known as onion seeds although they aren't actually onion seeds!] are small, black, triangular seeds that come from the Nigella sativa plant, which is native to southwestern Asia. They have a slightly bitter and peppery taste with hints of oregano and onion. Nigella seeds are commonly used in Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking and are often sprinkled on breads especially naan breads, added to pickles, or used as a seasoning in various dishes such as curries.

What is a good nigella seed replacement?

We like to use cumin seeds if we run out of nigella seeds, but other alternatives include - fennel seeds or black sesame seeds, and some people even like to use sesame seeds paired with some oregano as an alternative.

Although, do keep in mind that nigella seeds have a very distinctive flavour so there is not an exact alternative that can replicate the flavour but the alternatives are still tasty. If you have ever had naan breads that contained little black seeds, these are more than likely to be nigella seeds, so you may already be familiar with the flavour of nigella seeds even if you have never used them in cooking.

More easy vegan curry soup recipes

We love curry flavour soups as well as curried flavoured anything!, so there are always more curry recipes being added to our growing collection of family Vegan Curry Recipes. For another family favourite which is especially tasty during parsnip season when the supermarkets are full of inexpensive parsnips, is our easy Curried Parsnip Soup.

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***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***

📖 Recipe

A bowl of Bombay curry soup sitting on a straw matt with a gold spoon in the bowl.

Bombay Potato Curry Soup

Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 or 4 larger bowls
Calories: 277kcal
Author: Jacq
This quick and easy Bombay potato curry soup is incredibly creamy, savoury, tangy and packed with all your favourite curry spices and flavours. So tasty especially when garnished with toasted cashew nuts, fresh cilantro and a few squeezes of lemon juice. And perfect with delicious naan bread, chapati, flatbreads or crispy poppadum's.
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric

Equipment

  • Large non-stick pot/pan
  • Small non-stick pan/skillet optional, for toasting cashews

Ingredients

Saute veggies:

  • 2 tablespoon 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 diced]
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoon 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]

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 veggie stock heat to a simmer over a medium heat.]
    2 tablespoon 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
  • Tip 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 teaspoon 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 pop in 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
  • 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 they toast.

Notes

  • Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
  • 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, veggie 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 filling, etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 856mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 3mg

Prepared our Bombay Potato Curry Soup? Do pop back and let us know how you got on with the recipe, and click the star ratings, as we love hearing from you. Its very much appreciated. Thanks so much, Jacq x

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