We all know about mashed potato. Its easy, delicious and goes with almost any kind of meal! But have you ever tasted spicy mashed potato filled with mustard oil goodness? This is the most common and easiest Bangladeshi classic recipe. Whenever the family members are too busy to cook, they make this classic Alu Bhorrta (Alu mean Potato, Bhorrta means Mashed) with lots of onion, chili and dash of mustard oil. This mustard oil makes it what Alu Bhorrta is!

To make Alu Bhorrta aka Bangla Mashed Potato, you need patience…and lots of potatoes (of course!), onion and chili of your choice (green or dried red chili). Well, the key ingredient is the mustard oil, which you can get at any South Asian stores, but try to get Bangladeshi brand, as it is made to use for cooking purpose. If you don’t have mustard oil or could not manage to get some, you can use coconut oil or other white oil, but truly speaking, they won’t give you that authentic taste. So try to grab some mustard oil (cooking purpose) from Bangladeshi friends or Bangla shops.

This recipe is SUPER easy but you need one virtue, that is patience. Why, you can already guess because you need some time to boil potatoes, which takes time. So what I usually do, is either take small potatoes or cut big potatoes in half or in quarters (depends on the size), wash them very well and boil with little bit of salt! Yes, salt, but don’t add too much as you gonna add some later in the recipe.

Meanwhile, slice onion very thin, if possible use mandolin. It is important to slice onion as thin as possible as it makes them perfectly crumbly!
However, there are thousands of version of Alu Bhorrta! Some prefers to use fried onion, some likes to have it with raw onion and green chili, some people add other sorts of condiments like coriander leaves etc. However, all recipes are almost the same, you boil potatoes, slice (and fry) onions and chili and mash them together with mustard oil and salt. I will add the pictures later when I make different versions, but today I am making Alu Bhorrta with fried roasted onion and dried red chili.

After slicing onions, take fry-pan and warm any white oil, about 2 table spoon, over medium heat. Add dried red chili and fry them until they changes color to dark. You can see I have fried chili without taking off the stalk. It’s because to stop getting air or oil inside, thus to make them super crumbly.

After roasting the chilies, take them out of the pan and keep separately. On the same pan, add sliced onion and fry them until golden brown. This will take a while, if you want all onions to be nicely cooked and roasted! The heat should not be over medium.

Onions are nicely roasted, take them out of the heat and lay them on a plate thinly, so they can get cooled and crispy. Take off the stalk of fried chilies.

Now, its time to get your hands dirty! When the fried onions are cooled, take half a spoon of salt and use your fingers to mix everything well. If you are too afraid to touch chili with your hand, you can use a spoon! I remember, when I was a kid, my hand always burned if I touched chili. Although I am more or less used to it now, but it is always safe to use a spoon or fork.

Everything is nicely mixed and mashed. If your potatoes are already boiled, drain the water and let them cool (because you don’t want to burn your hand) with cold water.

I peeled the skin of potatoes, but you can keep the skin if you like it. Traditionally, we don’t like the skin in Alu Bhorrta, so it is better to peel them for this recipe.

I have added a dash of mustard oil to potatoes, and I will use my hand to break and mix them. Again, you can use fork or any other potato mashers.

Mash and mix potatoes with fried onion, chili and mustard oil, until it looks nice and consistent. Check salt and add more if you need.

Here, the Bangla Mashed Potato is ready! Super easy and delicious to eat! I know its a lot of carbohydrate and you probably don’t want to eat it with rice. But trust me, white rice and Alu Bhorrta is THE MOST DELICIOUS PAIR of all kind! You try it once, you are in love forever (with Alu Bhorrta of course!).

Recipe: 6 Servings Prepping and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 400g Potatoes Spice and Condiments: 1 big Onion 2 tbs fine Salt 60ml Bangladeshi Mustard Oil Dried Chili – as desired 20ml Vegetable Oil to fry

Instruction: 1. Cut potatoes in half or in quarter if they are too big, wash and boil them with 1tbs salt until soft. 2. Warm vegetable oil in a fry-pan, roast dried chili with their stalk on until they change color. Take them out of heat and keep separately. 3. In the same pan, add very thinly sliced onion and fry them until golden brown. When done, lay them on a plate thinly to get cooled and crumbly. 4. When fried onions and chili are cooled down, mash and crumble them with a tablespoon of salt. 5. Now add boiled and peeled potatoes. Break and mix them with fried onions, chili and salt, until well combined. Check salt and add more if needed. Your Alu Bhorrta or Bangla mashed potato is ready. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with warm rice!