Easy Masala Chips are an East-African Indian speciality . These Kenyan Masala Potato Chips or Masala Fries are made from frozen oven-chips for ease and use only pantry ingredients so that you can have a delicious meal ready in no time at all.
EASY MASALA CHIPS
So you’ve eaten portions upon portions of plain chips with salt and vinegar, gorged on chips with ketchup, ventured out into loaded fries and now I’m guessing you’re looking for another way to love the humble potato chip? Especially when chips and curry sauce isn’t hitting the spot anymore.
These absolutely delicious Kenyan Masala Chips are just the way to do that. Oven-cooked potato chips are tossed in a delicious Indian masala to give a warming and finger-licking finish.
Easy Masala Chips are so quick to make as you do not need to spend ages with peeling fresh ingredients. The base is made from a mix of spice powders and passata so that you can have a delicious meal in minutes.
These Masala Fries are readily available in Kenya as a snack food and are now recreated in homes all around the world.
Btw, when I say “chips”, I’m talking about the British version of chips and not American chips which would be “crisps” here!
This recipe is:
✔️Gluten-free (if using Gluten-free oven chips)
✔️Vegan (check oven chips packaging)
✔️Easy, guilt-free and ready in less than 30 minutes
✔️Perfect snack
✔️Mildly spicy but have a delicious Gujarati twang with the hot and sour flavour
✔️Great for get-togethers
My Grandma would regularly treat the family to East-African dishes and so my Dad now asks my Mum to recreate so many of those recipes!
Luckily, my parents have many old family friends who also previously lived in East Africa so my Mum was easily able to learn the recipes. Masala Chips is one such dish that we all now absolutely love!
East African Indian Recipes:
Kasoli nu Saak – Sweetcorn Curry in a Peanut Gravy
Sweetcorn and Red Kidney Beans Curry
Masala Mogo/Cassava
Mogo Chips
Instant Pot Mandazi/Mahamri
Kenyan Style Chevdo
Original Maru’s Bhajiya
Kenyan Masala Chips Ingredients
Potato Chips – we have used oven chips but you can also make your own. We find that using slightly thicker cut works better than thin fries to hold the masala.
Onion and garlic granules – you may use fresh onion and garlic
Tomato puree – we have used passata
Oil – vegetable or sunflower
Sugar – regular granulated sugar
Lemon Juice – fresh or bottled. Do not skip this step – adding the lemon or lime juice makes all the difference!
Red chilli powder – Kashmiri red chilli powder will lend great colour but won’t be very spicy.
Ground cumin and coriander
Garnishing – optional
Finely chopped coriander
Lemon/lime wedges
Can I use stale chips?
This recipe is a great way to revive chips that have been previously cooked and have gone a little hard. The process of recooking makes them perfect again.
Can I use fresh onion and garlic? Yes, but the recipe will take longer. Cook minced onion and garlic before adding tomato puree
Serving Suggestion
Best to serve straight away, if left then cook again on low heat until chips get crispy again.
These Masala Chips can be served with vegan mayo, guacamole or green chutney
Serve with cold drinks such as Cardamom Mojito or Mango and Lime Lassi also great with a cold beer for adults.
Storage:
These chips are best eaten immediately whilst hot as they will lose their texture once they cool.
How to make Kenyan Masala Chips
Note- Follow these step-by-step pictures, video is just above the recipe card below. For exact measurements and full method see printed recipe card below. 1. Oven or air fry frozen chips or make from scratch (First pic)
Heat oil in a frying pan (Second pic)
Add tomato puree (Third pic)
Cook on medium heat and reduce the sauce (Fourth pic)
Add onion and garlic granules and keep cooking for another 3-4 minutes (Fifth pic)
Tip in red chilli and ground cumin & coriander (Sixth pic).
Other Starter/Snacks Recipes
Batata Vada Gujarati Style
Kothimbir Vadi Waffles
Best Ever Bhel Puri
Mamra Upma
Maddur Vada
KENYAN MASALA CHIPS
Equipment
- oven
- Baking tray
- Frying pan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 600 g frozen oven chips
- 250 ml tomato puree or passata
- 3 tbsp. oil
- 1 tsp. onion powder/granules
- 1 tsp. garlic powder/granules
- 2 tsp. red chilli powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin and coriander
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander
- Lemon/lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and bake chips according to package instructions.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add tomato puree and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or it’s raw smell go away.
- Then add onion and garlic granules and keep cooking further.
- You’ll see the sauce leaves moisture and thickens.
- Then add red chilli powder and ground cumin-coriander.
- After a couple of minutes add lemon juice and sugar.
- Mix well and add baked chips.
- Mix through and sprinkle freshly chopped coriander.
- Serve with lemon/lime wedges and consume immediately.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
KENYAN MASALA CHIPS
Equipment
- oven
- Baking tray
- Frying pan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 600 g frozen oven chips
- 250 ml tomato puree or passata
- 3 tbsp. oil
- 1 tsp. onion powder/granules
- 1 tsp. garlic powder/granules
- 2 tsp. red chilli powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin and coriander
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander
- Lemon/lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and bake chips according to package instructions.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add tomato puree and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or it’s raw smell go away.
- Then add onion and garlic granules and keep cooking further.
- You’ll see the sauce leaves moisture and thickens.
- Then add red chilli powder and ground cumin-coriander.
- After a couple of minutes add lemon juice and sugar.
- Mix well and add baked chips.
- Mix through and sprinkle freshly chopped coriander.
- Serve with lemon/lime wedges and consume immediately.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Packed Potato Bhajiyas | Atom Bomb Bhajia
✔️Suitable for Vegans
✔️Gluten-free
✔️Hot and sour in flavour
✔️A great starter
✔️Party snack
✔️Something a little different
I just love the look of these bhajia. The bright red filling is just exciting! You just know that they will be spicy but you still can’t resist!
I first came across these bhajia in Leicester, UK when visiting my Aunty. I was around 10 so my Mum didn’t let me try them – they were too spicy she said! Once I was a bit older, she made them at home and they were such a hit! It’s been a solid 10 years since we’ve made them again but here they are on the blog in all their glory.
I had to do a little digging about the origins of these bhajia. I knew that they had to be East African as they are mostly only sold or served within the East African Indian community in the UK. The bhajias are also interchangeably called Viazi Karai – Swahili deep-fried potatoes from Mombasa, Kenya. They do however have some key differences. More on that below.
Some East African recipes that we love in indulge in are:
Kasoli nu Saak – Corn on the cob and Peanut Curry
Sweetcorn and Red Kidney Bean Curry
Original Maru’s Bhajia – crispy potato fritters
Masala Chips
Eggless Mandazi – sweet coconut doughnut triangles
Masala Mogo – cassava stir-fried in a finger-licking Indo-Chinese sauce
Kenyan Chevdo – the ultimate snack-food
Difference between Packed Potato Bhajia and Viazi Karai
So these Packed Potatoe Bhajias can also be called Viazi Karai and both recipes have many similarities. They both are essentially deep-fried potatoes that are flavoured with a masala made from red chilli powder.
Bhajia are coated in a gram flour batter but Viazi Karai are dipped in a wheat flour batter. In the bhajia, we stuff the potatoes with the masala filling but in Viazi Karai, the spices and batter are all mixed into one.
Serving Suggestion:
Serve immediately once cooked.
Serve with tart and sweet Gujarati Imli and Date Chutney (Tamarind Chutney with Dates) and Coconut and Coriander Chutney – recipe is in the recipe card below.
If you have leftovers, reheat in the oven to get them a little crisp again.
Ingredients:
Potatoes – we have used baby potatoes as they hold their shape really well and make it easier to fill. They will also cook a lot faster and fry faster, saving you precious time. Boil the potatoes according to packet instructions, we want them cooked all of the way through and then peel the skin.
Let them cool at room temperature, then keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. They will go slightly hard and easy to cut. Gram flour – aka besan or chickpea flour. You want the “fine” variety here as it can also come in “coarse”. Easily found in British and Asian supermarkets. Filling: Red chilli powder – it is best to use Kashmiri chilli powder as it is milder than other chilli powders. It is also a much more vibrant red so will give your bhajias the “wow” factor. Ground cumin and coriander Minced Garlic – fresh, bottled or frozen Lemon Juice – fresh is better for flavour but bottled works just as well Chopped coriander – finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
Optional – add a tsp of oil to the filling
Can I use larger potatoes?
If you do not have baby potatoes you can use larger potatoes but it may take longer to cook the dish. Make sure larger potatoes are not too large and are not of the floury variety.
Method:
The method is split into making the filling, making the batter and then assembling the bhajias.
We have shown a few different ways that you can stuff the bhajia. Choose whichever style is easiest for you.
First: The filling In a bowl take chilli powder, garlic, ground cumin & coriander, salt and freshly chopped coriander (pic 1)
Squeez good amount of lemon juice (pic 2)
Mix everything and leave it aside (pic 3)
Second: The batter
In a bowl take besan, add salt and enough water (pic 4)
Make not too thin or not a too thick batter (pic 5)
Third: Stuff the potatoes Boil and peel the potatoes (make sure they are cool before you stuff them) (pic 6.)
There are two way you can cut the potatoes here, the first method- cut the potatoes into halves (pic 7-8)
Or slit the potatoes into the centre, but do not cut all the way through (pic 9) see video
Stuff the potatoes or spread the chilli and garlic paste (stuffing) into the potatoes (pic 10-11-12).
Dip the stuffed potatoes in the ready batter (pic 13)
Fourth – The Bhajia
Very carefully slip dipped potatoes into the hot oil (pic 15).
Fry on medium heat without breaking or burning (pic 16).
Other Bhajia Recipes:
Gujarati Batata Vada
Dakor na Gota
Aloo Bread Vada Gujarat Na Daal Vada
PACKED POTATO BHAJIA | ATOM BOMB BHAJIA
Ingredients
Bhajia/Bhajiya
- 500 g baby potatoes*
- 2 tbsp. red chilli powder
- 2 tbsp. ground cumin & coriander
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 cup gram flour/besan
- Oil to deep fry
- Salt
Coconut and Coriander Chutney
- ½ cup fresh roughly chopped coriander
- 4 tbsp. desiccated coconut*
- 2 tbsp. roasted peanuts
- 1 hot green chilli
- ½ inch fresh ginger
- 1 tsp. Lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Sugar
Instructions
Bhajiya
- In a bowl mix red chilli powder, cumin & coriander, fresh coriander, salt, garlic and lemon juice.
- Mix well and leave it aside.
- Make a lump-free batter by mixing besan, salt and water.
- There are two methods to cut the potatoes here.
- One – make a slit in the centre of the potato but do not cut the potato all the way through.
- Second – Cut the potato and halve into twp parts – see video
- Stuff the chilli and garlic paste.
- Dip the stuffed potatoes in the batter.
- Heat oil and deep fry them.
- Enjoy hot.
Chutney
- Place all the ingredients in a blender.grinder.
- Add some water and grind until you get a smooth chutney.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
