Alu bhorta

Name: Alu bhorta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 600 g potato, peeled; 2 tbsp mustard oil; 3 dried whole chillies, whole; ½ red onion, very finely chopped; 2 green chilli, finely chopped; 3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped; 1 tsp salt

Vegetarian

আলু ভর্তা · Alu bhorta

Boiled potatoes mashed by hand with raw onion, green chilli, coriander, fried dried chillies and a generous drizzle of pungent mustard oil. Humble, punchy and eaten with rice.

Alu bhorta is a Bangladeshi side dish, ready in about 30 minutes and made with potato and mustard oil. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Aloo chokha — Representative photo. Masum-al-hasan / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 186

Ingredients

4 servings

600 g Potato (opens in a new tab), peeled
2 tbsp (27 g) Mustard oil (opens in a new tab)Swap: Neutral vegetable oil (Loses the characteristic pungency.)Contains mustard
3 (6 g) Dried whole chillies (opens in a new tab), whole
½ (55 g) Red onion (opens in a new tab), very finely chopped
2 (12 g) Green chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
3 tbsp (3 g) Coriander leaves (opens in a new tab), chopped
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Boil the potatoes (opens in a new tab) in salted water until completely tender, about 18 minutes. Drain and let them steam dry.
- 18 min
- medium-high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Lionel Ntasano on Pexels
2
Step 2
Fry the dried chillies in 1 tsp of the mustard oil (opens in a new tab) for 30 seconds until darkened and crisp.
- 1 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Mash the potatoes (opens in a new tab) with your hand or a fork until smooth but not gluey, crumbling in the crisp chillies, then work in the onion, green chilli (opens in a new tab), coriander, salt and remaining mustard oil (opens in a new tab). Shape into a mound to serve.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Bangladesh · Commonly attributedBhorta (mashes) are central to everyday Bangladeshi and Bengali meals.Also popular in IndiaMore food from Bangladesh
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method: Boiled, No-cook
Taste: spicy (chilli heat), savoury, fresh
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Potato · Mustard oil · Dried whole chillies · Red onion · Green chilli · Coriander leaves
Techniques: Boiling

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

186 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 177 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 7%
Carbohydrate 59%
Fat 33%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	186 kcal	105 kcal
Protein	3.4 g	1.9 g
Carbohydrate	28.4 g	16 g
Net carbohydrate	24.7 g	13.9 g
Sugars	2.1 g	1.2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.7 g	2.1 g
Fat	7.1 g	4 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	594 mg	335 mg
Salt equivalent	1.5 g	0.8 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 704 mg
Calcium: 23 mg
Iron: 1.5 mg
Magnesium: 38 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 20 µg
Vitamin C: 38 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Raw mustard oil is the defining flavour — use the real thing if you can.

Common mistakes

Mashing the potatoes while waterlogged — let them steam dry so the bhorta stays fluffy, not pasty.

Serve with

Serve with hot rice and dal, or alongside fried fish and begun bhaja.

Storage

Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Variations

Shutki bhorta: A mash of dried fish with chilli and garlic.
Begun bhorta: Made with roasted aubergine instead of potato.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Potato, peeled600 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

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