LIPSMACKING. Why buy ready-made when you can make the best Oven Baked French Fries at home. Bhangra, you wonder? Well, the zesty flavours truly make your taste buds break out into Bhangra. Thin strips of potatoes tossed in olive oil and a simple Desi~licious spice mix: chaat masala and red chilli powder and baked to perfection. Served with a scattering of rainbow vegetables, jalapeno. The dish is finished elegantly with a drizzling of vegan ranch tamarind chutney and fresh mint. Drooling yet?
Run to your pantry, and let’s make the most of those spuds, friends! I’ve got a real treat for you. Homemade fries – baked.
While I’ve made heaps of french fries over the years, I think I’ve not made anything this well-curated. The combo of hot and spicy masala oven french fries paired with the crunch of fresh pepper and cucumber cubes manifest all the Summer vibes.
These perfect oven french fries are served alongside the most delicious vegan ranch salad dressing and simple tamarind chutney – the recipe of which I share below. The creamy, dreamy zing of this concoction is pretty epic, where the fries are flooded with chutney. 
I think all this deliciousness is worth a look.
Coating masala on french fries and loading with vegetables is bliss.
How to Bake French Fries – Step By Step
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for some time now, on a mission to create oven baked fries that weren’t limp. So, if you’re wondering, “why are my oven fries soggy,” here are some tips to consider:
- Use yellow flesh potatoes. I use local Ontario potatoes that are thoroughly washed, scrubbed with a vegetable brush and peeled. You can use the food processor to cut potatoes into thin french fries. Opt for large potatoes so that the processor can create long thin strips versus short ones with medium or small potatoes. Or do this by hand; using a sharp knife.
- Soak the potatoes – you’ll find that this releases the starch and prevents them from sticking together. You want to soak potatoes that are already cut into strips in tap water for 30 minutes. Dry, drain on a clean tea towel before any further prep.
- Use an adequate amount of oil – to help give the french fries a certain amount of crispness in the oven. This recipe uses simple extra virgin olive oil, though you could lean on an air fryer and use a lesser amount of oil.
- Spice it up! Bland french fries are blah. And we love to give our oven baked french fries recipe a desi (South Asian) kick by adding chaat masala and red chilli powder. This creates the perfect homemade oven french fries. Chaat masala is a spicy, tangy, tangy spice mix used in Indian and Pakistani cooking. It’s made of cumin powder, coriander powder, mango powder, hing (asafetida), black salt, ginger, pepper and fennel. There are all sorts of variations, and you can buy the spice mix from Indian food stores and markets. Make sure every single potato stick is coated with the spice mix. Of course, the entire dish is elevated further with the addition of crunchy veggies and then smothered in tamarind chutney and vegan ranch. Simply sublime! The amount of chutney you use is personal preference; I typically add 3 tbsp of each. You’ll notice I did not add any extra salt – beyond what’s already present in chaat masala.
- Give them space! Make sure you don’t pile the french fries on top of one another — otherwise, your fries will be soggy. Give them room and use an extra-large baking tray, and spread on parchment paper.
How to bake fries in the oven
Here’s an overview of the steps to make oven fried potato fries:
- Cooking french fries in the oven couldn’t be easier! Preheat the oven and prepare the potatoes: wash, peel and cut into french fries using a food processor or use a knife to cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch sticks (Image 1).
- Soak in water for at least 30 minutes (Image 2).
- After this time, drain and dry the potato strips using a clean tea towel (Image 3).
- Lay on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Add oil and spices, and use your hands to coat all the potato strips with the oil and spices (Image 4).
- Spread the potatoes into a single layer on the baking tray (Image 5). How long to bake your french fries can depend on your oven as well as the thickness of your fries. For this recipe, I send them to bake for 50 minutes on the middle shelf.
- Meanwhile, prepare the toppings, ranch dressing and tamarind chutney (Images 6-7). Chop pepper and cucumber into small cubes and chop the jalapeno and mint finely. For the tamarind chutney, combine tamarind paste with warm water. Mix thoroughly, remove any stones, strings or lumps, and that’s really it.
- Once the french fries are done, transfer to a tray, top with vegetables and jalapeno, a drizzle of the ranch dressing and tamarind chutney and garnish with mint (Images 8-10). Serve immediately while hot.
Are oven baked french fries bad for you?
If you’re a frequent visitor here, you will know that I don’t label foods as good or bad. Such sweeping judgements rob the joy of eating and negatively influence our relationship with food and our bodies.
It’s pretty obvious that potatoes get a bad rap for being high in starch and, therefore, carb-dense. Known for causing a sharp rise in blood sugars followed by a dip (because of their glycemic load), potatoes can be mindfully enjoyed if you have diabetes.
I will say that it really depends on how you cook potatoes. Eating deep fried potatoes or ones smothered in cream and butter regularly won’t do your health any favours. Finding creative ways to add a variety of colourful and wholesome foods – to ensure you get a mix of essential nutrients – is a sure-fire approach to excellent health, vitality and longevity.
These homemade oven french fries are baked, and layered with a colourful mix of nutrient-rich fresh vegetables. We typically enjoy this easy and nourishing recipe frequently and savour every bite.
Just peek at the nutritional highlights!
Nutrition Highlights:
One serving* of these oven baked french fries is:
- An excellent source of fibre
- An excellent source of vitamin A
- An excellent source of vitamin C
- A very high source of potassium
- A good source of calcium
- An excellent source of iron
- Net carbs: 40 g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Looking for some easy and healthy Summer side dishes? Make sure to check out:
- Massaged Kale Salad With Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
- Fattoush Salad With Smoked Salmon
- Za’atar 7-Layer Vegan Salad
- Chaat Salad With Corn
- Warm Beetroot Poriyal Salad
What’s your favourite Summer side dish? Have you ever tried loaded oven baked french fries before? Let me know which one is your top pick!
If you try this baked french fries recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate it, or share a photo and hashtag with #desiliciousrd on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Can’t wait to see your photos.
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Bhangra Masala Oven Baked French Fries | Easy and Healthy Desi Recipes
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Ingredients
- 3 potatoes 530 g, yellow-skinned, large, washed, peeled and cut into quarter inch sticks. You could use a food processor for this step.
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp chaat masala powder
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- ½ cucumber small, washed, chopped into small cubes
- ½ red pepper small, washed, chopped into small cubes
- ½ jalapeno washed, finely chopped
- ¼ cup tamarind paste you could use ready-made tamarind chutney
- ½ cup water warm, to make tamarind chutney
- 3 tbsp vegan ranch
- ¼ cup mint fresh, washed, finely chopped
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the potatoes: wash, peel and cut into french fries using a food processor or use a knife to cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch sticks. Soak in water for at least 30 minutes. After this time, drain and dry the potato strips thoroughly using a clean tea towel.
-
Lay potato strips on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Add oil, chaat masala and chilli powder, and use your hands to coat all the potato strips with the oil and spices.
-
Spread the potatoes into a single layer on the baking tray, and send to bake at for 50 minutes on the middle shelf in your oven.
-
Meanwhile, prepare the toppings, ranch dressing (https://shahzadidevje.com/5-easy-and-healthy-salad-dressing-recipes/) and tamarind chutney. Combine tamarind paste with warm water and mix thoroughly. Remove any stones, strings or lumps.
-
Once the french fries are baked, transfer to a tray, top with chopped vegetables and jalapeno, and drizzle with ranch dressing and tamarind chutney. Garnish with mint and serve immediately. Best enjoyed hot.
Video
Notes
- Use yellow flesh potatoes. I use local Ontario potatoes that are thoroughly washed, scrubbed with a vegetable brush and peeled. You can use the food processor to cut potatoes into thin french fries. Opt for large potatoes so that the processor can create long thin strips versus short ones with medium or small potatoes. Or do this by hand; using a sharp knife.
- Soak the potatoes – you’ll find that this releases the starch and prevents them from sticking together. You want to soak potatoes that are already cut into strips in tap water for 30 minutes. Dry, drain on a clean tea towel before any further prep.
- Use an adequate amount of oil – to help give the french fries a certain amount of crispness in the oven. This recipe uses simple extra virgin olive oil, though you could lean on an air fryer and use a lesser amount of oil.
- Spice it up! Bland french fries are blah. And we love to give our oven baked french fries recipe a desi (South Asian) kick by adding chaat masala and red chilli powder. This creates the perfect homemade oven french fries. Chaat masala is a spicy, tangy, tangy spice mix used in Indian and Pakistani cooking. It’s made of cumin powder, coriander powder, mango powder, hing (asafetida), black salt, ginger, pepper and fennel. There are all sorts of variations, and you can buy the spice mix from Indian food stores and markets. Make sure every single potato stick is coated with the spice mix. Of course, the entire dish is elevated further with the addition of crunchy veggies and then smothered in tamarind chutney and vegan ranch. Simply sublime! The amount of chutney you use is personal preference; I typically add 3 tbsp of each. You’ll notice I did not add any extra salt – beyond what’s already present in chaat masala.
- Give them space! Make sure you don’t pile the french fries on top of one another — otherwise, your fries will be soggy. Give them room and use an extra-large baking tray, and spread on parchment paper.
- Feel free to add salt to suit your taste buds. It’s perfect for our family.
Nutrition
