Potato 65 or Aloo 65 is my go-to appetizer when I want something bold, spicy and fun without spending too long in the kitchen. I bring it to parties all the time, and honestly, I love the fact that it is quick and easy to make.
The best part? There’s a little trick that makes it even easier. Instead of making potatoes from scratch, I use frozen tater tots or tater crowns . They get beautifully crisp in the air fryer or oven without deep frying. It’s a total game changer. This South Indian-style dish turns humble potatoes into golden, crispy bites full of flavor.
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- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Spicy Moments
- Common Mistakes and Solutions
- Tips to keep Potato 65 crispy
- Storage
- How to serve
- Soniya’s Top Tip
- Related
- Potato 65 / Aloo 65
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Crisp up the tater tots Air-fry the tater tots until golden and crisp. If you’re making a larger quantity for quite a crowd, bake these in the oven to save time.
- Prepare the yogurt base In a bowl add yogurt and mix with soy sauce, red chili sauce, green chili sauce, tomato ketchup, salt, haldi (turmeric), red chili powder and coriander powder. Do not include the vinegar for now.
- Make the tempering Heat oil in a wide pan. When they are hot, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and slit green chilies, then sauté chopped ginger and garlic for an minute until aromatic.
- Add onions Add the chopped onions and sauté for another minute just to soften them a bit taking care not to brown.
- Cook the sauce Combine the yogurt with the sauce and cook on a medium heat, stirring all of the time for 2 minutes. Still, check on it and don’t let it dry out - you want it to have a good saucy quality. Add the vinegar and stir.
- Toss everything together Stir the crispy tater tots into the pan; toss gently to coat with sauce. Finish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve & enjoy Serve immediately while it’s hot and crisp.
Spicy Moments
The best things in life are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Common Mistakes and Solutions
| Mistake | Result | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Thawing tater tots before frying | They get soggy | Always use directly from frozen. |
| Over-cooking | Tots become hard | Air Fry or bake them just until golden crisp |
| Tossing too early | Coating turns mushy | Wait till tots cool slightly before coating. |
| Serving late | Soft texture | Reheat in air fryer or oven to re-crisp before serving. |
Tips to keep Potato 65 crispy
- Air fry or bake right before serving. Don’t let the tots sit around too long after crisping, or they’ll soften.
- If prepping ahead, keep the sauce separate. Re-crisp the tater tots in the air fryer or oven for a few minutes, heat the sauce, then toss just before serving.
- For parties, you can air fry the tots in advance and keep them on a wire rack (not a plate!) in a warm oven to maintain crispiness until it’s time to serve.
Storage
| Storage | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Room Temperature | Up to 2 hours | Cover loosely; best served fresh |
| Refrigerator (Make ahead Sauce) (Do not mix the tater tots with the sauce) | 1 day | When guests are about to arrive, reheat the sauce, air fry a batch of tots, toss them together and pull out all the stops. That’s how you can keep the flavors strong and the texture just right. |
| Freezer | Not recommended |
How to serve
Serve Aloo 65 with tater tots hot with:
- With lemon wedges and sliced onions for that restaurant-style touch
- Mint chutney or coriander chutney
- Tomato ketchup or spicy mayo
- Alongside fried rice, pulao, or noodles for a fusion twist
Soniya’s Top Tip
Air-fry or bake just before serving. Don’t let the tots hang out too long after they crisp or they’ll go limp.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Weeknight Onepot Sambar in 30 minutes
- Andhra Style Peanut Chutney | 3 flavors
- Fail-Proof Instant Rava Dosa (Crispy & Lacy)
- Soft Spongy Idlis using Idli Rava
Ingredients
- 1 pack frozen tater tots
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon red chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon green chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 5 green chilies slit in half
- 15 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ inch ginger chopped
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ onion finely chopped
- Handful of chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Instructions
Crisp up the tater tots
- Air-fry the tater tots until golden and crisp. If you’re making a larger quantity for quite a crowd, bake these in the oven to save time.
Prepare the yogurt base
- In a bowl add yogurt and mix with soy sauce, red chili sauce, green chili sauce, tomato ketchup, salt, haldi (turmeric), red chili powder and coriander powder. Do not include the vinegar for now.
Make the tempering
- Heat oil in a wide pan. When they are hot, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and slit green chilies, then sauté chopped ginger and garlic for an minute until aromatic.
- Add the chopped onions and sauté for another minute just to soften them a bit taking care not to brown.
Cook the sauce
- Combine the yogurt with the sauce and cook on a medium heat, stirring all of the time for 2 minutes. Still, check on it and don’t let it dry out - you want it to have a good saucy quality. Add the vinegar and stir.
Toss everything together
- Stir the crispy tater tots into the pan; toss gently to coat with sauce. Finish with chopped cilantro.
Serve & enjoy
- Serve immediately while it’s hot and crisp.
Video
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 1 pack frozen tater tots
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon red chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon green chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 5 green chilies slit in half
- 15 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ inch ginger chopped
- 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ onion finely chopped
- Handful of chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Instructions
Crisp up the tater tots
- Air-fry the tater tots until golden and crisp. If you’re making a larger quantity for quite a crowd, bake these in the oven to save time.
Prepare the yogurt base
- In a bowl add yogurt and mix with soy sauce, red chili sauce, green chili sauce, tomato ketchup, salt, haldi (turmeric), red chili powder and coriander powder. Do not include the vinegar for now.
Make the tempering
- Heat oil in a wide pan. When they are hot, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and slit green chilies, then sauté chopped ginger and garlic for an minute until aromatic.
- Add the chopped onions and sauté for another minute just to soften them a bit taking care not to brown.
Cook the sauce
- Combine the yogurt with the sauce and cook on a medium heat, stirring all of the time for 2 minutes. Still, check on it and don’t let it dry out — you want it to have a good saucy quality. Add the vinegar and stir.
Toss everything together
- Stir the crispy tater tots into the pan; toss gently to coat with sauce. Finish with chopped cilantro.
Serve & enjoy
- Serve immediately while it’s hot and crisp.
