How to make Frankies! Flavorful Indian Burritos made with curry mashed potatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, spinach, pickled onions and amazing Cilantro Mint Chutney! Vegan and Gluten-free adaptable. With a Video!
The sun shines not on us, but in us. John Muir
What is a Frankie?
Frankies are India’s flavorful street food, also known as the Mumbai Burrito, Bombay Burrito, or roti wrap – this vegan version is filled with curry mashed potatoes, roasted Indian cauliflower and chickpeas, fresh spinach, Cilantro Mint Chutney and Pickled onions, all wrapped up in a warm tortilla.
Healthy and seriously bursting with flavor! Traditionally these would be wrapped in freshly made roti with a very thin layer of egg, but we’ve simplified things here a bit. 😉
In our catering business, we would often serve Frankies as mini tacos. Flavorful little Indian Tacos, always a huge hit! If going grain-free or gluten-free, you could easily turn the whole thing into a “bowl”, with the curry mashed potatoes (or basmati rice) as the flavorful base.
If you have meat-eaters in your household, feel free to add chicken, which you could roast right alongside the cauliflower.
How to Make Frankies!| 60-second video
So, to be upfront, there are several components here. They all work together to create a beautiful balance of flavors, so pick a day when you have a little extra time. Read the recipe through, so you are clear on what you’ll need and the steps. It’s not hard and in the end, I promise it will be well worth it.
Components of an Indian Burrito:
- Curry Mashed Potatoes (the “spread” that holds it together)
- Roasted cauliflower- Chickpea mixture (the filling)
- Cilantro Mint Chutney. ( THE FLAVOR) Don’t even think about leaving this out.
- Pickled Red Onions
- Tortillas
- Spinach or greens
The Cilantro Mint Chutney is essential, so please don’t skip this. It adds so much flavor!!!
Here are the Quick Pickled Onions – another 5 minutes! I promise you’ll find a million uses for any leftovers.
The curry mashed potatoes give the burrito a beautiful creamy richness and help keep everything together. I know they may sound strange at first, but trust me, they really work here.
Once the curry potatoes and roasted veggies are done… start layering, starting with a toasty warm tortilla. Feel free to use GF tortillas or wraps.
Generously spread the tortilla with the curry mashed potatoes.
Then top the Curry Mashed Potatoes with the roasted Indian cauliflower, chickpeas, spinach, colantro chutney and pickled onions.
Wrap it up like a burrito, and serve warm.
Prepare to be delighted.
If you work efficiently several things can be “working” at the same time.
Also, both the Cilantro Mint Chutney and pickled onions can be made ahead.
So much flavor here friends!
This is a meal unto itself, but if you feel like you must serve it with something, I would pick an Indian-inspired salad or side!
- Indian Spinach Salad with Lentils & Cauliflower
- Bombay Carrot Salad
- Indian Lemon Rice
- Indian Masala Street Corn
I’m so excited for you to try this delicious Frankie recipe! I know you will love it. Please rate and leave your comments/adaptions below.
Happy Week!
xoxo
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Frankie Recipe
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: Vegan Main, vegetarian
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A delicious recipe for Frankies- India’s street food, also called a Mumbai Burrito or Bombay Burritos. Filled with curried potatoes, roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, spinach, cilantro mint chutney and pickled onions. Vegan! GF adaptable. It requires a few components- but well worth it!
Ingredients
Curry Mashed Potatoes (The “Spread”)
- 16 ounces baby potatoes – quartered
- 1 tablespoon ghee, olive oil or coconut oil, more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2–3 teaspoons yellow curry powder ( see notes)
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion or granulated garlic powder ( you could also incorporate sautéed onion and garlic into the potatoes for more flavor- see notes)
Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpea (Filling):
- 1 head cauliflower- cut into small florets
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- generous pinch chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed ( optional, or use cumin seed or coriander seed)
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed (optional)
Burrito Fixin’s:
- 4 x extra-large, whole wheat tortillas – or feel free to use GF wraps or tortillas, or GF bowls using the mashed potatoes and extra spinach and the base.
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- Few tablespoons Cilantro Mint Chutney (imperative!!!)
- Few tablespoons Quick Pickled Onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- START POTATOES: Cut potatoes and place them in a medium pot, covered with water and simmer until very tender, about 15-20 minutes. At the same time…
- ROAST VEGGIES: Cut the cauliflower into small florets and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan ( to one side). Add the drained chickpeas to the other side. Drizzle both with olive oil. Sprinkle cauliflower and chickpeas with the spices and salt, tossing to coat well. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes tossing halfway through) or until cauliflower is tender.
- SAUCE: Make the flavorful Cilantro Mint Chutney and quick pickled red onions and place both in jars (of course, you could make these both ahead). They take about 5-10 minutes each. Please don’t leave out the mint chutney- it’s imperative!!!
- CURRIED POTATOES: Once the potatoes are very tender, drain but save about 1 cup of the hot water. Place the potatoes back in the pot and mash with some of the hot water ( start with ¼-½ cup ) salt, spices and ghee (or oil) and mash the potatoes to combine until smooth. You want a fairly loose, spreadable mash so add more hot water if necessary. Scrape down the sides. Stir well. Taste. You want this to taste flavorful and slightly salty as the tortilla will mute some of the salt and flavor. Feel free to add more ghee or oil as you please for extra richness. Cover and keep warm.
- When the roasted veggies are done, ASSEMBLE: Warm the tortillas either in the oven, over a gas flame or over a grill, until soft and pliable. Spread generously with the curried potatoes, then top with chickpeas, cauliflower making sure to get some of the whole spices that will have dropped to the bottom of the pan. Add a handful of spinach leaves, a few teaspoons of cilantro mint chutney and some pickled onions and roll up like a burrito. Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve, or serve immediately! You can also refrigerate and reheat for meals on the go.
- Enjoy! Rate and Leave a comment!!
Notes
Quick yellow curry spice:
- 2 Tablespoons ground coriander
- 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper ( or black)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Keywords: Indian Frankie Recipe, Frankies, how to make frankies, frankie recipe, frankie recipes, what is a frankie, indian burritos, vegan frankie, vegan frankies, indian street food recipes
Just so good. Every time. I like to serve this on onion naan 😊 love the pickled red onions recipe btw!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Angeli- glad you enjoyed this! Yes the pickled red onions truly elevate here!
So good and fast and uses stuff I already have around. YUM!!!!! With mango lassi for dessert!
★★★★★
Wonderful! The flavor pops! I made the potatoes, chutney and pickled onions in advance. That cut the recipe time to 20 minutes during the week.
★★★★★
Great idea doing part of this ahead! Thanks Maria!
Delicious. We loved this one. That sauce was to die for. A firm favourite in my house!
Would have loved a link to make the tortillas from scratch for inspiration for next time!
I made this dinner all in one day and found making the sauce and red onions a few hours ahead no problem but would have been easier day before like you said!
★★★★★
Thanks so much and will link the tortillas!
I’ve now made this 5 times I think? I may have lost count. I am seriously obsessed. The first several times I didn’t do the pickled onions but this time I did and yes, totally worth it.
I see you are in PNW, I’m just North of Portland, so howdy neighbor! I’m about to post the pic I took of this on Instagram, I’m DittDott.
★★★★★
Thanks Amanda- I’ll check it out. So Happy you enjoy this one! The pickled onions make it!
Really yum
★★★★★
This was incredible. Don’t let your chutney get runny. And I liked it mixed with yogurt but I did that as needed so that i could freeze the leftover chutney. I also spring for actual naan—this would be good in a wrap but it’s dope in naan. Great recipe thank you.
★★★★★
When I first moved to India, I stayed at a posh hotel which ran a promotion of street foods in their restaurant. I had a dish that reminded me of nachos in how it was assembled though it tasted nothing like them. Papdi chaat – layered with crispy crackers, various spices and chopped garnishes, yoghurt, mint chutney, sweet tamarind chutney and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. It was an unbelievable explosion of flavours and a fond memory of dining in India. Today I made this Franky which is absolutely nothing like what I just described, yet it reminded me of it anyway with its varied flavors, textures and colours. Fabulous recipe, the only change I made was to use home made pumpkin flatbread. Next time I might add some tamarind chutney and for non-vegans, a drizzle or yoghurt.
★★★★★
Love it Michelle! What a great memory!
I made these the other night, and they’re great! I move quick in the kitchen, and I honestly didn’t feel like they were too much work or took too long. I used a coconut yogurt that was really sweet, so I kind of wish I left the sugar out of the chutney, but it was still really delicious. I’ll be making these again 😋
★★★★★
Thanks Mae- appreciate this!
Oh Wow!! Amazing! I love this recipe! Lots of steps not hard but easy to do. I’ve made it so many times. So delicious in every way. Thank you xx
★★★★★
Thanks Carlene!
Loved by both vegan and non-vegan family members. Can’t wait to make again. The mint-cilantro sauce is amazing!
★★★★★
Thanks Shannon! Glad you all liked it!
Sublime, that is all I have to say about this!
There was quite a bit of work to put into it – not hard, just a lot of details. It is, however, well worth it! I only found regular size wheat tortillas so I got 6 out of this. I ate one while I was finishing off the rest of them, and will eat another when I am done writing this. I am going to try to freeze some, since it was too much for me to eat in a week. I hope they freeze and reheat well!
★★★★★
Thanks Becca- let me know how they freeze- curious!
After waiting for about nine months, I finally tried this recipe. In fact, I thought for sure there would be too much curry. This recipe was SO DELICIOUS! I didn’t know how to make pickled onion, so I just put in some of the suggested spices, balanced out the vinegar with a little agave and they were fabulous. The cilantro mint chutney is to die for- it’s so fresh and bright! Everything was easy to make, I did some of it the day before and made the final prep super simple. I will make this over and over and over…
Yay, awesome, glad you enjoyed it!
Another terrific recipe. Love it
The cauliflower does not agree with my family though, any recommendations for an alternative?
★★★★★
I wonder if you just left it out and used more potatoes and more chickpeas?
So so tasty! We do these as tacos too.
★★★★★
Same here!
Oh. My. These are delicious!!! I had some vegan friends coming over so I pushed my culinary boundaries and found these darlings. Used a Silk vegan coconut “yoghurt” – stunning flavour. Definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
This is my second time making these wraps! We love them! The cilantro mint chutney definitely is worth making. I put extra on the side to dip in because it’s so good! The pickled onions are delicious too! Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks Teresa!
Was wondering if you can prepare it all in a large batch and wrap in foil to freeze. I would be the only one eating these… freezing and having them on hand would be terrific if it hold up when reheated or grilled.
Hi Liz- I love the idea of that- but haven’t actually tried it. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work though?
For a white person’s take on an ethic recipe, this was pretty good and filling. Its not anything like the real frankie but it was great!
★★★★
Yes, it is a bit different from the real thing. It is plant-based, without the egg, and a different wrap. 🙂
My husband said he loves it so much, and is sad that it will be gone.
★★★★★
Haha, love it Kimberly!
Loved this recipe and I am so glad I still have leftovers! I will be using the Cilantro Mint Chutney on everything now.
★★★★★
Awesome Kristin!
Unbelievably delicious recipe. Very easy food to meal prep, reheat and assemble later. Amazing gun flavors from the spice blend. Do not leave out the chutney, it pulls the whole burrito together! Will definitely be making these again. Thank you, Sylvia!
★★★★★
Thanks Charlie- glad you enjoyed!
Wanted to leave a note that this is a very favorite meal of my husband and I. The flavors are absolutely incredibly diverse but balanced, it really is the perfect culinary masterpiece! Sometime I go ahead and roast the potatoes and the onion with the cauliflower and chickpeas to make it one big sheet pan meal.
★★★★★
Such a great idea! thanks Julie!
These are AMAZING!!! Hubby and I both loved them. It’s an explosion of flavors with perfect textures… just everything was great! The creamy yumminess from the mashed potatoes, the acid and heat from the chutney and pickled onions, and those roasted chickpeas and cauliflower are sooooo flavorful. Everything works epically together. This is going in my vegan arsenal (using olive oil instead of ghee and omitting the yogurt in the chutney) for GOOD!
★★★★★
Perfect Mikelle- so happy you enjoyed this!
Crazy good! One thing I’ve done to make kiddos love it is to fold them up and seal them, then fry in coconut oil.
★★★★★
Yum!
Absolutely mind blowing! The flavors are like a vacation in my mouth. So yummy!!
★★★★★
Worth the effort. Wonderful flavor combination. Thank you!
★★★★★
Such a great recipe! Loved all the flavors.
★★★★★
I am wanting to make this for a potluck. Does this sit well overnight in the fridge and then heated up or does it get soggy? In case you have experience with leftovers, thank you!
★★★★★
Yes, you could make and reheat (but do not assemble them ahead). Reheat the potatoes, cauliflower and chickpeas, assemble before serving.
Thank you 😊
★★★★★
Hi Sylvia! I am required to follow my carb intake. Could you help in clarifying if the nutrition info at the end of this recipe if for 4 wraps or 1 wrap? It says serving size is ‘4 extra large wraps’.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Nutrition infor for 1 wrap!
This recipe is a little time-consuming, but the flavors make it worth it! I thought I’d get a little pushback from my teenagers but they gobbled them up! The pickled onions and the chutney are not optional! Make sure you add lots of these two components! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Fabulous recipe! My son (not an experienced cook) made these for me for Mother’s Day. They were amazing – what incredible flavors. The cilantro-mint chutney is essential. We were all saying “Hmmm, sooo good” through the whole wrap. We will be making these again.