🥔 SIDE
Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes)
Cubes of potato fried until crisp and golden, then tossed in hot olive oil with plenty of garlic, chilli and fresh coriander and finished with lemon juice.
Lebanese · easy · serves 5
prep 15 min · cook 35 min
~239 cal · 4g protein · 37g carbs · 8g fat · 5g fiber · 2g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Batata harra simply means hot potatoes, and it is one of the best-loved dishes on a Lebanese table, served as part of a spread or alongside grilled meats, shawarma and falafel with hummus and flatbread.
The potatoes are cut into cubes and fried until crisp; roasting is a popular modern shortcut, but deep-frying is the traditional way and gives the crunchiest result. The real flavour comes afterwards, when the hot potatoes are tossed in a pan of olive oil in which garlic, chilli and chopped fresh coriander have been sizzled for a few seconds, and then sharpened with lemon juice.
Every cook has a variation. Some add crushed coriander seed, some cumin, some a little tomato paste or red pepper, and the heat ranges from a gentle warmth to properly fiery. What stays the same is the garlic and the fresh green coriander.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 5
- 1 kg floury or all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 litre , for deep-frying
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes or cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
- 1 tsp crushed coriander seed
- 1 cup (about 1 bunch) fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- 1Soak the potato cubes in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and dry them very well on a towel.✎ Chef’s noteSoaking washes off surface starch so the cubes crisp instead of sticking together, and dry potatoes are safer in hot oil.
- 2Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 180C (350F). Fry the potatoes in three batches for 8 to 10 minutes each, until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the salt.
- 3Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, chilli and crushed coriander seed and stir for about 30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned. Add most of the fresh coriander and stir for a few seconds more.
- 4Tip in the hot potatoes, toss well to coat, then take off the heat and toss with the lemon juice. Scatter with the remaining coriander and serve hot or warm.
Lebanese mezze tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Beirut. Beirut sets the table but did not invent it. Zahle, up in the Beqaa Valley, is the town known as the home of mezza, where the practice of ordering thirty small plates and sitting for four hours is said to have taken shape. Lebanon's official national dish is kibbeh, which it shares with Syria, and hummus and falafel are contested regionally, so neither belongs to any one city.
🗺️
Lebanon. The measure of a tabbouleh is its proportions: it is a parsley salad with a little bulgur in it, not a bulgur salad with parsley scattered over. That habit of restraint runs through the mezze, where a table fills with a dozen small plates that arrive when they are ready rather than in any order, and nobody is expected to finish anything.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Lebanon
MujadaraLentils and rice under a deep pile of slow-caramelized onions, the Levant’s humble masterpiece.
Manakish Za'atarFlatbread baked with a fragrant za'atar-and-olive-oil topping, the Levantine morning staple.
FalafelCrisp herb-flecked chickpea fritters tucked into pita with tahini, pickles, and salad, a Levantine street classic.
Browse all Lebanon recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Lebanon meal
JallabDrink
KnafehDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes)?
Cubes of potato fried until crisp and golden, then tossed in hot olive oil with plenty of garlic, chilli and fresh coriander and finished with lemon juice.
Where does Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes) come from?
Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes) is a Lebanese dish from Beirut, Lebanon.
Can Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Batata Harra (Lebanese Spicy Potatoes) take to make?
About 50 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking), serving 5.
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