Batata Vada

Batata Vada is a popular fast food from Maharashtra, India. Batata Vada translates to 'Potato Fritters'. Seasoned potato patties are coated with chickpea flour / besan flour and deep fried to golden perfection.

 

Batata vadas are typically served with hot dry red chutney and fried salted green chillies. They can also be served inside pav with green chutney as vada pav. Will post dry red chutney recipe soon.

 

 

 

Yield : 12 vadas

Ingredients

• 2 Large potatoes
• 2 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Urad dal
• 1 Green Chilli chopped finely
• 1/2 Inch fresh ginger chopped finely
• 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
• a big pinch of hing / asafoetida
• 1 sprig of curry leaves chopped finely
• 4 mint leaves chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Oil for deep frying the batata vadas

For the Gram flour / besan batter

• 1 Cup Besan / Gram flour
•  a pinch of baking soda
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 Teaspoon rice flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon fine sooji/ rava
• a pinch of hing / asafoetida
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook potatoes in a large pot with plenty of water seasoned with salt until the potatoes are cooked through and soft. I pressure cooked them with 1/2 cup water + 1/2 teaspoon salt for 4 whistles on low flame
2. Peel the potatoes and chop them roughly
3. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter
5. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle
6. Add urad dal and fry until they are golden
7. Add green chilli, ginger and fry for a minute
8. Add curry leaves, mint leaves and chopped cilantro leaves and give it a stir. Add turmeric powder and hing and stir in
9. Add roughly chopped potatoes and mix everything together. Switch off the flame

 

10. Let the potatoes cool down slightly
11. Then mash/ mix the potatoes to fine consistency

                                  


12. Make small sized balls out of this potato mixture. I measured out 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of potato mixture for one ball

                                   


13. Slightly press the potato balls with hand and flatten them slightly. Set aside

                                 


14. Make the besan batter - in a small bowl, add beasa, turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder, hing, rice flour, sooji, baking soda and mix everything
15. Add 1/2 cup water and mix
16. The batter should be thick and it should be like the consistency of the dosa batter

                                


17. In a wok heat oil for deep frying vadas
18. When the oil is hot, dip flattened potato discs in besan flour mix to coat them evenly
19. Gently slide in the vada in hot oil and fry until they are golden. You can fry 4 vadas in one batch
20. Remove from oil and drain on kitchen towel
21. Fry the remaining vadas in batches of 4
22. Serve hot with fried green chillies and authentic dry red chutney made of lehsun, coconut and red chillies
23. The most common way of eating these vadas is in the form of vada pav. Will post recipes for green chutney, dry red chuntney and how to assemble the vada pav.