How to make Batata Vada - Maharashtrian snack item

Batata Vada is a popular snack item from the streets of Maharashtra.  Batata means potatoes.  The potato is called as Batata in Marathi.  This recipe is called as Batata vada in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra.  In south india, it is called as Potato Bonda.   

The Batata Vada tastes different in different regions of Maharashtra like Pune, Nasik etc.  Even in Mumbai, the taste differs amongst different vendors.  The taste difference is due to the inclusion of different spices in potato filling.  The batata vada is the same that we use in vada pav.

It is very easy to make batata vadas.  Just prepare the potato filling, make them into balls, coat them in the gram flour batter and then deep fry them.  Let us see how to make batata vadas.

Ingredients ( 1 cup = 250 ml )

For potato filling

• medium sized potatoes  -  4 Nos.
• Curry leaves - 10 to 12 Nos.
• 2 tsp skinned split urad dal ( black gram )
• 1 tsp cumin seeds ( optional )
• 1 chopped green chilly
• finely chopped ginger - 1 or 1.5 tsp
• turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• 1/4 tsp of asafoetida
• a few chopped coriander leaves
• oil for frying
• salt

For the Besan (Gram Flour) batter you will need:

• 1.5 cups gram flour
• ½ tsp turmeric powder (optional)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp rice flour (optional)

Method of preparation of Batata Vadas

Preparing the filling:

1. Boil y boil the potatoes till cooked thoroughly. Then mash them well. There should be no lumps.
2. Take some oil in  a pan.  Add mustard seeds and urad dal when oil gets heated.
3. When the mustard seeds start crackling and the urad dal turns brown, then add the cumin seeds, the curry leaves, chopped ginger, chopped chilly, asafoetida.
4. Fry till the spices are well cooked. Don't burn.  Add turmeric powder after that.
5. Now add this tempered hot spices with the oil to the the mashed potatoes.
6. Add salt.
7. Mix the potatoes with the spice mixture with a spoon as the mixture will be hot.
8. Later you can mix with your hands.
9. Make equal sized medium balls of the potato mixture.
10. Flatten them a little as it helps to deep fry them easily.
11. Keep aside

Preparing the vadas:

1. Now take the gram-flour, turmeric powder, add salt to it.
2. You can also add a pinch of red chilly powder to it.
3. I added rice flour to this batter as rice flour makes the coating crisp while frying. You can completely omit adding rice flour. With water make a slightly thick batter.
4. Dip each potato patty or ball in the besan batter.
5. Coat the ball evenly with the gram flour batter.
6. In a hot oil in a deep fry pan, add the potato balls coated with gram flour paste.
7. Fry them till golden brown.
8. Serve hot.
9. Batata Vadas are served with green chutney and tamarind-jaggery sweet chutney.
10. You can also serve them with coconut chutney.
11. If you are short of time, you can serve them with tomato sauce too.
12. It is also served with fried green chillies tossed in salt and a maharashtrian dry chutney made up of garlic, red chillies and onions.
13. You can make a vada pav too of it. Just slice the pav or bun into to.
14. Apply the green chutney on one side.
15. Then apply the sweet chutney on the other side.
16. Sprinkle the maharashtrian dry chutney made up of garlic, red chilli and onions.
17. Keep the batata vada in between the two slices of pav and serve with fried green salted chillies. You can also use burger buns or bread slices.