Batata Vada

Spiced Deep Fried Potato Dumplings

Batata(potatoes) Vada (Dumplings) is traditionally a street food. It is also known as "Vada" or "Wada". Its a very popular snack in India, specially Maharashtra. If served with split bread or a roll the dish becomes "Vada Pav" which is a sledgehammer answer to the burger.

Serves 4
3 large potatoes, peeled , boiled , and semi-mashed
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp amchur powder( dry mango powder)
2 green chilies, finely chopped

For the batter:-
Besan Mix:-1/3 cup besan(gram flour) made into a thick batter with enough water
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 turmeric
For Garnish:-
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
oil for deep frying

Method:-
Take oil in a wok or deep skillet. Heat gently on medium heat and add mustard seeds. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chilies and fry for 30 sec. Add turmeric powder , salt , black pepper , amchur powder and mashed potatoes. Fry and mix. Keep the mix aside and let it cool.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping batter by mixing salt , turmeric powder and red chili powder to the besan mix. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too thick or too watery. It should coat and back of the spoon.

Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is properly heated, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately turns solid and float on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Otherwise , the vadas become dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside.

Now dip each potato ball in the batter, letting excess batter drip off and slowly add the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the temperature of the oil reduces which in turn slows down the frying process. Like this, deep fry all the vadas until golden brown. Remove on a paper towel and let it drain for at least 5 mins. Batats vadas are ready. Serve it hot with chutney or with tomato ketchup for kids.