Batata vada... mumbai style

Batata vada or Alu bonda as some people call it, is made in different ways in different places. In Mumbai, it has a lot of garlicky flavor to it while Alu bondas made in south do not use garlic. Either way they both taste great. Personally, I have always been a huge fan of the Mumbai style batata vadas.

The recipe goes like this.....

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling:

1. Potato - 750 gms  (boil them, remove the skin and mash them)
2. Green chillies - 4
3. Ginger - 1 inch 
4. Garlic - 6 big cloves
5. Cilantro (coriander ) leaves - 2 tbsp
6. Lime juice - 1 tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Haldi or turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Hing or Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
10. Mustard seeds (rai) - 1/2 tsp 
11. 4 curry leaves
12. 3 tsp oil

For the outer covering:

1. Besan (Chick pea flour0 - 1 cup
2. Haldi or turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Baking soda - 1 pinch or 1/8 th tsp
4. Hot oil - 1 tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Corn Starch - 1 tbsp
7. Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Oil for deep frying.

METHOD:

For the filling:

• Finely chop green chillies, ginger and garlic.

• Heat oil in a kadai.When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds , hing, haldi ( turmeric powder) and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
• Then add the chopped mixture of chillies, ginger and garlic.

• Now, add the mashed potatoes, lime juice, cilantro leaves( dhania) and salt and mix.

• Switch off the heat and let it cool.
• Make small balls out of this mixture and set it aside.

For the outer covering:

• Take besan in a mixing bowl.To this,add turmeric powder (haldi) , salt ,1 tsp hot oil and a pinch of baking soda . Adding water little by little to make a batter that is not too watery nor too thick. 

• Just before you are ready to fry, add the corn starch and whisk it. The corn starch makes the vadas crispy.

Making vadas:

• Deep each ball of the filling in the batter so that the batter is coated all over the ball.
• Deep fry in hot oil and serve with cilantro chutney or spicy garlic chutney.

ENJOY!!!!