How to Make Batata Vada , Mumbai Batata Vada Recipe

Spiced potato dumpling coated with gram flour batter and fried-very popular street food of Mumbai

Batata vada is the most popular street food of Maharashtra,It is a very popular snack of Mumbai. As it is very reasonable priced and a quite filling snack so is is also a brunch or lunch of many Mumbaikars.
Boiled potatoes are roughly mashed and then few fresh herbs and spices are added in the potato mash ,then a flavorful tempering is added in it and then shaped in round balls .Then these spicy potato dumplings are dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried to a nice golden colour and then served hot with spicy green chutney and a fried green chili.Its quite easy and quick recipe.You can easily adjust the spices according to your taste.
There are few variation of making this vada but the main ingredients and spices remains the same.

Prep time-10 min
Cooking time - 15 min
Difficulty level - medium
Spice level - medium hot
Cuisine - Indian,Maharashtra
Type - snack,street food

Batata Vada

INGREDIENTS-

• 250 gm - Potato,boiled
• 1 tbsp - Green chili,minced
• 1 tsp - Ginger,chopped
• 1/2 cup - Fresh coriander,chopped
• To taste - Salt/namak
• 1/3 tsp - Turmeric
• 1/4 tsp - Citric acid/tatri *
• 1 tsp - Mustard seeds /rai
• 1/4 tsp -white lentil /urad daal
• 1/4 tsp - Asafoetida /hing
• 8 -  Curry leaves
• 1 tbsp - Cooking oil

Batter-

• 1 cup - Gram flour /besan
• 2 tbsp - Rice flour/chawal ka atta
• 1/4 tsp - Turmeric/haldi
• 1 tsp - Chili powder
• 1 tbsp - Hot oil
• To taste  - Salt
• Pinch of  - Soda-bi-carb (optional)

Cooking Directions-

1. Peel and coarsely mash the boiled potatoes(don't make a paste of potatoes )
2. Heat oil in a pan and add urad daal and mustard seeds.
3. When seed start crackling add asafoetida,curry leaves and green chilies.
4. Stir and then add turmeric powder and boiled potatoes.
5. Add salt and citric acid and stir to mix every thing.
6. Remove from the flame and add chopped fresh coriander.
7. Mix it and let it cool down a bit.
8. Now make small balls from this potato mixture and keep aside.
9. In a bowl add gram flour, rice flour, salt,chili powder and turmeric.
10. Add water to make a batter of pouring consistency.
11. Add hot oil and mix well.
12. Heat oil in a deep and wide pan.
13. Dip the prepared potato balls in the gram flour batter.
14. Gently add in the hot oil and deep fry on medium heat.
15. Change the sides 2-3 times in between so get a nice colour from all the sides.
16. Remove from the pan when become golden and crisp.
17. Drain on a paper napkin to absorb the extra oil.
18. Slit or poke hole in few green chilies and deep fry them.
19. Drain on a paper napkin and sprinkle some chat masala or salt over them.
20. Serve hot vadas with green chutney,ketchup and fried green chilies.

NOTE-

1-To add sourness in the vada you can add either citric acid or lemon juice.

2-Don't mash the potato completely,just mash roughly,don't make a paste of potatoes.
3-You can reduce the quantity of minced green chilies and add some red chili powder in the potato mixture.
4-for variation -you can also add some boiled peas at step -3

Kuzhi Paniyaram / Appe / Punugulu (Crispy dumplings made from leftover Idli batter)

A crisp and delicious shallow fried snack made with leftover idli batter

Kuzhi Paniyaram / Appe / Punganalu is a South Indian snack, originally from Chettinad. It is often made with leftover slightly sour Idli batter. It is usually served as a snack at breakfast (or tiffin - as popularly termed in South India). It is made in both sweet and savory versions, with the savory version being the more popular one.

Firstly, to make paniyaram you will need a special paniyaram pan. There are generally 2 types of paniyaram pans available - a traditional iron pan which is quite heavy and takes some time to cook , and a non stick paniyaram pan which is lighter and cooks faster. Both version are easily available in the market. I have the traditional iron one, which I have used for this recipe (pics at the bottom of this post).

Irrespective of the type - a paniyaram pan is a heavy bottom pan with deep holes in it. A little oil is drizzled in these holes and then about 1-2 tbsp (depends on the size of the pan) of prepared batter is added in it. The pan is then placed on medium heat for few minutes to cook the paniyarams. The paniyarams are then turned with a skewer and cooked on the other side too till golden in colour. Paniyarams can be served with coconut chutney,tomato chutney or any dip of your choice.

Prep time - 10 min
Cooking time - 15 min
Difficulty level - Easy
Spice level - mild
Cuisine - Indian,south
Type - Snack / Tiffin

INGREDIENTS-

Kuzhi Paniyaram

INGREDIENTS-

• 2 cup - Idli batter
• 3 tbsp - Fresh coriander, chopped
• 2 tsp - Green chili, chopped
• 1.5 tsp - Ginger, chopped
• 8- 10 -  Curry leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp - Grated coconut
• 2 tsp -  Cooking oil
• 1 tsp - Mustard seeds / Rai
• 1 tsp - White lentil / Urad daal
• 1/4 tsp - Asafoetida / Hing
• A pinch of  - Fruit salt / Eno

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a small pan.
2. Add mustard seeds and white lentil/urad daal in the oil.
3. When seeds start crackling add green chili, asafoetida, and curry leaves.
4. Now add this tempering in the idli batter (dropping consistency batter)
5. Add chopped coriander and ginger and little salt if needed.
6. Mix well and then add eno just before preparing.
7. Heat paniyaram pan and drizzle few drops of oil in the non stick paniyaram pan.
8. Fill the holes with about a tbsp of prepared batter.
9. Cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat till it become dry on top and sides become golden.
10. Now drizzle some oil on the top of the paniyaram.
11. Turn the side with a fork or skewer stick and cook till it become golden from the bottom.
12. Remove the cooked paniyarams from the pan .
13. Serve hot with tomato chutney or coconut chutney.

My Tips-

• You can also add some grated carrot ,cabbage,spinach or any vegetables of your choice in the batter.
• Can also add some cashew nuts in the tempering at step-3

 Paniyaram pan-