Batata Vada or Aloo Bonda -Flavorsofmykitchen

Batata vada is a fried snack of batter-coated potato stuffed fritter dumplings. Making these take some time but absolutely worth it. I am sharing this lip smacking and delicious recipe in Gujarati style batata vada. I am sure you will love Indian street food snack.

WHAT IS BATATA VADA?

Batata vada (meaning potato dumpling) is a popular street food from Maharashtra India. It consists of a spicy seasoned patty made from mashed potato which is then dunked into a batter of chickpea flour (besan). The vadas are then deep fried until golden and crispy. Typically served hot with a spicy Chutney.

About This Batata vada

Batata vada has two components, inner filling and outer coating. 

• The inner filling is made from boiled, mashed potatoes and it is seasoned with ginger, garlic, green chili.
• For outer coating, the thick batter is made from besan (gram flour), rice flour and seasoned with salt, turmeric and chili powder.
• The round balls are made from potato filling. Then balls are dipped into the batter and deep-fried into the hot oil.

Deep Frying is a must. 

• No, this cannot be shallow fried. 
• They have to be submerged into the oil while frying to keep the round shape intact. 
• If they are shallow fried then you’ll end up with flat vada and not a perfect round.
• This is the only reason I don’t make these vada often as I have to heat a whole lot of oil that I can’t reuse. Plus, these are full of calories.

In the Gujarati version, ginger-chili paste, cilantro, red chili powder, salt, sugar, lemon juice, etc are added to the boiled, mashed potato.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes: I prefer to use good quality potatoes. I used russet potatoes.
• Ginger, Garlic and Green Chili: I crushed all these three together and made a paste. You can use separately if you like.
• Lemon Juice: So this batata vada is in Gujarati style so it tastes khatta mitha. so lemon juice is must. You can skip if you don’t like.
• Salt and Sugar: salt you can use as per taste.
• Cilantro: I love adding cilantro into this and green garlic if available.
• Besan: Using good quality of besan makes everything so good. I have used Laxmi besan .
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is optional but i prefer to use.

HOW TO MAKE BATATA VADA?

So I’ve broken down the process to make it easier for me to manage. I do feel it helps in making this recipe so much less complicated and daunting.

1. Prep the potatoes – this may actually be the crucial step. (In that, I’ve failed to prep the potatoes properly and ended with gummy mashed potatoes). I found that peeling, cutting the potatoes into 1.5 inch pieces and then soaking in cold water for at least 3-4 hours helps reduce the starch content on the potatoes. And once the starch content is reduced, the potatoes actually cook and mash perfectly without any fuss.
2. Cook and season the potatoes – Boil the pre-soaked potatoes starting in room temperature, unsalted water for about 20 minutes for until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and and season with tempering of asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, turmeric and chilies. Salt and lemon juice as needed. Lightly mash the potatoes and form into balls.
3. Prep the batter – All you need is chickpea flour and water. But you can additionally season with turmeric, red chili powder and cumin powder if desired. I like to add a few tablespoons of rice flour to get a nice crispy on the fry.
4. Fry and serve (and enjoy!) – deep fry batata vada for about 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy.

Batata Vada or Aloo Bonda -Flavorsofmykitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Recipe by Shruti Naik Course: AppetizersCuisine: Indian

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

Ingredients

• 4 -5 Potatoes

• 1 tbsp ginger chili paste or according to your taste

• 1 tsp garlic paste

• salt to taste

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

• chopped cilantro

• cashews and raisins

• pinch turmeric

• For Batter:

• 1/2 cup gram flour

• salt to taste

• pinch turmeric

• Cooking soda

Directions

• Prep the potatoes – this may actually be the crucial step. (In that, I’ve failed to prep the potatoes properly and ended with gummy mashed potatoes). I found that peeling, cutting the potatoes into 1.5 inch pieces and then soaking in cold water for at least 3-4 hours helps reduce the starch content on the potatoes. And once the starch content is reduced, the potatoes actually cook and mash perfectly without any fuss.
• Cook and season the potatoes – Boil the pre-soaked potatoes starting in room temperature, unsalted water for about 20 minutes for until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and and season with tempering of asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, turmeric and chilies. Salt and lemon juice as needed. Lightly mash the potatoes and form into balls.
• Prep the batter – All you need is chickpea flour and water. But you can additionally season with turmeric, red chili powder and cumin powder if desired. I like to add a few tablespoons of rice flour to get a nice crispy on the fry.
• Fry and serve (and enjoy!) – deep fry batata vada for about 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy.

Recipe Video