Name: Batata Vada (Aloo Bonda)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 4 Potato, medium, boiled and roughly mashed; 1½ cup Gram Flour, besan, for batter; 1 pinch Baking Soda, for fluffy batter; ½ tsp Ground Turmeric, divided for filling and batter; 3 Green Chili Pepper, crushed into a coarse paste; 5 clove Garlic, crushed into a coarse paste; 1 inch Ginger, crushed into a coarse paste; 1 tsp Mustard Seeds; ¼ tsp Asafoetida; 10 Curry Leaves, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1½ tsp Salt, divided; 1 tbsp Cooking Oil, for tempering; as needed Cooking Oil, for deep frying

1 hr 35 mintotal

35 min hands-on1 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Make the tempering (tadka): heat the tempering oil to medium in a small skillet. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop.
Fold in the asafoetida (hing), chopped curry leaves and the coarse paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies. Sauté for 30 seconds to release the aroma. Stir in the turmeric powder and turn off the heat.
30 sec
Cascade this blistering, highly fragrant lipid mixture directly over the thoroughly cooled, rustic potato mash.
Mix in the fresh coriander, lemon juice and salt, working it together by hand. The filling should stay fairly dry and well seasoned.
Divide the seasoned potato mixture into portions and roll each one firmly into a smooth ball. Set them on a tray.
Formulate the Exterior Batter: In a capacious basin, whisk together the gram flour (besan), the residual turmeric, salt, and the critical pinch of baking soda.
Add water a little at a time, whisking well, to make a thick, smooth batter that will coat the potato balls without running off.
Elevate your deep-frying lipid pool to a solid medium-high heat within a robust kadhai.
Dip a potato ball into the besan batter so it is completely coated. Lift it out, let the excess drip off, and slide it gently into the hot oil.
Fry patiently, turning the vadas now and then, until the besan coating sets into a crisp, golden-yellow shell. Lift them onto absorbent paper.
Demand immediate service while the core radiates intense steam.

How to tell it's done

A bright yellow, perfectly round sphere with a crisp, savory gram flour shell protecting a steamy, spicy, garlicky potato mash.

Getting it right

Tip

Roughly mashing the potatoes (leaving small chunks) gives the authentic Mumbai street food texture. A perfectly thick batter ensures the vada remains round and doesn't grow thin 'tails' while frying.

What to serve it with

The heart of Vada Pav! Stuff it inside a soft Pav with dry garlic coconut chutney and fried green chillies.

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Ingredients