Batata vada recipe - one of my favorite and one of the popular Mumbai street food. This can be eaten as a snack with chutney or used in making vada pav.
Boiled potatoes are sauteed with ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves. Then small balls are coated with gram flour batter and deep fried. One of the BEST deep fried, indulging snacks. Give it a try.
I have another batata vada recipe on the blog that is made during Hindu fasting.
I make batata vada very rarely since it is very indulging and full of calories. Also, I have to heat up a whole lot of oil for 'deep frying'.
This cannot be shallow fried like pakora. This needs to be submerged into the oil while frying to keep the round shape intact. If shallow fried then you end up with flat vada.
This is Maharashtrian or Mumbai style of making batata vada. My mom makes the Gujarati style and the procedure of making potato mixture is different.
as per my mom's method, she adds, red chili powder, green chilies, salt, sugar, lemon juice, ginger, coriander leaves and so on into the mashed potatoes. She doesn't saute the potatoes like I have done. Both have different flavors, but I prefer the Mumbai style.
How to make batata vada recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) First, boil the potatoes: wash, scrub the potatoes well. Take them into a pressure cooker. Add enough water so they are submerged into the water. Cover the cooker with lid. Turn the heat to medium and cook it for 2 whistles. Number of whistles may vary depending on the size and quality of the potatoes.
2) Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid. Let the potatoes cool to the touch, peel the skin and discard. Mash it using your hand or potato masher.
3) Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them pop.
4) Then add ginger paste, green chilies, and curry leaves.
5) Saute for a minute or so or till the raw smell of ginger goes away.
6) Now add hing and turmeric powder.
7) Add mashed potatoes and salt.
8) Mix well till everything is incorporated well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the stove. If your potatoes had too much moisture then continue cooking till they are dry.
9) Add lemon juice and coriander leaves.
10) Mix well. taste the small amount and check the salt, lemon juice is ok or not. if not adjust accordingly.
11) Remove it to a plate and let it cool down completely.
12) Once cooled, divide into 8 equal portions and make smooth balls. You can make smaller sized too. If so, you will get more than 8 vadas.
13) Now heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. While oil is heating, make the batter. Take besan and rice flour in a bowl. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and pinch of baking soda.
14) Mix well.
15) Start adding a little water and keep mixing till you get medium thick, runny consistency batter. Make sure there are no lumps. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of hot oil from the kadai to batter and mix well.
16) Once the oil is hot for deep frying, take one potato ball and dip into the batter.
17) With the help of a spoon or your hand lift the batter coated ball.
and carefully add into the hot oil. fry few vadas at a time, otherwise, oil temperature may get reduced and vada will absorb too much oil. So always fry only 4-5 at a time.
18) Keep moving them for even browning.
19) Once browned from all the sides remove them using slotted spatula.
20) Transfer them to paper towel lined plate.
Serve batata vada hot/warm.
Serving suggestion: serve them with green chutney or mint chutney, tamarind date chutney or ketchup. This can be used in making vada pav.
Batata vada recipe
Ingredients
For batata vada mixture:
- 3 medium or 2 cups Potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed
- 2-3 teaspoons Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 2 Green chilies chopped finely
- 7-8 Curry leaves
- a pinch Hing (Asafoetida)
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons Lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely
For batter:
- ½ cup Besan (gram flour)
- 2 teaspoons Rice flour
- Salt - to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon Water
- a small pinch Baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon Hot Oil to add into batter
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Preparation:
- First, boil the potatoes: wash, scrub the potatoes well. Take them into a pressure cooker.
- Add enough water so they are submerged into the water. Cover the cooker with lid.
- Turn the heat to medium and cook it for 2 whistles or till soft.
- Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid.
- Let the potatoes cool to the touch, peel the skin and discard.
- Mash it using your hand or potato masher.
Making potato mixture:
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Once hot add mustard seeds and let them pop.
- Then add ginger paste, green chilies, and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
- Now add hing and turmeric powder.
- Add mashed potatoes and salt.
- Mix well till everything is incorporated well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Then turn off the stove.
- Add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Mix well.
- Remove it to a plate and let it cool down completely.
- Once cooled, divide into 8 equal portions and make smooth balls.
Making batter:
- Take besan and rice flour in a bowl.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and pinch of baking soda. Mix well.
- Start adding a little water and keep mixing till you get medium thick, runny consistency smooth batter.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons of hot oil and mix well.
Making batata vada recipe:
- Heat the oil for deep frying on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot take one potato ball and dip into the batter.
- With the help of a spoon or your hand lift the batter coated ball and carefully add into the hot oil. fry few vadas at a time
- Keep moving for even browning.
- Once browned from all the sides remove them using slotted spatula.
- Transfer them to paper towel lined plate.
- Serve hot/warm.
Asha
Hi Kanan
My daughter made the vada pav and because it was showed step by step in pics i didnt have to help her out.
It came out great and tasty!
Love Mumbai street food made at home!
Asha
sorry the stars got deleted....its 4 stars...
Kanan
Thank you Asha.
Glad to see that it was helpful to your daughter.
avantika
Tried your recipe. It came out quite well. Only thing i wanted to clarify as to how to get thick cover as we get out. Otherwise overall it was very good.
Kanan
to get thick cover, you need to keep besan batter really thick, so thick layer of batter will be coated around the vada.
Justina
Hi there
I was browsing thru the website for authentic Mumbai vada pav receipe and yours was perfect,
Very well illustrated the pics extra was too good thanks a lot
Kanan
good to know that you find it helpful.
Nada
Sight.....I SERIOUSLY FEEL HUNGRY NOW
mustardseed
I can never say no to batata vada!! I love garlic so I add that along with the ginger chili paste, but I am sure it tastes great without it too. Would love to see the vada pav.
Rathai
I'm learning a lot of new items and recipes thanks to your website, Kanan. I like that you post varied recipes and the vada looks perfectly made and delicious too with the potato filling! I love potatoes.