Potato vada
Spiced potato balls fried in gram flour batter. Makes 20
Batata vada are spiced, sweet-sour potato balls with onion, coriander and cinnamon-clove, dipped in gram flour batter and fried until golden. They're a favourite snack for rainy days and parties. Serve hot with green coriander chutney and tamarind chutney.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 5
Ingredients
For the vada filling
- 1 ⅛ lb potatoesboiled, coarsely mashed
- 1 medium onionchopped
- 4 tbsp fresh corianderchopped
- 1 tbsp green chilli paste
- 5 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp cinnamon-clove powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- asafoetidaa pinch
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp saltor to taste
- oilfor deep frying
For the batter
- 3 ½ oz gram flour (besan)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp hot oil
- asafoetidaa pinch
- ½ tsp saltor to taste
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- ½ cup waterabout
To serve
- green coriander and tamarind chutneys (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 1 ½ tbsp oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and asafoetida, then add 1 medium onion and cook for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅛ lb potatoes, 4 tbsp fresh coriander, 1 tbsp green chilli paste, 5 tsp lemon juice, ½ tsp cinnamon-clove powder, 3 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt.
Step 3: Mix well and take off the heat. When cool enough to handle, make 20 balls.
Step 4: Mix 3 ½ oz gram flour (besan), ½ tsp red chilli powder, 3 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp hot oil, asafoetida, ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp sugar with enough ½ cup water to make a fairly thick batter.
Step 5: Heat oil over medium heat. Dip each vada in the batter and fry until golden brown.
20 minStep 6: Drain and serve the vada hot with green coriander and tamarind chutneys.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does potato vada take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 5 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of medium onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese
Bagara bainganBaby aubergines in peanut sesame sauce
Bagara baingan is a Hyderabadi wedding dish of small aubergines cooked whole in a dark, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame, dried coconut and tamarind. Unlike a Gujarati stuffed brinjal, the aubergines here are only quartered at the base and fried until silky, then left to soak up a thin-but-rich sauce that is finished with a tempering, the 'baghar' that gives the dish its name. It's sour, nutty and gently spiced, and is served with biryani, bagara rice or plain rice. Chef's tip: choose small, glossy purple aubergines that feel heavy for their size; soft, light ones are full of seeds and turn mushy before the gravy has a chance to cling.