Does one really need an introduction to this quintessentially a favored street food ? While deciding to do this post I was in a confused mood..should I do this or leave it , as this is a snack prepared in almost every household in their own ways.But keeping in mind the young people who are venturing out to different parts of the world for study or work, who would surely pine for these warm home made crunchy snacks, I had to do it.

Bachelors and youngsters can benefit from such easy recipes when their craving for bondas, bajjis, (fritters)gets the better of them.

My personal advice to them if they can spot the basic ingredients in Indian sorcery stores, to stock up and always keep some potatoes, onions and some Indian spices and you are good to go.

This Indian snack is no rocket science and just the combination of mashed potatoes spiced in either Indian way or use your own imagination.The battle is simple, besan flour batter/chick pea flour .

Batata Vada/Aloo Bonda is popular in Maharashtra . It literally means potato fritters. It consists of mashed potato patty or rounds or balls coated with chick pea flour, then deep fried and served hot with chutney.. The vada is a sphere, around two or three inches in diameter.

In Maharashtra this is made slightly flattened as it is pressed in between two paavs. ,or halves of flat dinner rolls which is smeared with spicy red chutneys and eaten.

This is called Vada Paav ..recipe for which you can get in this blog by clicking on the red highlighted word..More or less the same except the vadas or the potato balls are made by adding spicy green chiilies and garlic also along with other condiments.

Typically Maharashrtrian in origin , Batata Vada is gaining popularity in the rest of India as well.

Am using the terms Aaloo Bonda and discussing Batata vada as there is not much difference in the two.

As I mentioned before batata wada has garlic added to the potato mash , where as the Aaloo Bonda has the potato mash with spices but no garlic.The batata vada is more flatter , while bondas are made shape like balls.

Batata vada is a deep fried indulgence and a popular street food in Mumbai.Now it has become popular in all parts of the country.

Aaloo Bonda recipe

Ingrdients:

5 big potatoes boiled , peeled and mashed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

few sprigs of curry leaves, 2 green chillies

few strands of coriander leaves

pinch of turmeric powder

pinch of asafoetida powder

oil for deep frying

salt to taste.

For the besan /chickpea flour batter

2 cups of besan and 2 tbsp of rice flour.

A pinch of baking soda.

salt.

Method

1. Take a broad pan and put 1 tbsp of oil, let it heat up and add mustard seeds. when it crackles

2. add the cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric powder,crushed coriander seeds, asafoetida powder and the mashed potatoes. Add salt and stir well to mix all the ingredients.

3. Add the coriander leaves finely chopped. When the potatoes look well coated with the spices .

4. Take it off the stove and let the mashed potato mixture cool. You can add a tbs of lemon juice if you like

5. .This is optional. Make even sized balls of the mashed potatoes and keep aside.

6. Meanwhile we need to prepare the besan/chickflour batte and keep it ready. Mix all the batter ingredients with little water to make a slightly thick batter. It should not be too thin or too thick.

7. Batter should be such that we can coat the potato balls evenly with the batter and drop in the oil.

8. Keep a deep kadai or pan for frying the potato balls with sufficient oil.When the oil is heated..check by dropping a small pinch of batter, it will come up immediately.

9. Take the mashed potato ball and dip it well in the besan/chickpea flour batter and drop carefully in the hot oil. If the pan is big enough you can drop more .

10. Keep the flame medium and we need to take it out when it is a nice golden crispy brown..

    This taste absolutely great when eaten hot after draining in a colander and chutneys may be served.Usually a great snack for tea times.
    
    Batata Vada
    

    This is authentic Maharashtrian snack and is the pride of every Mumbaite.Every new comer to this pulsating never sleeping city aka maximum city is quickly drawn into the folds of the Mumbai Batata vada and of course all the other millions of street food pleasures.But this is the signature dish you can say.
    
    People who have had to move out of Mumbai will come away sadly leaving these glorious eats and will continue t regret their entire life. Yours truly too.!
    
    These are crisp potato fritters encased in little thick mildly spiced chickpea flour batter and broken all geographical boundaries.
    
    An Important ingredient that gives the Vada paav the ultimate zing in character is the use of the typically Maharashtrian garlic chutney powder also known as Vada paav chutney powder.

    Street Vendors of vada paav will first swiftly break the laadi paav in half and quickly smear the chutney powder before the batata vada is slapped and it and closed.

    A dry textured chutney prepared from garlic, ground nuts and spices is a must have condiment for making delicious vada pav. also it’s commonly referred as vada pav chutney.

    The speciality of this dry garlic chutney recipe is that roasted groundnuts and sesame seeds are crushed with oil sautéed garlic, tamarind paste, red chilli powder and coriander powder that gives it a deliciously hot and spicy character.

    The amount of chillies and the garlic you use will depend on your personal preference.
    
    The filling for the batata vada remains as for aaloo bonda except that you add the green chillies and garlic paste to the mashed potatoes.Rest of the procedure remains the same.
    

    To prepare the batata vadas , you need to take the mashed potato mixture and flatten sightly and dip in the besan/chickpea flour batter and deep fry.
    

    Once you have all the vadas fried and drained, take some laadi paav which are slightly big flatter buns , break them in half , not fully though and apply the vada paav chutney powder and keep the batata vada in between the paav/bread and press the two halves lightly but not to mash it.
    Serve it as it is..you dont need anything else apart from a hot steaming cup of tea perhaps.

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