Batata Vada Recipe (Aloo Vada)
Updated: May 12, 2024, By Swasthi
Batata Vada is a popular Snack from the Maharashtrian cuisine. The Marathi & Portuguese word ‘Batata’ translates to ‘Potatoes’ and ‘Vada’ are Indian ‘Fritters’. Also known as Aloo Vada, these are spiced potato balls, dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried. These crisp, flavorsome and super addictive popular street snack is eaten as is with Coriander chutney & Chai. Sometimes they are stuffed in a pav (Indian bread) to make Vada Pav, another street food delicacy from Mumbai.
About Batata Vada
Mumbai is popular for its wide range of street foods, from Sandwiches, Pakoras, Chaats to delicious Kulfis and Faloodas. Batata vada is one such street food that you will find almost everywhere, even in other regions of India. There are also a few different versions of these known as Aloo Bonda & veg bonda in Karnataka. They are easy to make and makes for a great snack.
The preparation for this appetizer starts with boiling the potatoes until fork tender. They are mashed and added to a tempering made with spices and herbs. Small portions of this spiced potatoes are shaped to balls. The second part is to make a thick batter with gram flour, known as besan. These spiced potato balls are dipped in the thick batter and deep fried until crisp and golden. Sounds so good right!
Batata Vada are best served right out of the hot oil. These are good to serve on their own. A cup of Masala chai, or dry garlic chutney, Coriander chutney, Green chutney, Mint chutney, Red Garlic Chutney or some fried green chilies also go well. For convenience you can also make the spiced potatoes ahead and refrigerate. Make the batter and fry them when you are ready to serve. They can be reheated in the oven or air fryer until crisp.
Expert Tips
- Potatoes: Perfectly boiled, fork tender potatoes are a must here. Do not overcook and make your potatoes too mushy and water logged. You can either cook them whole or diced in a pot or in a cooker following my instructions below.
- Corn flour or rice flour: Along with besan, corn flour is used to get a crisp texture. This also helps to retain the crispness for longer. If you do not use refined flour, you can substitute corn flour with rice flour.
- Consistency of batter: The consistency of the batter is the key to making good batata vada. The mixture should not be too thick or too thin. Check the video to know more on it.
- Soda-bi-carbonate: A tiny pinch of soda-bi-carbonate is used to make the batter light. But you can also skip it. I find no difference in skipping.
For more Potato Recipes, you can check
Aloo Bread Pakora
Bread Rolls
Aloo Samosa
Aloo Sandwich
Photo Guide
How to make Batata Vada (Stepwise Photos)
Prepare the Filling
1. Boil 3 medium potatoes until fork tender but not mushy or water logged. You can cook either in a pot or cooker. I cooked them in pressure cooker for 2 whistles with some water. You can also cook them diced in a pot of water. Once done cool them and crumble. You will need about 2 ¼ cups crumbled potatoes for this recipe.
2. Mince or crush ¾ inch peeled ginger, 2 to 3 garlic cloves and 2 to 3 green chilies. On a medium flame, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon mustard seeds.
3. When they begin to pop, add 1 sprig curry leaves (pat dry first) and fry until crisp.
4. Add ginger garlic and green chili paste. Sauté until a nice aroma comes out. This may get burnt very quickly so regulate flame to medium or low.
5. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric, 1 pinch hing, ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder and ⅓ teaspoon salt.
6. Mix everything well.
7. Add crumbled potatoes and 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.
8. Mix everything well. Turn off the stove. Taste test and adjust salt to your taste preference.
9. Cool this and make 7 to 8 equal sized balls.
Make batter
10. To a mixing bowl, add ¾ cup besan, 2 to 3 tablespoons rice flour or cornstarch, ⅓ teaspoon salt, a pinch of hing, 1 pinch of turmeric and ⅛ teaspoon chilli powder.
11. Pour ¼ cup water and begin to make a thick batter first, adding more water only as needed. Avoid pouring lot of water at one time as it makes a lot of lumps.
12. This is the consistency of the batter. If the batter is runny, the covering may turn thin or batata vada may break while frying. I have added a small pinch of soda to the batter just before dipping the balls in the batter. This is optional. This gives a light texture to the covering. Add it if using and mix well for a few seconds.
Fry Batata Vada
13. Heat oil in a kadai on a medium heat. Do not use very less oil. Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping little batter to the hot oil. It has to sizzle and rise to the surface. Ifit sinks it means the oil is not hot yet. When the oil is hot enough, drop a ball in the batter. Coat it well with batter with a spoon or with your fingers.
14. Gently slide to hot oil. You can fry 3 to 5 or even more depending on the size of your kadai and the amount of oil used.
15. Do not disturb them for at least 2 to 3 minutes as they can break. Stir them gently and fry on a medium heat.
16.When they are crisp fried and deep golden in color, remove to a cooling rack. Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying the second batch also avoid frying them in very hot oil. Discard the used oil and do not reuse.
Serve batata vada hot with green chutney or flatten it and sandwich in a chutney smeared pav, with some fried green chilies on the side. You can serve these with this Green chutney or coconut chutney.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Batata Vada Recipe (Aloo Vada)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
To make the filling
- 3 medium potatoes (2¼ cups crumbled)
- 2 to 3 green chilies
- ¾ inch ginger peeled
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 pinch hing (asafetida)
- ⅓ to ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (pat dry)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped
For the covering
- ¾ cup besan (gram flour)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons rice flour (cornstarch)
- ⅓ to ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 Pinch Hing (asafoetida)
- 1 pinch soda-bi-carbonate Tiny (optional)
- 1 pinch Turmeric (optional, for color)
- ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
- 2 to 3 cups oil to fry, use high smoke point oils
Instructions
Preparation
- Boil potatoes whole in a pressure cooker or diced in a pot of water, until fork tender. Do not make them mushy or waterlogged, they should be fully cooked yet hold their shape. Later remove from water, peel and crumble them.
- Mince or crush together ginger, garlic and green chilies to a paste.
Make the filling
- On a medium flame, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add curry and fry until crisp. Add ginger garlic and green chili paste.
- Saute until fragrant and stir in hing, salt, turmeric and red chili powder.
- Add the crumbled potatoes and coriander leaves. Turn off the stove and mix everything well. Taste test and adjust salt to your preference. Cool this and divide to 7 to 8 equal portions. Roll them to balls.
How to make Batata Vada
- On a medium flame, heat oil for deep frying in a kadai.
- Meanwhile stir in besan ,rice flour, salt, hing, turmeric and chili powder in a mixing bowl. Pour water little by little (start with ¼ cup and add more) and mix to make a batter of thick flowing consistency. (check video or photos). Taste test and adjust salt as need.
- When the oil is hot enough, add a tiny pinch of soda to the batter and mix it well.
- Test – Drop a small amount of batter to the hot oil to test if it is hot enough. The batter should sizzle and rise to the surface without turning brown. If it sinks it means the oil is not hot enough.
- Regulate the flame to medium. Dip each ball in the batter with a spoon or fingers, to coat it well and gently slide to the hot oil. You can fry about 3 to 5 vadas in each batch depending on the amount of oil and the size of cookware.
- Do not disturb them for 2 to 3 mins, until the batter becomes firm. Gently stir and fry until golden and crisp. Remove to a cooling rack. To fry the next batch make sure the oil is hot but not smoking hot.
- Serve batata vada hot with green chutney or sandwich them in pav along with green chutney, dry garlic chutney & fried green chilies.
Notes
- If the batter is too thick the batata vada will turn hard.
- If the batter is too thin the potato stuffing will come out while frying and mess up the oil. So it has to be of the right consistency. Check the video and pictures in the post.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Made this for a weekend brunch and they delicious with coriander chutney. I boiled the potatoes in the instant pot for 10 mins and they were perfect. Yo u may want to includ the IP timings in the recipe. Thank you
Glad to know Gauri. Thank you for sharing back. Yes I can include the IP timings.
Amazing recipe ! I want to make large quantities for my sons bday. I have an air fryer too for reheating. What are your recommendations? Freeze the potato mix fry on party day? Or make the whole thing freeze and do air fryer or bake on party day? By the time people get to food it’s always cold so that won’t be an issue. Kindly suggest. Thanks
Thanks Suzann. I would suggest freezing the potato stuffing. Reheat it and fry them on the same day. They can be reheated in air fryer or in the oven. Hope you all enjoy!
Made this today, it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Happy to know they came out delicious. Thank you Rita!
Love your recipes of masalas and powders, for its taste (that matches mine), presentation and kids concern.
One curiosity:”Batata” happens to be the portuguese word for potato…
Thank you Ana. I’m going to edit that.
🙂
I boiled the potatoes in their skins, let them cool then put the potato into a bowl, realised that I only had salt and self raising flour so I made potato scones and they were lovely, would definitely make them again.
Turned out fantastic. thank you. I stored the leftover potatoes in a container. For how many days can I store in the fridge.
Hi Ananya,
Glad to know! Yes you can keep it for 1 to 2 days. The taste alters beyond that.
Can you make bateta vada without gram flour as my family is allergic to it? If you can, what is the best alternative flour?
Hi Heena,
Not sure if any other flour works as I have not tried. May be all-purpose or wheat flour should work. I have the batter recipe here on other posts you may check out – goli baje and mysore bonda
Dear Swasti,
I would like to make batata vada. Is it possible to make the balls only and keep it in the freezer?
I need to fry the balls for antoher day. About the batter: can I use breadcrums to make the batter instead of besan and rice flour?
please let me know as soon as possible.
Thank you for sharing your great recipes.
Hi Kashish
Yes you can make the balls ahead and refrigerate or freeze. I don’t think bread crumbs alone will work, i guess they soak up lot of oil. You can check these bread potato rolls. Instead of making the rolls you can roll the balls in moist bread slices. Place the ball in the center and roll them.