Batata vada is a popular potato snack recipe from Maharashtrian cuisine. These are a popular street food not only in Mumbai but across India. Batata translates to potato and vada to fried dumplings. In short batata vada are potato vada made by dunking spiced potato balls in gram flour batter and deep fried. These are similar to the South Indian Aloo bonda and are a popular street food across India.
Fried dumplings like these batata vada are very popular in Indian Cuisine and are made almost in every region. Medu vada, Sabudana vada , Masala vada are similar dishes which are as much made in Indian homes.
Batata vada are quite simple and quick to make for a evening snack or when you have guests home. These also make a great party snack or an appetizer.
These are mostly served with green chutney or sandwiched in a Pav to make Vada pav.
Step-by-step photos
Preparation
1. Boil potatoes until just cooked and not mushy. You can cook either in a pot or cooker. I cooked them in pressure cooker for 2 whistles with some water.
2. Make a fine paste of ginger garlic and green chilli paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and allow to crackle.
4. Add curry leaves and fry until crisp.
5. Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste. Saute until a nice aroma comes out. This may get burnt very quickly so regulate flame to medium.
6. Add turmeric, hing, red chilli powder and salt.
7. Mix everything well.
8. Add crumbled potatoes and coriander leaves.
9. Mix everything well. Turn off the stove.
10. Cool this and make 7 to 8 balls.
Making batter for batata vada
11. To a mixing bowl, add besan, rice flour or corn flour, salt, hing, turmeric and chilli powder.
12. Mix up and add water as needed to make a thick batter.
13. This is the consistency of the batter. If the batter is runny, the covering may turn thin or batata vada may break while frying.
15. 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 beat the batter for few seconds.
How to make batata vada
14. Heat oil in a kadai on a medium heat. Do not use very less oil. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of batter. It has to rise.
16. When the oil is hot enough, drop a ball in the batter. Coat it well with batter.
17. Drop in hot oil. I have used a tbsp for this purpsose, you can also use your fingers.
18.Do not disturb them for at least 2 minutes otherwise they may break. Stir them gently and fry on a medium heat.
19.When they are crisp fried and deep golden in color, drain them to a kitchen tissue.
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.
Tips to make batata vada
Potatoes: Avoid boiling potatoes to a very soft texture. The boiled potatoes should be firm and not mushy.
Corn flour or rice flour: Along with besan, corn flour is used to get a crisp texture. 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. You can 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
Recipe
Batata vada recipe
Batata vada recipe
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for batata vada
- 3 potatoes medium, 2 ¼ cups crumbled
- 2 to 3 green chilies
- ¾ inch ginger
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ to ½ tsp mustard
- 1 pinch hing or asafoetida
- Salt as needed
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
- 1/8 tsp red chili powder (optional)
- 1 Handful coriander leaves chopped
For the covering
- ¾ cup besan or chickpea flour
- 2 to 3 tbsp rice flour or corn flour
- Salt as needed
- 1 Pinch Hing or asafoetida
- 1 pinch soda Tiny (optional)
- Turmeric little
- 1/8 tsp red chili powder (optional)
How to make the recipe
Preparation for batata vada
- Boil potatoes until just done. They must be firm and not mushy. You can boil them either in a pressure cooker, steamer or in a pot.
- When done, crumble them lightly.
- Make a coarse paste on green chilli, garlic and ginger.
Making stuffing for batata vada
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add mustard, when they begin to crackle.
- Add curry leaves and fry until crisp. Add ginger garlic and green chili paste.
- Fry on a low heat until it turns fragrant.
- Add hing, salt, turmeric and red chili powder.
- Mix well and add potatoes and coriander leaves. Turn off the stove and mix everything well.
- Cool this mixture and make 7 to 8 balls.
How to make batata vada
- Heat oil for deep frying.
- Add besan and rice flour or corn flour to a mixing bowl.
- Add salt, hing, turmeric and red chili powder (optional). Mix everything well adding water as needed and make neither too thick nor too thin batter. Check salt and spice.
- When the oil is hot enough, add a tiny pinch of soda to the batter. Mix well. This is optional.
- Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small amount of batter in oil. The batter should rise.
- Regulate the flame to medium.
- Dip each ball in the batter, coat the potato balls with batter and drop in oil. You can use your fingers or a tbsp to do this. You can drop 3 to 5 balls in each batch depending on the size of your kadai.
- Do not disturb them for a while, gently stir and fry until golden.
- Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
- Serve batata vada hot with green chutney or sandwich them in pav along with green chutney, dry garlic chutney & fried green chilies.
Video
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips.
You can serve these with this Green chutney or coconut chutney.
Heena says
Can you make bateta vada without gram flour as my family is allergic to it? If you can, what is the best alternative flour?
swasthi says
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
kashish says
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.
swasthi says
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.