Bateta Vada Recipe or batter coated spicy potato balls

Ingredients for about 20 Bateta vadas:

• 8 – 9  medium sized potatoes
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 2 green chillies – crushed finely
• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt (or as per your taste)
• 2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• small bunch of coriander chopped finely
• 2 teaspoons of a  ground mixture of cinnamon and cloves
• 1 litre oil for deep frying

For the batter:

• 2 cups chick pea flour (besan)
• A pinch of soda-bi carbonate
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of turmeric

Method

1.   Boil the potatoes with their skins on until soft.

2.   Peel and mash the potatoes and allow them to cool slightly. I used locally grown new potatoes which had this lovely pale yellow colour.

3.  Add in the crushed green chilies and grated ginger and garlic.

4.  Add in the finely chopped onions, the salt, sugar, lemon juice,  ground cinnamon and cloves mixture coriander leaves.

5.  Mix all the ingredients well and taste the mixture.  It should be nice and spicy as well as slightly sweet with a hint of lemon.

7.  Add the salt and pinch of turmeric to the chick pea flour.

8.  Add a cup and a half of lukewarm water to the flour and mix to make the batter.

Now make the bateta vada:

10.   Heat the oil in a wok or karahi.

11.   Add the soda bi carbonate to the batter and mix it well.  Take a teaspoon of the hot oil from the wok/karahi and add it to the batter and mix.  Dip each potato ball in the batter and deep fry until the Bateta Vada  are golden brown.

12.    Serve Bateta Vada  with chutney or ketchup.