When we talk about Mumbai's famous street food, how can Batata Vada not be mentioned? Generally, gram flour is used to make Batata Vada, but if you do not want to eat vada made from gram flour, then you can try this recipe prepared from moong dal. In this, spicy potato balls are wrapped in moong dal batter instead of gram flour and fried. This makes the vada crispy from outside and soft from inside. Let us know the easy way to make it.
First prepare the potato masala
For this, take boiled medium sized potatoes. After they cool down, peel them and mash them well. Keep in mind that there should not be any big pieces or lumps in the potatoes, so that vada balls can be made easily. Now take 4 to 5 green chillies, some garlic cloves, about 1 inch of ginger and 1 teaspoon cumin. Grind them coarsely in a mixer without adding water.
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add mustard and curry leaves to it and crackle. After this, add prepared green masala, a pinch of asafoetida, some turmeric and salt as per taste and fry for about a minute. Now add mashed potatoes to it and mix everything well. Finally add finely chopped coriander and turn off the gas. Let this mixture cool completely.
Make vada batter from moong dal
Now it is the turn to prepare the batter without gram flour. For this, soak the washed moong dal in water for about 2 to 3 hours. After the dal swells, drain the water and put it in a mixer and grind it finely and thickly with the help of 2 to 3 spoons of water.
Take out this batter in a bowl. Add salt, some asafoetida, turmeric, some baking powder and about 1 spoon of rice flour in it. Now beat the batter well with hands or spoon continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. This makes the batter light and fluffy and the outer layer of the vada can become more crispy after frying.
Prepare Potato Balls
Take the cooled potato masala little by little and shape it into a round shape with your hands. Similarly, make medium sized balls of all the spices. Now put each potato ball in the moong dal batter and rotate it well, so that there is an equal layer of batter on it.
Now fry the vadas
Heat oil in a pan and keep the flame medium. If the oil is too hot, the batter may brown quickly on the outside, while the inner layer will not cook properly. Now carefully drop the batter-coated potato balls into the oil. Fry them slowly on medium flame and keep adding some hot oil on top as per requirement. When the vadas become golden and crisp from all sides, take them out from the oil and keep them for some time.
serve like this
Hot Moong Dal Batata Vada can be served with green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney or tea. Made with moong dal instead of gram flour, this vada gives a different twist in taste. However, how light or easily digestible it is considered may depend on the individual's digestive capacity and the ingredients used.