Batata Vada / Potato Dumplings

Potato means 'batata' in Marathi. Batata Vada is one of the most popular Maharashtrian snacks.  When Batata Vada is sandwiched between butter fried and green chutney smeared pav, it becomes a Vada Pav, another one of Mumbai’s famous street food snack. Mumbaikar’s relish these yummy vada pav on almost daily basis. I’m a total vada pav lover myself and they are always on my first to eat list whenever I visit Mumbai. You can have them for breakfast, lunch, evening snacks or tea time too. I highly recommend these addictive vada’s to those who haven’t tried them.Do try them and I bet you will always crave for more.

Ingredients:-

• 4 potatoes (boiled)
• 2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying 

For tempering :-

• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 curry leaves
• pinch of turmeric pdr

For batter:-

• 1 cup gram flour
• 1 tsp red chillie pdr
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Mash potatoes well and add green chillies, coriander leaves and salt to it. Mix well.
• Heat oil in a saucepan. 
• Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Saute till mustard seeds start popping.
• Pour this tempering over the potatoes and mix well.
• Make small balls and keep aside.
• Make a thick batter with gram flour, red chillie pdr, salt and water.
• Dip the potato balls in this batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
• Serve with green chutney 

Notes:-

• You can butter pav and roast them slightly, apply green chutney and sandwich the batata vadas in them. 
• You can also sprinkle some garlic chutney on the vada pav.

Happy Cooking!!

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Pav Bhaji / Spicy Vegetable Gravy With Shallow Fried Buns

Pav Bhaji is a mix of spicy vegetables served with shallow fried buns. It is a famous fast food in Mumbai available on every street corner.  There was a hotel near our house in Mumbai named Shabari where we used to have pav bhaji at least twice a month. I was crazy of the aroma especially when they add Amul butter in the end and each time it took me to a totally different world. Oh, I missed it so much after I left Mumbai that I had no choice left but to start cooking this at home. And now I prefer home-made pav bhaji than the restaurant ones. It is my all-time favorite and very easy to prepare too. My hubby loves to eat the leftover bhaji with chapati's for breakfast. If you are a pav bhaji lover like me, do try this recipe.. It's the best pav bhaji ever.

Ingredients:-

• 200 gms cauliflower (cut in florets)
• 2 - 3 potatoes 
• 1 carrot (peeled & roughly chopped)
• 3 tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 2 onions (finely chopped)
• 2 - 3 green chillies (slit and chopped finely)
• ½ cup green peas
• ¼ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• ¼ cup mint leaves (finely chopped) 
• 3 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp all spice powder / garam masala powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• butter as required

Method:-

• Boil potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and green peas with enough water. 
• Drain and reserve the stock (boiled water) aside.
• Heat oil in a wok.
• Add garlic and fry till golden.
• Add onions and green chillies. Fry till onions are soft.
• Add tomato and ginger-garlic paste.
• Cook till tomatoes are soft.
• Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, all spice powder, pav bhaji masala and stir till oil leaves the masala.
• Add boiled vegetables and potatoes and mash them.
• Pour in vegetable stock.
• Add in coriander and mint leaves.
• Garnish with butter.

For serving:-

• 8 - 10 buns (pav)
• butter for frying

Method:-

• Heat 1 - 2bsp butter in a pan.
• Fry the buns on both sides till light brown.
• Serve hot with bhaji and finely chopped onions.

Notes:-

• Adjust pav bhaji masala according to your taste.
• You may use garlic paste instead of finely chopped garlic.
• You may also use vegetables like cabbage and capsicum.

Happy Cooking!!

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