Aloo/ Batata Vada

Makes: 8 vadas
Ingredients
2 cups potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon grated ginger
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
oil for deep frying
salt to taste
Ingredients for batter
1 cup gram flour
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste
Method
Combine all batter ingredients in a wide mouth bowl. Add a little water at a time to make batter thick enough to thickly coat back of a spoon. Make sure to whisk the batter well until light and fluffy. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Stir in the onions and sauté for a couple of minutes till onions are soft and light golden in colour. Add ginger, green chillies, asafoetida, turmeric and salt and sauté for a few more minutes.
Finally stir in the mashed potatoes and sauté for a couple of minutes. Allow the potato mixture to cool down, stir in the coriander leaves divide it into 8 portions. Shape into round balls and keep aside.
Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat; dip and coat each of the potato balls in the gram flour batter and gradually let it into the oil and deep fry until golden brown in colour on medium heat.
Take care not to turn the heat to high as this will not evenly cook the batter and you might just end up with over browned and uncooked portions. Drain the fried vadas on absorbent paper and continue the frying process for the remaining vadas. Serve hot.