Battered potato balls (vadas)

Now these donut looking balls are fantastic, the crew and I had these most mornings before we started filming in Kerala just with a cup of chai. And they work at any time of the day. They were a great way to start the morning; they fill you up to get you through to lunch. You would see the local fishermen just sat around eating these next to the water as the sun rose and a new day started.

battered potato balls

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• ½ tsp brown mustard seed
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 550 g potato, peeled, boiled and roughly chopped
• 1 handful coriander leaves, chopped

Batter

• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 150 g chickpea flour
• vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

In a large pan heat a little oil and add the mustard seed, turmeric, salt and chilli, cook for about 2–3 minutes. Add the potatoes and mash as you mix.

Mix in the coriander, remove from the heat and cool.

Once the mix is cool roll into about 10–14 balls.

In a bowl sift the flour with the cumin and baking powder, season with a little salt.

Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 130 ml of cold water to form a batter.

Heat the oil to 190°C/375°F.

Dip the potato balls into the batter mix and drop into the oil and fry until golden brown.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.