Batate Ambado (Potato Fritters)

Batate Ambado is a very popular Indian fritter. There are so many variations of potato fritters. This is my mother's version. I have been thinking of posting these from a very long time. Some-how I kept advancing it. Finally I decided to make it. It had been a long time since I had this and the first bite into it, took me to the world of memories. These are very commonly made during family functions. I love to have these on a cold winter night :-)

Ingredients:

For the Potato Mixture:

• Potato, medium sized- 3
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 5-6 sprigs
• Green Chilli - 1-2
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 3/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- To taste

For the batter:

• Chickpea flour/Besan-1/2 cup
• Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp (adjust accordingly)
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Other:

• Oil - For deep frying

Procedure:

To prepare the Potato mixture:

Clean and cut the potatoes into half. Then cook them until soft. Allow them to cool and then peel them. Once peeled, mash them in a big bowl. Then add salt, finely chopped cilantro and green chillies. Mix well. Finally add the seasoning.

For seasoning - Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts popping, add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. Finally add in the turmeric powder.

Add this seasoning to the potato mixture. Mix well. 

To prepare batter:

Take all the ingredients mentioned under 'For the Batter' in a bowl and add water in small quantities, to get a lump free batter. The consistency of the batter should be thick and slightly of pouring consistency.

Now while the oil is getting heated, make lemon sized balls of the potato mixture.

Then dip each ball in the batter to get a good coating (let the excess drip off in the bowl containing batter) and then drop it in the hot oil. Repeat the same with the rest of the balls. I fried 3-4 balls in a batch. Fry the potato balls in the oil until they turn golden brown throughout. Once done, remove and drain the excess on a paper towel. Batate Ambado is ready!!

Serve it hot with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.