Even Shilpa Shetty can’t resist Mumbai’s favourite street food! Here's how to make it

Shilpa Shetty recently confessed her soft spot for the ultimate Mumbai comfort food — the golden, crispy Batata Vada

Shilpa Shetty has always been one of Bollywood’s most glamorous stars, and her holistic approach to wellness is envied by many. Even as she turns 50, her fitness regime continues to turn heads. But we're here with some good news! The star recently posted about one of her favourite foods, something that all of us really love: Batata Vada. She captioned the post: “Forever #Batatavada girl 😂😜🤣🫠 Ps: Couldn’t help the song 🤪🤪.” There's truly nothing like the classic Mumbai Batata Vada, but if you don't happen to live in the City of Dreams, here's a delicious recipe from Dassana's Veg Recipes.

Shilpa Shetty with Batata Vada

Ingredients:

For pressure cooking potatoes: 250 grams potatoes or 4 medium potatoes, 2 cups water

For ginger-garlic-green chilli paste: 1 to 2 green chillies, 1 tsp chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger, 1.5 tsp chopped garlic or 4 medium garlic cloves, 1 to 2 tbsps water for grinding

For potato filling: 2 tsbps chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves), salt as required, ¼ tsp lemon juice, ¼ to ½ tsp sugar – optional

For tempering potato filling: 1 tsbp oil, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), 6 to 7 curry leaves – chopped

For batata vada batter: 1 cup besan (gram flour), ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp water or add as required, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp red chilli powder, ½ tsp salt or add as required, 1 pinch baking soda, oil for deep frying, as required

For frying green chillies: 2 to 3 green chillies, 1 to 2 pinches of salt

Batata vada

How to make it:

Pressure cooking potatoes: Rinse 250 grams (4 medium) potatoes and add to a 2-litre pressure cooker with 2 cups water. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium flame or 5 to 6 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally, peel, and mash the potatoes slightly. Add 2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste.

Ginger-garlic-green chilli paste: Grind 1 to 2 green chillies, 1 tsp chopped ginger, 1.5 tsps garlic with 1 to 2 tbsps water into a smooth paste. (Optional: crush in mortar-pestle without water.) Set aside.

Tempering potato filling:
Heat 1 tbsp oil on low flame. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds; once they crackle, add ½ tsp cumin seeds. Stir in ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafoetida, then the ginger-garlic-chilli paste. Add 6 to 7 chopped curry leaves and sauté until the raw aroma disappears. Mix this tempering into the mashed potatoes.

Preparing potato filling: Add ¼ tsp lemon juice and ¼ to ½ tsp sugar (optional). Mix well, adjust salt, and shape medium-sized balls, slightly flattening them for easier frying.

Gram flour batter: In a bowl, combine 1 cup besan (or chickpea flour), ¼ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp red chilli powder, 1 pinch baking soda, and ½ tsp salt. Gradually add ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp water, whisking to a smooth, medium-thick batter.

Frying batata vada: Heat oil in a kadai on medium flame. Add a tsp of hot oil to the batter to check consistency. Dip potato balls in batter and carefully place in hot oil. Fry on medium-low to medium flame, turning occasionally until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper towels. Repeat for the remaining vadas.

Frying green chillies: Slit 2–3 green chillies and fry in the same oil until lightly crisp. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle salt while warm.

Serving suggestion: Serve hot batata vada with fried salted green chillies, sweet tamarind chutney, coconut chutney, and coriander chutney. They go perfectly with pav or burger buns.