POTATO FRITTERS OR ALU PAKODA

This is a perfect snack to eat with hot tea or a rainy afternoon.

Ingredients

2 potatoes cut into discs, immersed in water
Oil for deep frying

For batter
11/2 cups gram flour or besan
1/2 tsp carom seeds or ajwain
Pinch asafoetida
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp green chilli paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup fenugreek leaves chopped
1/2 cup water to make batter

Method

Mix all the ingredients for the batter and make a semi thick batter
Coat the potato slices with batter on both sides.
Heat a shallow pan , add oil and when it is hot fry the potato slices until golden brown.
Remove with slotted spoon.
Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve it hot.
Serve with coriander chutney.

SPINACH, ONION N POTATO PAKODA

Ingredients
1 onion chopped
1 potato cut into small cubes
1 small bunch of spinach
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 green chilli finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seed coarsely crushed
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
salt to taste
1 tsp baking powder
oil for frying

Method
Wash spinach , drain the water and  chop it  finely .
Cut the onions and potato and keep it aside
Sift the chickpea flour into a medium bowl. Mix in the coriander, salt, cumin, chili powder, garam masala and fennel.
Make a well in the center of the flour.  Gradually pour the water into the flour mixture and mix to form a thick, smooth batter.
Add green chillies and crushed coriander seed , salt .
Add spinach , onion n potato along with baking powder.
Heat oil in a kadai. To check if the oil  is hot enough, drop a small piece of dough into the oil, if it raises to the surface immediately, then the oil is hot enough to fry the pakodas.

Now reduce the heat to medium and drop roughly shaped balls directly into the oil.
Fry until golden brown. Remove pakodas from the oil and drain them on a paper towel.

Enjoy the rain with hot and crispy pakodas and a cup of steaming hot chai!

DABELI PAV

This is traditionally sold on the streets of Gujarat. It is another version of vada pav made with a sweet and spicy potato mixture which is filled into a small burger bun and then topped with onion, pomegranate, fresh garlic chutney and sev.

Ingredients
Dabeli Masala
1 red chilli
1 tsp coriander seeds
(1/2") stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

For The Filling
1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
a pinch of asafoetida
2 tsp dabeli masala
2 tbsp khajur imli ki chutney
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

15 burger buns
butter

To Serve
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup sev
1/2 cup fresh pomogranate (optional)
2 tsp coriander chutney
6 tbsp khajur imli ki chutney
1/ cup roasted peanuts

Method
For the dabeli masala
Roast all the ingredients in a pan for 2 to 3 minutes.
Grind to a fine powder in a blender. Use as required.

For the filling
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, dabeli masala, potato, salt and ½ cup of water and mix well.
Remove from the fire, add the 2 tablespoons of khajur imli ki chutney and mix well. Divide into 15 portions. Keep aside.

How to proceed
Slice the burger buns into halves horizontally and cook the buns in a pan using a little butter.
Place a portion of the filling on the lower half of each bun.

Top with the chopped onion, peanuts, coriander, sev, pomegranate , fresh garlic chutney and khajur imli ki chutney.

Sandwich it with the top halves of the burger buns.