Vada Paav(Potato Slider)

Recently, I found these little pretzel dough slider buns at Costco. Immediately  I thought that they would be perfect to make Vada Paav. This is a popular Bombay street food. It is nothing but fried potato dumpling on a bun, spread with garlic chutney and green chutney.  My kids have never had this dish before. I made it for lunch last week, and they loved it.  My daughter said that she passed it around in her Biology class and that her friends liked it too. Now here is another chaat item that they can order the next time we go to an Indian restaurant.

Ingredients:
For the Potato Vada
3 medium potato, boiled and mashed
2 green chilli
1 pod garlic
1-inch ginger
4 curry leaves
1/4 t turmeric powder
1/4 t asafoetida
salt to taste
1 t oil
1/2 t mustard seeds
1/4 t urad dal
 oil to fry
For dumpling batter
1 C chick pea flour(besan)
1 pinch baking soda
1/2 t turmeric powder
salt to taste

For Paav
10 Slider bun
butter to toast
garlic chutney
green chutney

Method:
1.Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a saute pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and asafoetida and fry for 1 minute. Pound ginger, garlic, chilli and curry leaves in a mortar. Add this to the saute pan, and stir for 2 minutes.  Stir in the mashed potato, turmeric powder, and salt.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Mix the ingredients for the batter in a mixing bowl. Add enough water to make a batter without lumps. When lifted the batter should fall like a ribbon.
3. Shape the potato mixture into small balls.  Dip them in the batter and deep fry them. They should be golden brown. Keep them aside.
4. Slice the buns. Butter the insides, and toast them on a griddle.

To build the Vada Paav:
1. Spread  the inside of the buns with garlic chutney and green chutney. Sandwich the potato dumplings between the buns and serve them warm.