Potato Pancake/ Batata Na Pudla

Potato pancake or બટાટા ના પુડલા, a delicious, mouthwatering snack :) Who does not like potatoes!! One of our favorite food during fast (and even otherwise:)) With all Hindu fasts and festivals lined up, variety in food is a must! This pancake is prepared by just using grated potatoes and spices.

Ingredients (Makes 8 pancakes)
6-7 large potatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ginger and green chili paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp. red chili powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 fresh lime
Oil for shallow frying 

• Peel and grate potatoes.
• Add salt, finely chopped green chilies, or ginger and green chili paste, finely chopped cilantro, lime juice, turmeric powder, red chilly powder (and any other spice you would prefer, like garam masala.) 
• Depending on your family values/culture, you can add spices that are permitted during fasts.
• Mix spices well with grated potatoes. I like to use my fingers and palm for good mixing :)
• Heat a non stick pan or a skillet. Add few drop of oil. Take a handful of potato mixture and spread it on the pan or a skillet. Do not squeeze out starch water that potatoes have let out. This starch water will allow grated potato to bind. Lower the heat or get the skillet off your stove while spreading the mixture. This is a popular Maharashtrian cooking method while cooking Thalipeeth.
• Size, shape and thickness, entirely depends on how comfortable you are handling grated potatoes on hot skillet. Don't worry, this is sure to taste yummy!
• Add few drops of oil. Oil seeps through the potato mesh to make it crispy. The steam allow the potato to cook and binds all the strings. 
• Allow the bottom to cook and turn golden brown before you flip it. Use your spatula to press the pancake, which will allow it to bind and not come apart when you flip it.  
• Use a wide spatula to flip the pancake ad let it turn golden brown and crisp on both sides.
• Serve with cilantro chutney, peanut chutney, and some sliced cucumbers salad.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:
Peel and grate potatoes.

One of my favorite appliance in my kitchen, Food processor! I use this all the time to chop, grind, make a dough or grate. Today I used it to grate potatoes. Specially in a recipe like this, where you need lot of potatoes, grating them manually is time consuming and laborious.

I love my Food Processor!!

Grate potatoes to obtain long potato strings. If you are grating it manually, avoid making it too thin or it turns mussy.

 Transfer in a large mixing bowl.

Add salt, finely chopped green chilies, or ginger and green chili paste, finely chopped cilantro, lime juice, turmeric powder, red chilly powder (and any other spice you would prefer, like garam masala.)
Depending on your family values/culture, you can add spices that are permitted during fasts.
Mix well.

Mix spices well with grated potatoes. I like to use my fingers and palm for good mixing :)

Heat a non stick pan or a skillet. Add few drop of oil. Take a handful of potato mixture and spread it on the pan or a skillet. Do not squeeze out starch water that potatoes have let out. This starch water will allow grated potato to bind. Lower the heat or get the skillet off your stove while spreading the mixture. This is a popular Maharashtrian cooking method while cooking Thalipeeth.

Size, shape and thickness, entirely depends on how comfortable you are handling grated potatoes on hot skillet. Don't worry, this is sure to taste yummy!

Add few drops of oil. Oil seeps through the potato mesh to make it crispy. The steam allow the potato to cook and binds all the strings.

Allow the bottom to cook and turn golden brown before you flip it. Use your spatula to press the pancake, which will allow it to bind and not come apart when you flip it.  

Use a wide spatula to flip the pancake ad let it turn golden brown and crisp on both sides.

Serve with cilantro chutney, peanut chutney, and some sliced cucumbers salad.

Enjoy!!