Surati Batata Vada

Surat's large, thick-shelled potato fritter — mashed potato filling spiced with ginger, green chilli, mustard seeds, turmeric, dried mango powder, and coriander, shaped into large balls and coated in a thick batter of besan seasoned with ajwain and red chilli, deep-fried until the exterior is crisp and deeply golden. The Surati batata vada is substantially larger and the batter coating much thicker than the Mumbai version; the ajwain in the batter is a Surati-specific addition that gives the coating a distinctive carom-seed flavour. Eaten with green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney at breakfast or as an all-day snack; a staple item at every Surati street corner from 7am onwards.