garlic ginger paste, made from 2 clove garlic and 1/2 inch of root ginger
½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or add as required
2 tablespoons of finely diced red onion
salt as required
For Batter
100g gram flour
½ teaspoon ajwain seeds – optional
¼ tsp red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
1 to 2 pinches turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped green chilli
1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
1 to 2 pinches baking soda – optional
½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required
salt as required
Other Ingredients
4 to 5 slices bread - of your choice
oil for deep frying – as required
Red habanero & Juniper Berry Chilli Jam
Method
Making Potato Stuffing
Boil or steam the potato in a pressure cooker or steamer till it is completely cooked.
When the potato becomes warm, then peel it. Grate and keep aside. You can also mash and keep aside.
Add the coriander leaves, mint leaves, onions, green chilli, garlic ginger paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, amchur powder, salt to the grated potatoes.
Mix the spices & herbs very well with the mashed potatoes. Check the seasonings and adjust accordingly. Keep aside.
Making Batter - making the batter and frying is totally option! If you don’t want to fry your Mumbai Sandwich then cook on a griddle pan with added cheese
In a bowl, take the besan (gram flour), ajwain, red chilli powder, green chilli asafoetida, baking soda (optional) and salt.
Now add around ½ cup of water and mix very well.
The batter should not be very thick nor too thin. If it is too thick, then add more water.
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot oil when you keep the oil for deep frying in the batter. Mix well. Whisk briskly non-stop for 1 to 2 minutes to incorporate some air into the besan batter.
Assembling
On a chopping board, take a teaspoon of chilli jam and spread it on the bread evenly.
Take around 2 to 3 tablespoons of the mashed potato mixture and spread it on the bread evenly.
Cover this potato stuffed slice with another slice. Cut into 2 triangles and gently press. dip it in the besan batter.
Coating the triangular bread sandwich evenly with the besan batter. Be gentle with the sandwich. Take care not to keep the stuffed bread sandwich a long time in the gram flour batter as the bread can break.
Frying
By now, your oil is hot and you can easily slide the besan batter coated bread sandwich in the oil.
Fry on a medium flame till they are crisp and golden brown.
Place them on kitchen paper towels so that excess oil is absorbed.
Serve toastie hot or warm with extra red chilli jam
Variations and tips for the recipe!
Spices and Herbs: You can make a number of variations in the recipe by adding different combinations of spices and herbs both in the gram flour batter as well as in the potato stuffing. Add fresh herbs and spices like mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic or ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, ground cumin, ground coriander powder, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, curry powder or garam masala and chaat masala. You can increase or decrease the number of spices as per your taste.
Cheese or paneer: Some grated cheddar or processed cheese or paneer in the potato stuffing would go down a treat!
Fry in the oil at a medium heat so that the sandwich does not absorb too much oil. Frying on a high heat will cook and brown bread pakora from outside leaving the insides raw and uncooked. Adding 1 to 2 teaspoons hot oil to the batter helps in making the sandwich crisp and also reduces the oil absorption.
Batter Consistency: Make a medium consistency batter. A thick batter will be dense and not have a soft, fluffy outer texture. A thin batter will make the pakoda soggy by absorbing too much oil.
