Week #30- A Nagpur specialty

Traveling in India, you come across some seriously unique recipes. I had this very first time in Nagpur in 1990 when I had come to play a tournament as a 12 yr old.I had it the 2nd time about 15 years later when I got married to Sanjeev who is from Nagpur! I think this dish seems to be more famous here in this city where my husband grew up. I am just posting the recipe this time as I got to taste this yummy dish here and I didnt even have to go through these steps below. But when I crave for this- I have made this on a few occasions. Here the locals eat this for breakfast, but I guess if you eat this, its best at breakfast as you have a chance to brun off the calories.- Like they say Breakfast of Champions !! hahahaha! Unfortunately, this isnt the healthiest snack there is out there, but its good to have it on a rainy day once in a while...

For the filling:
Mashed boiled peeled potatoes- 2 cups
1 green chili, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
½ tsp red chili powder
1 tsp amchur powder - add more if required
salt - 1/2 -1 teaspoon

Mint chutney:
½ cup of mint cilantro chutney( grind mint, cilantro, salt and green chilies with 1 clove garlic and salt and 2 tsp lime juice)

For the outer crisp coating:
2 cups besan (chick pea flour/gram flour)
a pinch of hing
½ tsp red chili powder
salt per taste( 1/2 teaspoon)

6 slices of Brown or White Bread
water
salt
oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparing the potato filling:
Mix all ingredients for the filling together and taste to adjust seasoning
Preparing the besan batter:
In a bowl, take the besan (chick pea flour/gram flour).
red chili powder, asafoetida and salt.
Add around ½ cup water and mix.The batter should not be very thick nor too thin. Check the seasonings and adjust accordingly.
Add a few drops of oil to the batter and mix well.
Keep the ready batter aside.

heat up some oil for deep frying the pakoras.
On your cutting board, slice the bread into triangle or rectangle slices.
Keep a single triangular slice of bread on your tray or rolling board or cutting board. Take a teaspoon of the mint-coriander chutney and apply it evenly on the triangular slice of bread.
Take around 2 tbsp of the mashed potato mixture and apply it on the bread evenly.
Cover this potato stuffed slice with another slice. I choose to keep it plain. But if you want, you can apply the same green mint coriander chutney or tomato sauce or sweet chaat chutney to this second triangular slice.
You have now a beautiful triangular bread sandwich. Just slightly press the sandwich. Take the entire sandwich in your hand and dip it in the besan batter.
Coat the stuffed bread sandwich evenly with the besan batter. Be gentle with the pakoras. Take care not to keep the stuffed bread sandwich a long time in the batter as the bread tends to break. By now, your oil is hot and you can easily slid the besan batter coated bread sandwich in the oil.
Fry the bread pakoras on a medium flame till they are crisp and golden brown.
Drain on a tissue. Serve with ketchup or the same green chutney.
Enjoy!