POTATO AND TAPIOCA PATTIES

Steps:

• 1. In a small pan, soak 1 tablespoon of the tapioca in the boiling water about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, let cool, then peel and mash.2. In a small pan, cook the soaked tapioca over medium heat until it turns glutinous, about 5 minutes. (You will still see the grain.) Let cool. Coarsely grind the remaining tapioca in a coffee or spice grinder. Transfer to a flat dish and set aside for coating the patties.3. In a bowl, add the mashed potatoes, ginger, scallions, spinach, coriander, cumin, garam masala, and the cooked tapioca. With clean hands, gently mix everything together. (Don't use a food processor over-mixing will result in glutinous potatoes.) If the mixture seems too soft, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs.4. With lightly greased hands, divide the potato mixture into 20 portions and shape each one into a round ball, then flatten lightly to make a smooth disc or oval. Coat each disc with the ground tapioca, then press between the palms of your hands to ensure that the tapioca adheres nicely.5. Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet until it reaches 350°F to 375°F on a frying thermometer or until a small piece of the potato mixture dropped into the hot oil bubbles and immediately rises to the top. Add the discs into the hot oil carefully with your fingers or a spoon to avoid spluttering. Add as many as the wok can hold at one time without crowding and fry each batch, turning a few times with a slotted spatula, until crispy and golden on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes.4. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining discs. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.