Vada Pav, an Indian style burger, is famous street food from Maharashtra, India. It is believed to be invented by Mumbai native ‘Ashok Vaidya’ in 1960s who started with first stall opposite Dadar station in Mumbai. It is very economical, filling and easily accessible all across state. This food is one of my favorite food and going to Mumbai is just incomplete without eating this. Love for Vada Pav is such that anyone dear coming from Mumbai has to get it packed for me.

Vada Pav is prepared by deep frying spicy potato dumplings covered with roasted chickpea flour batter also known as batata vada and placing that in a Pav slit from between. In between the vada and pav lies green coriander chutney, dry garlic chutney and fried green chili.

Ingredients

Potato vada :

• 4 medium sized boiled potatoes
• 2 green chilli chopped finely
• 5-6 curry leaves
• a pinch asafoetida
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (Rai)
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 pods garlic chopped finely (Optional)
• salt to taste

Gram Flour batter :

• 1/2 cup roasted chickpea flour(Besan)
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• a pinch of baking soda
• a pinch of turmeric
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water (1 tablespoon extra may be required for desired consistency)

Other ingredients :

• 5-6 tablespoon green Coriander Chutney
• Oil for deep frying potato vada
• Dry coconut and garlic chutney
• 4-5 whole green chilli
• 6 pav /Dinner rolls

Instructions

Potato vada:

1. Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
2. Add garlic, asafoetida, curry leaves, green chilli, turmeric powder.
3. Now add mashed potatoes to it and cook for 2-3 minutes till mixed well.
4. Add salt to taste. Set aside to let it cool.

Gram flour batter:

1. In a bowl add, gram flour, red chili powder, turmeric and salt. Mix all ingredients well.
2. Add water, asafoetida, pinch of baking soda and make lump free smooth batter by whisking for 2-3 minutes. Batter should not be very thick and not very runny too. Consistency should be good enough to coat around potato dumplings.

Now make ball shaped potato dumplings and coat them in gram flour batter and deep fry them in hot oil till golden brown. Deep fry whole green chilli in hot oil for 10-20 seconds.

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Assembling vada pav

1. Slit the pav from middle, keeping one edge intact.
2. Spread some green chutney on one side of pav.
3. Add spoon full of dry garlic chutney.
4. Put the deep fried vada and close the pav by pressing gently.
5. Serve with deep fried green chilli, sprinked with salt.

Additional Tips & Tricks

• Dry garlic chutney is essence of this vada pav. Authentic roadside flavor of vada pav is incomplete without it.

Dry Garlic Chutney:

Dry Garlic chutney is available by huge number of sellers and easily available online and in stores. I use bedekar garlic chutney for preparing vada pav. Earlier I have used Deep’s garlic chutney and it tastes equally good. If preparing meal in jiffy you can use readymade garlic chutney and store it for later use as they have good shelf life.