Vada Pav
Vada Pav is not just food; it is an emotion – every Mumbaikar ever.
Vada Pav. The name alone is enough to bring a smile on every Mumbaikar’s face. I have fond memories of eating this delicious and filling snack almost every day during college. Vada Pav and Pani Puri were solely responsible for my brush with obesity in my late teens and early 20s. I’m healthier now, it’s all good. But my love for this snack still continues with an intensity like never before. I was delighted to recreate one of my favorite fast foods at home!
Go make some Vada Pav and enjoy it with a hot cup of Masala Chai.
If you’re in Mumbai, you really don’t need to make this at home. Step out of your house and you’ll find a Vada Pav vendor in almost every street. Of course, for the rest of you who aren’t as lucky as us, you can still enjoy this genius culinary creation by trying it at home. It is slightly laborious and involves deep-frying, but it is soul-food! Making at home is also hygienic. You have control over the recipe. Go make them today, my friend!
Vada Pav Recipe – Printable Recipe
- For the Vada filling
- 8 medium Potatoes, boiled, peeled & mashed
- 4-8 Garlic cloves (depending on how strong you want the flavor to be)
- 2-4 Green Chili (adjust to suit spice required)
- 1/2 inch or 2 teaspoons Ginger, minced
- 1 cup clean Coriander or Cilantro leaves, chopped very finely or ground coarsely
- 1/4 cup clean Curry Leaves, chopped roughly
- 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 2 teaspoons Black Mustard Seeds
- 2 teaspoons Cumin seeds (jeera)
- 2-4 teaspoons Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon Besan flour (gram flour) – optional
- For the Batter
- 3 cups Besan / Gram Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- a pinch of Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder (adjust based on how spicy you want)
- 1 – 1.5 cups Water approximately (adjust to use as much required to make a cake-batter-like consistency)
- Others
- Vegetable Oil – to deep fry
- Pav (alternative – Dinner Rolls or Buns)
- Sweet Chutney (Tamarind Dates Chutney)
- Green Chutney (Coriander Mint Chutney)
- Dry coconut Chilli powder (optional)
- Lehsun / Garlic chutney (optional)
- Fried Salted Chili – optional
- 5-6 Green Chilli
- Salt
- Note
- You can use your version of the chutneys or substitute with ketchup or eat the Vada and the Pav without any condiments at all.
- Grind garlic ginger, green chilli and a little coriander to form a coarse paste.
- Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add cumin (jeera) and fry for a few seconds. Add the turmeric, ground paste and curry leaves and fry for 20 seconds and switch off the flame.
- To the mashed potatoes, add the tempered oil, more coriander, salt, gram flour and mix well. Taste and adjust for seasoning, if required.
- To make the matter, mix gram flour (besan), red chili powder, salt, a pinch of baking soda or rice flour and mix well. Slowly start adding water and mix consistently to form a smooth batter. It should be like a thin cake batter – free from lumps.
- Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying. Before frying the Batata Vadas, fry some green chili and toast them in salt (optional) – you eat this chilli as a side to the Vada Pav
- Divide the potato mixture into equal portions. Roll into a neat balls. Make sure that the vada is not too big or too small for the roll / pav you are using.
- Coat each potato mixture in the batter and drop into the hot oil. Fry at medium heat on both sides for 4-5 minutes each or until the vada is golden brown. Remove on a tissue paper.
- Slice the pav / bun in the center and apply the sweet and spicy chutneys.
- Place the vada on the base, close the Pav and enjoy.
- Serve immediately for the best taste. This can however be eaten at a later time too. Consume within 1-2 hours of assembling. Reheat before eating for better taste.
- You can make the filling ahead of time and store in the fridge upto 3 days.
- Frying the Vadas is best right before consumption
Vada Pav Recipe – Step by step tutorial
Grind garlic ginger, green chilli and a little coriander to form a coarse paste.
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add cumin (jeera) and fry for a few seconds. Add the turmeric, ground paste and curry leaves and fry for 20 seconds and switch off the flame.
To mashed potatoes, add the tempered oil, more coriander, salt, gram flour and mix well. Taste and adjust for seasoning, if required.
To make the matter, mix gram flour (besan), red chili powder, salt, a pinch of baking soda or rice flour and mix well. Slowly start adding water and mix consistently to form a smooth batter. It should be like a thin cake batter – free from lumps.
Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying. Before frying the Batata Vadas, fry some green chili and toast them in salt (optional) – you eat this chilli as a side to the Vada Pav
Divide the potato mixture into equal portions. Roll into a neat balls. Make sure that the vada is not too big or too small for the roll / pav you are using.
Coat each potato mixture in the batter and drop into the hot oil. Fry at medium heat on both sides for 4-5 minutes each or until the vada is golden brown. Remove on a tissue paper.
Slice the pav / bun in the center and apply the sweet and spicy chutneys.
Place the vada on the base, close the Pav and enjoy. Serve immediately for the best taste. This can however be eaten at a later time too. Consume within 1-2 hours of assembling. Reheat before eating for better taste.
There. Beautiful, hot, crispy, delicious Bombay ka Vada Pav ! Enjoy.
It is very nice post. Thanks for sharing this information with us………..
Simple glance at the ingredients makes me hungry 🙂 Will do ! Thank you.