​Vada Pav | An Ode to the Street Food of Mumbai​

Vada Pav is the street food of common man in India, which originated in Mumbai, Maharashtra.  It can possibly be called one of the national, beloved foods of all.

A vada pav, served with fried green chillies and cutting chai (Indian tea served in a small transparent cup) is a treat for the most Indian foodies.

Vada is the boiled potato, chickpea flour fritter and Pav is the bread bun.  It is served with the peanut-garlic chutney (condiment), tucked in a Pav (bread bun).  You may add the mint-coriander chutney and tamarind chutney as an add on.  Vada Pav is also being called as Indian burger.

Here is a very simple recipe for vada pav.  If you have the Pav ready, you can make this in less than half an hour.

Vada Recipe:

Potatoes - 4, boiled, peeled, mashed

Green chillies (optional) 2, chopped + few whole to serve on the side

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, finely grated

Asafetida - 1 pinch

Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Chaat masala (optional) - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 4

Salt - to taste

Oil - for frying

Gram flour - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Water - as needed

• Boil, peel, and mash the potatoes.
• Heat 2 teaspoons of oil, add curry leaves, once these splutter, add asafetida, mustard seeds. Saute, add chopped green chillies, grated ginger. 
• Add mashed potatoes, turmeric, chaat masala (if adding) and salt to the above. Keep the mixture aside.
• In a container take gram flour and rice flour. Add salt, turmeric powder.  Add water to form thick, but lump free batter.  Mix well.  
• Heat oil.  While the oil is being heated, form golf ball sized balls from the potato mixture.  Dip it into the batter, such that it covers the potato ball. Let the excess batter drain into the container.  When the oil is hot, add few batter covered potato balls in the oil at a time. Switch heat to medium. Once the vadas are golden brown, remove it from the oil and drain it on a paper towel.

While the oil is hot, fry some small green chilies or vertically chopped big ones, remove from oil, sprinkle salt on it. This is served on top or inside the vada pav.

Pav: 

Use the store bought Pav (bread buns) or you may make it at home using this recipe. 

Garlic Peanut Chutney Recipe:

The garlic peanut chutney is the soul of a good plate of vada pav.

Garlic - 10 pods

Salt - to taste

Peanuts - 2-3 tablespoons

Red chilli flakes (optional) - 1-2 teaspoon

Dry coconut - 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder (or seeds) - 1 tablespoon

Tamarind paste (optional) - 1-2 teaspoons

Oil - 1-2 teaspoons

• Dry roast sesame seeds, peanuts, coriander seeds, and garlic pods individually. Make sure to roast these separately, one at a time, as each one of these ingredients have different heating points.  Keep these aside.
• Once the roasted ingredients cool down, put it in a blender/food processor and add oil, salt to it. Blend it coarsely.  The chutney should be more on the dry side.  Add tamarind paste depending upon how much is needed to still leave the consistency on the dry side. Mix well.  Optionally add some red chili flakes.

To assemble:

Slit the Pav in half, spread the garlic-peanut chutney on both the inner surfaces of Pav.  Put a vada in between, press the pav from top, and top it with a fried green chili.  Serve it with Indian chai for the best combination!  You may optionally add the coriander-mint chutney and tamarind chutney. I did not, as I like the taste of vada pav with just the garlic chutney and green chili.

Enjoy with a cuppa chai!