Vada Pav

Name: Vada Pav
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 medium Potatoes, about 500 g, boiled and mashed; 1 tbsp Oil; 1 tsp Mustard Seeds; 9 leaves of Curry Leaves; 2 Green Chilies, finely chopped; 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste; 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, fresh, chopped; 3/4 tsp Salt, or to taste; 1 tsp Lemon Juice; 150g Besan (Gram Flour), about 1 1/4 cups; 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder; 1/2 tsp Salt; 180ml Water, enough for a thick, flowing batter; 700ml Neutral Oil, for deep frying; 1 cup Coriander Leaves, packed (cilantro); 1/4 cups Mint Leaves; 1 1/2 Green Chilies; 1 clove of Garlic; 1 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1/4 tsp Salt, or to taste; 2 1/2 tbsp Water, to blend; 6 cloves of Garlic; 4 tbsp Desiccated Coconut; 2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts; 1 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder; 1 tsp Sesame Seeds, optional; 2 tsp Oil; 1/4 tsp Salt, or to taste; 6 Green Chilies, slit, optional

Vada Pav is Mumbai’s beloved street snack: a spicy, tangy mashed potato patty encased in a crisp gram-flour batter, fried until golden and sandwiched in a soft pav with bright green chutney and a nutty coconut-peanut chutney. Crunchy, aromatic and satisfying, these little sandwiches are perfect for a comforting snack or casual gathering.

Vada Pav is Mumbai’s beloved street snack: a spicy, tangy mashed potato patty encased in a crisp gram-flour batter, fried until go... Show more

Traditional Indian Recipe

Health Grade

B- · Healthy

Rating

4.4

Time

1 hr

Price

0,89 €

Calories

708 kcal

vegetarian

low sugar

kid friendly

comfort food

Method

Boil potatoes

Put the Potatoes in a pot, cover them with Water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until they are fork-tender. Drain well, let them cool just enough to handle, peel if needed, and mash them roughly.

Blend green chutney

Combine 1 packed cup of Coriander Leaves, a small handful of Mint Leaves, 1 1/2 Green Chilies, 1 clove of Garlic, 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, Salt to taste, and 2.5 tbsp water in a blender. Blend until smooth, bright green, and spoonable, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides so nothing stays chunky.

Make garlic chutney

Thinly slice the remaining 6 garlic cloves. Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a small pan over medium and fry the garlic until pale golden. Stir in 4 tbsp Desiccated Coconut, 2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts, 1 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder, 1 tsp Sesame Seeds if using them, and a pinch of salt. Toss for 1 minute until nutty, then let it cool and rub it into a coarse, dry chutney.

Cook filling

In a pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium and let Mustard Seeds splutter. Add Curry Leaves, the remaining 2 finely chopped Green Chilies, and Ginger Garlic Paste, and cook briefly until the raw smell fades. Stir in Turmeric Powder, the mashed potatoes, 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves, Salt to taste, 1 tsp Lemon Juice, and a pinch of Asafoetida, then mash and mix until the filling looks dry enough to shape. Cook for 1 minute more, then cool until just warm.

Whisk batter

In a bowl, whisk Besan, a pinch of turmeric powder, Salt, and Baking Soda together, then slowly add about 180 ml water while whisking until you have a thick, smooth, flowing batter. It should coat a spoon and fall off in ribbons, not pour like milk.

Fry vadas

Heat Neutral Oil in a deep kadai or pot over medium-high until a drop of batter bubbles immediately. Shape the cooled potato filling into small balls, dip them one by one in the batter, and lower them gently into the oil. Fry for 3 minutes, turn, then fry 1 minute more until deeply golden and crisp; drain on paper towels and fry the rest in batches.

Fry chilies

For the traditional side chilies, slip the 6 slit green chilies into the same oil and fry for about 1 minute until they blister and soften. Drain them and sprinkle with a pinch of salt while they are still hot.

Assemble vada pav

Split the Pav open without cutting all the way through, spread green chutney on one side and dry garlic chutney on the other, tuck in a hot vada, and add the fried chilies if you made them. Serve immediately while the pav stays soft and the crust stays crisp.