Bombay Special Vada Pav
Known as the Indian Burger, Vada Pav is a popular street food. Spiced potato dumplings are dipped in besan batter, fried & then served with pav as a snack.
Servings 22 vada pav
Calories 715.35kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
To Make The Potato Mixture
- 7 potatoes boiled and mashed
- 8-10 green chillies
- 6-8 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoon oil for tadka
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 7-8 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- salt
To Make The Besan Batter
- 2 cups besan
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Salt
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 tablespoon hot oil
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- Oil for frying
- 8-10 green chillies
- 10 Pav/water rolls
Instructions
To Prepare the Potato Masala
- Add ginger paste, garlic, green chillies and cilantro to a mortar and pestle.
- Crush them finely. You can also blitz them in a blender to make a smooth paste.
- Boil the potatoes and then peel them.
- Mash them using a masher or your fingers. You can even grate them. Ensure there are no large chunks of potato. It should be well mashed.
- Temper mustard seeds, and cumin seeds in a pan. When they crackle, add asafoetida, and curry leaves. Fry for 10 seconds.
- Add the crushed aromatics to the pan and continue to fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add spice powders like turmeric powder, garam masala, and salt.
- Give it all a good mix and cook for a minute. Then add the mashed potatoes.
- Mix it well. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. The potato stuffing mixture should be smooth with no big chunks. Mash it more at this stage if you still see some potato chunks.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro. Mix.
- Transfer to a large plate. Allow it to cool.
- Divide it into equal parts. Then using your palms, shape them as medium-sized balls. You can also use an ice cream scoop. Keep this plate in the fridge while you prepare the batter.
To make the Batter
- In another bowl, add chickpea flour/besan.
- Then add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and salt.
- Add water gradually and mix using a whisk.
- The consistency of the batter should neither be too thick nor too thin. It should have a thick flowing and coating consistency.
- Heat oil in the frying pan. Once the oil is hot enough, carefully pour 2 tablespoons of hot oil over the prepared batter along with fruit salt or eno. This step is essential as it will make the vada crispy.
- Mix with a whisk to incorporate air into the batter. It should become light and fluffy. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
To Fry the Vadas
- Once the oil is hot, dip and coat the potato balls in the prepared besan batter using a fork.
- Add them carefully into the frying pan.
- Add more vadas in one batch but do not crowd the pan when frying. Deep fry till golden brown and crispy. Remember to keep the flame on medium. Toss them around so that the vadas cook evenly.
- Carefully take out the fried vadas onto a paper towel to soak off the excess oil. Fry the remaining vadas the same way.
To make the Sukha Garlic Chutney for Vada Pav
- Dip your hand into the batter and and let it drip into the hot oil. This step is similar to making Boondi.
- Fry this chura till they become crisp and golden. Transfer to another plate.
- Then place garlic in the slotted spoon and fry them till they turn golden.
- Transfer to the same plate along with the besan chura. Let them cool down completely.
- Reserve some besan chura for serving. Transfer the rest to a blender jar and add red chilly powder. Chef tip - You can also add some leftover toasted pav or breadcrumbs in it.
- Blitz to make a coarse powder. Do not add any water. Vada Pav Dry Garlic Chutney is ready.
To Fry The Green Chillies
- Slit green chillies. In the same hot oil add and fry green chillies. Use a slotted spoon to fry them. Fry till they turn crisp. Be careful, when frying the green chillies as they could pop.
- Transfer to a plate. Season it with salt. Mix and keep it aside.
To Assemble the Vada Pav
- Take water rolls or pav, and slit them halfway in the middle using a serrated knife. Smear spicy green chutney and meetha chutney if you have.
- Add the Dry Garlic Chutney on top.
- Place a fried Vada on top.
- Garnish with some chura and a fried green chilly. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 715.35kcal | Carbohydrates: 113.49g | Protein: 24.44g | Fat: 19.12g | Saturated Fat: 2.46g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.29g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.62g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 672.33mg | Potassium: 1563.89mg | Fiber: 16.41g | Sugar: 10.21g | Vitamin A: 680.19IU | Vitamin C: 78.53mg | Calcium: 250.36mg | Iron: 9.82mg