Vada Pav
Make Mumbai's favorite street food, Vada Pav, right at home. These spicy potato fritters in a soft bun are seriously satisfying.
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon asafoetida powder
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies
- 1 inch ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 1.5 cups besan (gram flour)
- 0.25 cup rice flour
- 0.25 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 0.5 teaspoon red chili powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.75 cup water
- 2 cups oil for deep frying
- 8 pav (soft bread rolls)
- 0.5 cup dry garlic chutney
- 0.25 cup green chutney
- 0.25 cup sweet tamarind chutney
Instructions
- Wash 4 medium potatoes thoroughly. Place them in a pot, cover with water, and boil until fork-tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, drain the water, peel the skin, and mash the potatoes well. Set aside.
- To prepare the vada filling, finely chop 2 green chilies, finely chop 1 inch ginger, and finely chop 4 cloves garlic. You can also crush them into a paste.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add 0.5 teaspoon asafoetida powder and 10-12 curry leaves. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the chopped or crushed green chilies, ginger, and garlic to the pan. Cook for 1 minute until their raw smell disappears.
- Stir in 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder. Add this tempering mix to the mashed potatoes. Add 0.5 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Mix everything together thoroughly until well combined.
- Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal portions and roll them into smooth, round balls. Set aside.
- To prepare the batter, in a large bowl, combine 1.5 cups besan (gram flour), 0.25 cup rice flour, 0.25 teaspoon turmeric powder, 0.5 teaspoon red chili powder, 0.5 teaspoon salt, and 0.25 teaspoon baking soda. Slowly add 0.75 cup water, mixing continuously to form a thick, smooth batter without any lumps. The batter should be thick enough to coat the potato balls.
- Heat 2 cups oil for deep frying in a deep pan or kadai over medium heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a tiny bit of batter into the oil; it should sizzle and come up immediately.
- Dip each potato ball into the prepared besan batter, ensuring it's fully coated. Carefully place the coated potato balls into the hot oil, one by one. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in batches if necessary.
- Deep fry the vadas until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides, turning occasionally. This will take about 3-4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, remove the fried vadas from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Slice 8 pav horizontally, almost all the way through, leaving one side attached. Lightly toast the pav on a griddle or tawa if desired, for about 30 seconds per side.
- Spread 0.5 cup dry garlic chutney on one side of the pav, 0.25 cup green chutney on the other side, and 0.25 cup sweet tamarind chutney if using. Place one hot vada inside each pav.
- Serve the Vada Pav immediately with extra chutneys on the side.