Vada Pav, Indian Comfort Food

This iconic street food is synonymous to the Mumbai street food scene, and loved throughout India, so much so there’s even a day set aside to celebrate it (World Vada Pav Day – 23 August).

So, what is Vada Pav? An Indian Slider is one way to describe this little bundle of deliciousness. Vada is a batter coated potato ball, and a Pav is a soft bun (like a dinner roll type bun). The Vada is sandwiched in between a buttery roll smothered in zesty green chutney, tangy sweet sauce, and garlicky crumb.

The Brits have a Chip Butty, and this is an Indian carb on carb specialty. This definitely is not winning any nutritious contest but like any Chaat recipe is ramped with flavor , texture and an all-round party in your mouth.

The Components:

A soft Bun
Mashed flavoured potato ball, battered then fried (called Aloo Bonda or Batata Vada)
Green chutney – coriander (or coriander and mint)
Sweet chutney
Chili, Garlic Coconut Crumb (dry garlic chutney)
Fried Green Chili

Ready to make Your Own…

The Aloo Bonda:

3 large potatoes – steamed and mashed
2/3 Tbsp Oil
Sprig Curry Leaf
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Touch of Garam masala
Fresh green chilli – Chopped
Dhania – Chopped
Squeeze of lemon and a bit of zest
Sprinkle of sugar
Salt

In a pan, warm oil . Crackle the mustard seeds and the add curry leaves.
Add the mashed potatoes dry spices, seasonings < Remove off heat and add fresh ingredients.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Allow mixture to cool and form into balls.
Best to refrigerate for at least 30min to firm up

The Batter

1 1/2 cups Chana Flour
Grated Ginger
Touch of turmeric and Chill powder
A sprinkle of Ajwain (carrom seeds)
Salt to taste
Water
1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

In a bowl mix all dry ingredients, slowly add tap water to form a smooth lump free batter. Whisk gradually.
Allow batter to stand for 30min.

Deep Frying

Heat a pan with oil for deep-frying
Coat potato balls in batter and fry until golden
With the same batter, you can make ‘bhoondi’ type balls by running the batter through your fingers and allowing drips of batter to fall into the hot oil. Allow to crispen and set aside. This will form part of your crumb and adds a crispy element.
Slit the green chilli in the midsection and deep fry until crispy. Season with salt while hot. Be wary of splutter/popping.

Dry Garlic Chutney (Crumb)

5/6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut
2 tbsp Sesame seeds
2 tbsp Chilli powder
Salt
Sprinkle of sugar

Dry roast the garlic, coconut, and sesame until toasty and gained a warm brown colour
Allow to cool then blitz into a crumb
Add chili powder, salt, and sugar. Mix and store in an airtight container.
To the portion you will be using add the boondi balls you prepared earlier.

We are getting ready to assemble. For the purposes of this post, I’m assuming you have a freezer stash of any green chutney and a sweet chutney. If not, they are easily available from an Indian Grocer or Indian Home Industry. For those of you that want to learn to make your own….my next blog post will detail your 3 Chaat Chutneys that you want to stock your freezer with.

You can leave your bun soft or butter and lightly toast on tawa(pan)