Vada pav, alternatively spelt Wada Pao, is a vegetarian fast food dish native to the state of Maharashtra. The dish consists of a deep-fried potato dumpling placed inside a bread bun sliced almost in half through the middle. It is generally accompanied by one or more chutneys and green chili pepper.
Ingredients
2-3 medium-sized potatoes
5 garlic cloves
2-3 green chillies
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp turmeric/Haldi powder
Few curry leaves
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
For the Batter:
1 cup besan/gram flour
2 tbsp rice flour
1/2 tsp turmeric /Haldi powder
Pinch of Hing/asafoetida powder
Pinch of cooking soda
Salt to taste
Water as required
Other ingredients:
Oil for deep frying
Dry red chutney for serving
8 pav /dinner rolls
4 fried green chillies mixed with some salt (optional)
Green chutney (optional)
Procedure
Boil potatoes . Peel and then mash them with a fork in a bowl.
Also, crush garlic cloves and green chilies in a mortar pestle.
Heat 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and crackle them. Then add 7 to 8 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing). Stir and sauté for about 5 seconds.
Add the crushed garlic cloves and green chilies mixture to the pan. Add turmeric powder (about 2 to 3 pinches)
Stir for some seconds or until the raw aroma of garlic goes away.
Pour this tempering mixture together with the oil to the mashed potatoes.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves and salt as required.
Mix everything well. Then make small to medium balls from the mashed potato mixture. Flatten these balls a bit. Cover and keep aside.
In another bowl, make a smooth batter from besan (gram flour), turmeric powder (about 2 to 3 pinches), a pinch of asafoetida (hing), a pinch of baking soda (optional), salt and ½ cup water or as needed.
The batter should have a medium-thick flowing consistency. It should not be too thick or thin. If the batter becomes thin, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of gram flour. If the batter becomes thick, then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
Dip the slightly flattened potato balls in the batter and coat it evenly with the batter
Before you dip the batata vada in the batter, heat oil in a pan or wok (kadai). When the oil becomes hot then dip the batata vada in the batter to coat as shown in the above steps.
Carefully and gently drop these batter coated potato balls in medium hot oil.
Depending on the size of the kadai or pan, you can add more or less of the vada while frying. But don’t overcrowd the pan.
When one side firms up, becomes slightly crisp and golden then only turn over gently with a slotted spoon. Fry the second side. This way deep fry them till golden, turning a couple of times as needed.
Drain them on kitchen paper towels. Make all batata vada this way and set aside.
Serve them when they are still hot or warm. Put all the chutneys and pav on your work surface. Slice the pav without breaking it into two parts and set aside.
Spread chutney on the sliced pav. You can also spread green chutney on one side and sweet chutney on the other side.
Sprinkle the dry garlic chutney on the pav. This step is optional and you can skip it if you don’t have garlic chutney.
Place the hot batata vada in the bread slices.
Serve vada pav immediately or else the pav becomes soggy. You can also serve some salted fried green chilies and both of the chutneys with it.
It makes for a good filling evening snack high on carbs. A cup of hot tea or coffee can also be served as a side beverage.
Comments