Vada Pav Recipe

close up shot of two mumbai style vada pav.

A Mumbai Vada Pav recipe, sharing how to make all the elements of authentic Mumbai street style Vada Pav at home, including batata vada, the vada pav chutney (dry garlic chutney), as well as fried green chillies!

Course Snack

Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian, Mumbai Street Food

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings vada pav

Calories 1290kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Steel Paraat
8" hexclad saute pan
Deep Fry Pan
Deep frying strainer / skimmer

Ingredients

For making potato masala for batata vada

1½ pound potatoes boiled
1½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (rai)
16 curry leaves (cadipatta)
4 green chillies chopped
16 cloves garlic chopped
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves

For making gram flour (besan) batter for batata vada

1 cup gram flour (besan)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
½-¾ cup water as required
⅛ teaspoon baking soda optional

For making Vada Pav

pav
dry garlic chutney
green chillies

Instructions

For making potato masala for batata vada

Take 1½ pounds of potatoes (boiled), then first peel, and then mash them.
To the mashed potatoes, add 1½ teaspoon of salt, and mix it in. Set aside.
Then in a tadka pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil, and lightly heat it up.
To the oil, now add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, and let it lightly roast for a few seconds, till it starts to crackle & pop.
Then add 16 curry leaves & 4 chopped green chillies, and lightly roast them for a few seconds.
After which add in chopped garlic (from 16 cloves), and lightly roast for 2-3 minutes, till they start to change color.
Finally add in the spice powders (preferably all together, to avoid them from burning) - ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder, ½ teaspoon of coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon of cumin powder, ¼ teaspoon of red chilli powder, and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Lightly roast the spices for a few seconds (ensuring to not let them burn) and then turn off the flame. The tadka is ready.
Add this tadka to the mashed potatoes, and mix it in.
Then finally add ⅓ cup of chopped coriander to the potatoes, and mix everything together to make the potato masala.
Shape the potato masala into balls. You should be able to get 18 mid sized dough balls.

For making gram flour (besan) batter for batata vada

In a wide bowl, take 1 cup of gram flour (besan), and to it add - ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon of hing / asafoetida powder, and ¼ teaspoon of haldi / turmeric powder. You can also add ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda, but this is optional.
Now to it, add water, a little at a time, and start mixing it all together. I start with ½ cup of water, and then add 2-4 tablespoons more, as needed.
Whisk everything till you get a smooth, flowing consistency of batter. Then whisk for an additional couple of minutes, to incorporate some air into the batter.
Then cover the bowl with a lid, and let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes, before using it to coat the vadas.

For frying batata vada

In a pan, properly heat up the oil for deep frying. And test to see if the oil is hot enough, by putting a little of the gram flour (besan) batter in it. If the batter immediately rises to the top, without getting burnt, then the oil is hot enough.
Now take the dough balls made earlier, and coat them in the gram flour (besan) batter, and put them in hot oil, one at a time.
Here it's best to keep the batches small, frying only a few vadas at a time, so as to not over-crowd the pan, which will bring down the temperature of the oil, and also make the vadas retain oil.
Fry the vadas for 3-4 minutes per batch, till the vadas are golden & crispy on the outside.
When done, place the fried vadas in a plate / bowl lined with paper towel, to get rid of excess oil, if any.

For making other elements for Vada Pav

To make Mumbai-style Vada Pav, you will need the batata vada, ladi pav, and two more things - dry garlic chutney & fried green chillies.
Here is the full dry garlic chutney recipe, which I usually make using the leftover gram flour (besan) batter, garlic, chilli powder & salt.
For frying green chillies - take a few green chillies (as needed), and make a slit in them. Then placing them on a strainer / skimmer, lower them in hot oil, for a few seconds, till they get lightly roasted. Then take them out, and place them on a plate / bowl lined with paper towel, to get rid of the excess oil. And sprinkle a little salt on the chillies, when they are still hot from the oil.

For making Vada Pav

Take a pav, open it up, and put some dry garlic chutney on it. You can also use spicy green chutney and / or a sweet and sour dates & tamarind chutney, based on your preferences.
Place the batata vada on the pav.
Sprinkle some more garlic chutney on top of the vada, and place a fried green chilli on top of it too.
Vada Pav is ready to serve.

Video

Notes

You can use any kind of starchy potatoes for making Batata Vada. Avoid waxy ones. Here in US, I prefer Idaho or Russet potatoes for Batata Vada.
You can make a basic potato masala for Batata Vada, without the tadka too, just by adding all the ingredients (except oil & mustard seeds) directly in the mashed potatoes, and mixing them all together. I always prefer the tadka because it enhances the flavor for me.

Nutrition