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Vada pav is a famous Indian street food. “Vada” (Batata Vada) is a spicy potato filling deep fried in chickpea flour batter. These Vadas are then sandwiched between buns known as “Pav” along with delicious chutneys like green chutney and garlic chutney. Although, the Vada Pav originated on the busy streets of Mumbai, it quickly gained popularity across Maharashtra and eventually India and abroad. All thanks to its unique flavor and the ease with which it can be prepared.
Growing up in the Eastern parts of Maharashtra, I hadn’t heard of this street food. But when I went to Mumbai for a family wedding and later to Pune for studies, I got to try the real deal Vada Pav. That experience was unforgettable, and I’m forever thankful for it.
Vada Pav is so popular these days, it earned its spot among the top 20 on Taste Atlas’ list of the Best Sandwiches in the World in 2024. This recognition highlights its worldwide appeal and deliciousness.
To make and assemble the Vada Pav you need the following elements:
- Spicy Potato Filling
- Batter for Vada
- Pav or buns
- Green Chutney
- Garlic Chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Fried green chili
While Vada Pav isn’t exactly a quick breakfast or lunch option due to its preparation process, you can still plan ahead to save time. By prepping all the elements beforehand, you can quickly assemble it when you’re short on time. Even though it may take a bit longer to make, I promise you that one bite into this Vada Pav, and you’ll never forget the incredible experience. It’s totally worth the effort!
Ingredients
For the potato filling:
Potatoes, oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chili-ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, coriander leaves for garnish.
For batter:
Chickpea flour (besan), turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida (hing), salt, baking soda, water.
To make Garlic chutney:
Garlic, desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, oil, red chili powder, Kashmiri Red chili powder. turmeric powder and salt.
For Green chutney:
green chilies, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves (optional), cumin powder, black salt, salt, ice cubes.
For Tamarind chutney:
Tamarind paste, jaggery, sugar, salt, black salt, red chili powder, cumin powder, water and ginger powder.
For frying chillies
green chilies (with head on), salt, lime juice.
Instructions
Preparation:
- Making Garlic chutney: In a small pan, fry the garlic cloves along with sesame seeds and desiccated coconut. Switch off the heat and add rest of the ingredients. Let it cool down and grind it in a mixer to make a coarse powder. Set it aside as well.
- Making Green Chutney: In a blender, add all the ingredients along with ice cubes and blend into a fine paste adding little water. Adding ice cubes to the green chutney helps maintain its vibrant green color. Set it aside.
- Making Tamarind Chutney: In a small sauce pan, add all the ingredients along with water and let it come to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas. Let is cool and set it aside.
Making the Potato filling:
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them crackle.
- Add green chili- ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell disappears.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Saute for a minute.
- Add the mashed potatoes, and chopped coriander leaves.
- Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Divide the potato mixture into equal portions and shape them into balls.
For frying Vada:
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
- In a mixing bowl, prepare the batter by mixing chickpea flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida, and salt.
- Add water gradually to form a smooth batter with a thick consistency.
- Add baking soda in the batter and mix gently.
- Dip each potato ball into the batter, ensuring it’s coated evenly, and carefully drop it into the hot oil.
- Fry the wadas until they turn golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oil and drain excess oil on paper towels.
For Frying green chilies:
- Poke holes in the green chilies. This step helps prevent the chilies from popping while cooking, which could cause burns or splattering.
- In the same hot oil used for frying vadas, once all the vadas are fried, drop the chilies and fry for a minute.
- Take them out and drain them on paper towels. Sprinkle salt, lime juice and mix well.
- Serve them along with Vada Pav.
Serving Suggestions
Here is the correct way to serve Vada Pav:
- Serve Vada Pav hot with pav (dinner rolls) sliced halfway through but still attached.
- Spread green chutney, tamarind chutney, and garlic chutney inside the pav.
- Place a fried potato vada between the pav halves and press gently.
- Serve with additional chutneys on the side for dipping.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the potato mixture is well-seasoned with spices for a flavorful filling.
- Keep the oil at the right temperature while frying to ensure crispy wadas.
- Before using the green chilies, it’s important to poke holes in them. This step helps prevent the chilies from popping while cooking, which could cause burns or splattering. So, make sure to poke holes in the green chilies before adding them to your recipe to stay safe in the kitchen.
- Adding ice cubes to the green chutney helps maintain its vibrant green color. This is because the ice cubes rapidly cool down the mixture, preventing oxidation which can cause the chutney to turn brown. So, if you want your chutney to retain its fresh green hue, consider using ice cubes when blending or mixing the ingredients.
- Customize the spiciness of the chutneys according to your taste preferences.
- For a healthier version, you can air-fry the vadas instead of deep-frying them.
Meal Prep Tips
- Prepare the potato filling and batter in advance and store them in the refrigerator.
- Fry the vadas just before serving to retain their crispiness.
- Leftover vadas can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven or air fryer for a quick snack.
- Double or triple the recipe to make a large batch and freeze the extra vadas for later use.
FAQs
Q: Can I use any type of potato for the filling?
A: Yes, you can use any variety of potato, but make sure they are boiled and mashed well.
Q: Can I skip any of the chutneys?
A: While the chutneys add to the flavor, you can customize the toppings according to your preference.
Q: Can I make Wada Pav gluten-free?
A: Yes, you can substitute chickpea flour with rice flour or a gluten-free flour blend for the batter. However the Pav are made of All purpose flour or wheat flour. You can skip the pav completely or substitute with gluten free pav.
Vada Pav
Ingredients
For the potato filling:
- 4 large potatoes boiled and mashed
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon green chili-ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
For the batter:
- 1 cup chickpea flour besan
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- A pinch of asafoetida hing
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Salt to taste
- Water as needed
For Garlic Chutney:
- 9-12 Garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri Red chili powder.
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- salt to taste
For green chutney:
- 5-6 green chilies
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup mint leaves optional
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black salt
- salt to taste
- ice cubes optional
For Tamarind chutney:
- 1/4 cup Tamarind paste
- 80 gms jaggery ,
- salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 cup water and
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
For fried chilies:
- 8-10 green chilies
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Preparation:
- Making Garlic chutney: In a small pan, fry the garlic cloves along with sesame seeds and desiccated coconut. Switch off the heat and add rest of the ingredients. Let it cool down and grind it in a mixer to make a coarse powder. Set it aside as well.
- Making Green Chutney: In a blender, add all the ingredients and blend into a fine paste adding little water. Set it aside.
- Making Tamarind Chutney: In a small sauce pan, add all the ingredients along with water and let it come to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas. Let is cool and set it aside.
For Potato filling:
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them crackle.
- Add green chili- ginger-garlic paste and cook till the raw smell disappears.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Saute for a minute.
- Add the mashed potatoes, and chopped coriander leaves.
- Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Divide the potato mixture into equal portions and shape them into balls.
For Frying Vada:
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
- In a mixing bowl, prepare the batter by mixing chickpea flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida, and salt.
- Add water gradually to form a smooth batter with a thick consistency.
- Add baking soda in the batter and mix gently.
- Dip each potato ball into the batter, ensuring it’s coated evenly, and carefully drop it into the hot oil.
- Fry the wadas until they turn golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oil and drain excess oil on paper towels.
For frying green chilies:
- Poke holes in the green chilies.
- In the same hot oil used for frying vadas, once all the vadas are fried, drop the chilies and fry for a minute.
- Take them out and drain them on paper towels. Sprinkle salt, lime juice and mix well.
- Serve them along with Vada Pav.
Notes
- Serve Vada Pav hot with pav (dinner rolls) sliced halfway through but still attached.
- Spread green chutney, tamarind chutney, and garlic chutney inside the pav.
- Place a fried potato vada between the pav halves and press gently.
- Serve with additional chutneys on the side for dipping.
- Make sure the potato mixture is well-seasoned with spices for a flavorful filling.
- Keep the oil at the right temperature while frying to ensure crispy wadas.
-
Before using the green chilies, it’s important to poke holes in them. This step helps prevent the chilies from popping while cooking, which could cause burns or splattering. So, make sure to poke holes in the green chilies before adding them to your recipe to stay safe in the kitchen.
- Adding ice cubes to the green chutney helps maintain its vibrant green color.
- Customize the spiciness of the chutneys according to your taste preferences.
- For a healthier version, you can air-fry the vadas instead of deep-frying them.
- Prepare the potato filling and batter in advance and store them in the refrigerator.
- Fry the vadas just before serving to retain their crispiness.
- Leftover vadas can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven or air fryer for a quick snack.
- Double or triple the recipe to make a large batch and freeze the extra vadas for later use.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @amusingcooker on Instagram and hashtag it #amusingcooker.