Mumbai's vegetarian burger — spiced potato dumpling in a fried batter, served in a soft roll with chutneys.
Ingredients
For vada: 4 potatoes boiled, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp mustard seeds, turmeric, green chillies
For batter: 1 cup besan, pinch turmeric, salt
4 pav buns
Green chutney and dry garlic chutney
Method
About Vada Pav: Called the Indian burger, Vada Pav is Mumbai most iconic street food — a spiced potato fritter called vada sandwiched in a soft bread roll with chutneys and spices. Simple ingredients, extraordinary flavour.
Make the dry garlic chutney: Dry roast 6 garlic cloves, 3 dried red chillies and 2 tbsp desiccated coconut in a pan without oil for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Cool and grind to a coarse powder with salt. This red garlic powder is what makes vada pav authentic.
Make the green chutney: Blend 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, 4-5 green chillies, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp lemon juice and salt with minimum water to a thick green paste.
Make the potato filling: Boil 4 large potatoes until completely soft. Peel and mash thoroughly. Heat 1 tbsp oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds and let them pop. Add curry leaves, 2 green chillies finely chopped, half tsp turmeric and the mashed potato. Mix well. Add salt and lemon juice. Cool completely — warm filling will break the batter.
Shape the vada: Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal portions. Roll each into a smooth ball. Keep aside.
Make the batter: Mix 1 cup besan (chickpea flour) with half tsp turmeric, half tsp red chilli powder, a pinch of asafoetida, salt and enough water to make a thick batter that coats the back of a spoon. Whisk well to remove lumps. The batter should not be runny.
Fry the vada: Heat oil for deep frying. Dip each potato ball into the besan batter, coating it completely. Carefully lower into hot oil. Fry 4-5 at a time on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the batter is golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel.
Prepare the pav: Slice each pav roll (soft white dinner rolls) horizontally without cutting all the way through. Lightly toast on a buttered pan.
Assemble the vada pav: Spread green chutney on one side of the pav interior. Sprinkle a generous amount of the dry garlic chutney powder on the other side. Place one hot vada inside. Press gently.
Serve: Serve immediately while the vada is hot and crispy. Serve with extra green chutney and tamarind chutney on the side. A fried green chilli on the side is traditional.