Vada Pavवडा पाव
Video: Hebbars Kitchen (YouTube)
Vada Pav is Mumbai's working-class hero — a golden-fried spiced potato dumpling tucked into a soft bread roll and slathered with three different chutneys. Sold outside every train station and college gate from Churchgate to Borivali, it costs less than a cup of chai but delivers more satisfaction than most restaurant meals. Diaspora families who grew up on it will tell you no one's vada pav ever quite matches the one they had on the platform at Dadar, but this version will get you closest on a cold weekend afternoon.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
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Ingredients
- ▪potatoes, boiled, peeled4 medium
- ▪green chilies, finely minced2
- ▪ginger, grated1 teaspoon
- ▪garlic, grated1 teaspoon
- ▪mustard seeds½ teaspoon
- ▪curry leaves8–10 leaves
- ▪turmeric powder½ teaspoon
- For the batter
- ▪besan (chickpea flour)1 cup
- ▪red chili powder½ teaspoon
- ▪baking sodaa pinch
- ▪oil for deep fryingas needed
- ▪pav rolls (soft white dinner rolls)8
- ▪dry garlic chutney (lahsun ki chutney)3 tablespoons
- ▪green chutney (coriander-mint)3 tablespoons
- ▪tamarind chutney2 tablespoons
- Dry garlic chutney (red, coarse, pungent) is essential for an authentic vada pav and is available at Indian grocery stores. In a pinch, roast 4 garlic cloves, grind with 2 dried red chilies, desiccated coconut, and salt to make a close substitute.
- Besan (chickpea flour) is sold at any Indian or South Asian grocery store and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets — Bob's Red Mill sells it as garbanzo bean flour. The batter thickness should coat a spoon; too thin and it falls off, too thick and it gets doughy.
- Pav rolls are closest to soft white dinner rolls or slider buns. Hawaiian rolls work well. The goal is a soft, slightly sweet roll that contrasts the savory vada — avoid crusty bread.
Method
- 1Mash the boiled potatoes until smooth. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and green chilies — cook 30 seconds. Add turmeric, then the mashed potato. Mix well, taste for salt, and let cool.
- 2Divide the potato mixture into 8 equal balls. Set aside.
- 3Make the batter: mix besan, red chili powder, baking soda, salt, and enough water to make a thick, smooth batter that coats the back of a spoon without dripping.
- 4Heat oil in a deep pan to 170°C (340°F). Dip each potato ball in the batter to coat fully, then slide gently into the hot oil. Fry 3–4 at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until the batter is crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.
- 5To serve: split a pav roll without separating it fully. Press dry garlic chutney on one side, green chutney and tamarind chutney on the other. Tuck in the hot vada and press the pav closed. Eat immediately.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.