Vada Pav

Storing and Planning Ahead

Vadas keep 2 days and re-crisp at 200°C / 390°F for 6 minutes. The chutneys keep a week.

Vada Pav: The Method

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1. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop, then the cumin and curry leaves.

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2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies for 90 seconds, then the turmeric.

   Mark done Start 90 sec timer

3. Fold in the mashed potato, salt, coriander and lemon juice and cook 3 minutes. Cool, then shape into 8 balls.

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4. For the dry chutney, toast the coconut in a dry pan until golden, then blitz with the garlic, chilli powder and salt to a coarse powder.

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5. Whisk the gram flour, turmeric, chilli, bicarbonate and salt with enough water to make a smooth batter the thickness of double cream. Beat it hard for 2 minutes to aerate.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

6. Heat the frying oil to 180°C / 350°F.

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7. Dip each potato ball into the batter, letting the excess drip off, and lower it into the oil.

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8. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until pale gold and crisp. Drain on a rack.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

9. Split each pav, spread green chutney on one side and tamarind on the other, sprinkle dry garlic chutney inside, add the vada, and press. Serve with a fried green chilli.

   Mark done

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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A Few Pointers

• Beat the batter to aerate it. A flat batter gives a heavy, greasy shell.
• The dry garlic chutney is the signature. Without it this is just a fritter sandwich.
• Eat within minutes of frying, which is exactly how it is sold.

Why the Method Is What It Is

The gram flour batter is beaten until aerated and left slightly loose, so it puffs into a thin shell rather than a thick jacket — a heavy batter absorbs oil and dominates the potato. Dry garlic chutney is what makes it Mumbai rather than just a fritter in bread.

Good Alongside

Cutting chai · A fried green chilli with salt · More vada pav

If You're Missing Something

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Questions About Vada Pav

Nutrition per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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