Vada Pav

One thing I miss the most about Mumbai is Vada Pav. It is like a part of daily life for many Mumbaikars. It is cheap, filling, tasty, and you get ANYWHERE you go in the city. I used to eat it a lot during my college days.

I remind my husband almost everyother day that I miss vada pav, and when I go back to India, the first thing I will eat will be Vada Pav:)

My husband gave me a valentine's day surprise by making vada pav for me and I must add that it tasted really good.

Here is the recipe for making vada.

Makes about 15 vadas

Combine the following ingredients and mix well.

6-7 medium size potatos, boiled and mashed

3-4 finely chopped green chillies.

1-1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated

salt-to taste

1 -1/2 teaspoon garam masala ( I use Rajwadi garam masala)

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 teaspoon turmeric.

1/4 th cup corriander leaves chopped

For tempering:

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cummin

1 teaspoon urad dal

3-4 curry leaves

2 teaspoon oil

a pinch asafotida

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds start crackeling, lower the flame, add urad daal and curry leaves. Then add Cummin seeds (jeera). Switch of the gas and and asafoteda.

Add the tempering to the potato mixture and mix well.

Make medium size balls of the potato mixture and leave aside.

Now for the batter:

About 3/4 cup besan flour

1/4th teasoon turmeric

salt to taste

about 1/4th (or a little less) teaspoon red chili powder

water

Before you start making the batter, heat enough oil in Kadai to deep fry the vadas.

Mix all the above batter ingredients except water. Add a little water and mix well. Add water if needed, and make thick batter. (The batter should not be too liquidy).

Dip each ball in the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Remove from the kadai and place it on a paper towel lined plate, so that the paper soaks all the additional oil.

To serve you will need:

Sweet Chutney,

Green Chutney

Fresh garlic Chutney and

Dried garlic Chutney ( I use ready made bought from the store)

Bread(Dinner Rolls or French Sandwich Rolls)

To assemble:

Make a horizontal from a side of the bread. Spread all chutneys on the bread per taste. (If using Sandwich rolls, cut the bread in half). Then put a vada on the bread and close to top half of the bread.

Vada pav is ready to be served!!. Enjoy.