Maharashtrian
Vada Pav
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Serves: 2 to 4 people
Authenticity Slice
The one caution that needs to be exercised while preparing the Vadas for the Pav is with respect to the batter. The gram flour batter must be thick and must have been made using only a limited amount of water. One can, however, alter the amount of chutneys applied into the Pav as per liking, keeping in mind that the spicier it is, the better it will all taste.
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Trivia Tadka
Vada Pav is Mumbai’s answer to the burger. The credit for its invention goes to a man named Ashok Vaidya, who used to own a stall near Dadar, from which he used to sell batata Vada and fresh Pav. One day, sometime in the year 1971, a customer asked him to stuff the batata Vada into the Pav and serve it to him. And, the Vada Pav was born! The snack has become so popular in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra today that August 23 is celebrated as ‘World Vada Pav Day’ every year.
Ingredients
For the Pav
- All-purpose flour (3 cups)
- Bread flour/vital gluten (1 tbsp)
- Dry yeast (3 tsp)
- Salt (1 tsp)
- Sugar (1 tbsp)
- Milk (2 cups)
- Butter, melted (2 tbsp)
- Milk to brush on top (2 tsp)
For the Vada Batter
- Gram flour (besan) (¾ cup)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (a pinch)
- Salt (to taste)
- Water (1 cup)
For the Vada
- Yellow mustard seeds (sarson) (½ tsp)
- Oil (1 tsp)
- Asafoetida (hing) (a pinch)
- Ginger (adrak), chopped (2 tbsp)
- Green chillies (hari mirch), finely chopped (2)
- Garlic (lehsun), finely chopped (2 tbsp)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (7)
- Potato, boiled, peeled and mashed (1½ cup)
- MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder (1 tsp)
- Salt (to taste )
- Oil (for deep-frying)
For the Red Garlic Chutney
- Peanuts (¼ cup)
- Garlic (lehsun), minced (1 tbsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch/Red Chilli Powder (2 tsp)
- Water (1/8 cup)
- Salt (to taste)
For the Green Chutney
- Green chillies (hari mirch) (3 to 5)
- Curry leaves (kadipatta) (8 to 10)
- Coconut, shredded (2 tbsp)
- Garlic (lahsun) (1 tbsp)
- Water (1/8 cup)
- Salt (to taste)
Method
To make Pav
- Put the flour, yeast, bread flour, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Attach the paddle to the mixer and stir for a few seconds.
- Heat up the milk and butter together until lukewarm. Pour the milk and butter mix into the bowl while maintaining the mixing speed at ‘low’.
- Switch to a dough hook and knead until smooth and almost shiny.
- Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Keep it in a warm place until it has risen to double its original size. Depending on the weather, it can take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour, or sometimes even more.
- Once the dough is double in volume, take it out of the bowl and punch it down to release the trapped air.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set to work on shaping the Pav.
- Make balls out of the dough.
- Place them on the baking sheet and position them close to each other so that they touch.
- Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave them undisturbed for another 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 420*F.
- When the rolls rise, brush them with some milk.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until they have risen and are brown on top.
- Cool before serving as Pav.
- Slit the Pav at the centre. Heat a pan, plop some butter on it and place the Pav face down on it. Heat it until it is lightly crisp on the inside.
To make the Vada:
- Combine all the ingredients for the Vada batter in a bowl, add 1 cup of water and mix well.
- Heat oil in a kadhai. Then, toss in the sarson and when it begins to splutter, add hing, kadipatta, ginger-garlic paste and green chillies to it and sauté for half-a-minute on a medium flame.
- Next, add in the mashed potatoes, salt and the MTR Haldi/Turmeric Powder. Mix well and cook for a minute, stirring continuously.
- Keep aside to cool.
- Divide this mixture into five equal portions and mould it into balls.
- Dip each ball into the batter and coat the mixture well with it.
- Heat oil in kadhai and gently slide in these balls. Deep-fry them till they have turned golden brown in colour. Scoop out the vadas with a ladle and spread them out on a kitchen towel to drain out any excess oil.
To make the chutneys
- Red Garlic Chutney: In a mixer-grinder, work up all the ingredients together along with some water and salt.
- Green Chutney: In a mixer-grinder, work up all the ingredients together along with some water and salt.
For the Vada Pav assembling:
- Horizontally slit a pav at the centre, apply some green chutney and lehsun ki chutney in its belly and then stuff in a hot vada there.
- Serve with fried green chillies.
