Vada Pav (Mumbai Potato Fritter in a Bun)
Local name: वडा पाव
In short: Spiced potato fritters fried in a gram flour batter and tucked into soft rolls with dry garlic chutney and fried green chilies. Mumbai's favorite snack. It takes about 1 h 30 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 625 kcal
Vada pav is Mumbai in a bun: a spiced potato fritter, crisp outside and soft inside, tucked into a soft pav roll with garlic chutney and a fried green chili. It is sold at stalls on nearly every corner and eaten standing up in a few bites. The potato filling is tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves and ginger, and the dry garlic and coconut chutney sets it apart. Make the vada fresh and eat them hot.
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes whole for 20 to 25 minutes until tender. Drain, cool, peel and mash coarsely, leaving some small lumps.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves, and when the seeds pop, add the chili, garlic and ginger paste, turmeric and asafoetida for 30 seconds. Stir in the potatoes, salt, coriander and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes. Cool completely.
- Make the chutney by toasting the coconut in a dry pan for 2 minutes until pale gold. Grind it with the garlic, chili powder, sugar and salt to a coarse powder.
- Shape the potato mixture into 8 balls of about 60 g and flatten them slightly into thick patties.
- Whisk the batter ingredients into a smooth, thick batter that coats a spoon. Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175°C (350°F).
- Dip each patty into the batter, shake off the excess and lower it into the oil. Fry in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp. Drain on a rack.
- Slice each pav almost through and toast the cut sides in the butter. Spread chutneys on both sides, press a hot vada inside with a fried chili and serve at once.
Tips
- Cool the potato mixture completely and keep it fairly dry. Warm or wet filling makes the vada fall apart in the batter.
- Test the oil with a drop of batter, which should rise and sizzle in 2 seconds. Oil that is too cool makes greasy vada, and oil that is too hot browns the outside before the center is hot.
Questions and answers
Can I make vada pav without deep frying?
You can bake the coated patties at 220°C (425°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, or use an air fryer at 190°C (375°F) for 12 minutes. The crust is less crisp but still good.
How long does the dry garlic chutney keep?
Stored in a dry airtight jar it keeps for about 2 weeks. It also works on dosa, fried snacks and sandwiches.
Is vada pav spicy?
It is moderately hot. The garlic chutney and fried chilies carry most of the heat, so you can reduce or skip them for a milder bite.
How long does it take to make Vada Pav (Mumbai Potato Fritter in a Bun)?
About 1 h 30 min in total: 40 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Vada Pav (Mumbai Potato Fritter in a Bun)?
About 625 kcal per serving, with 16 g of protein, 80 g of carbohydrates and 27 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 625 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 80 g |
| Fat | 27 g |
| Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Sodium | 1400 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
