Vada Pav - from Scratch

Yes, the Pav is homemade too. So are the Chutneys. And the Pav is made of Atta as well. And it was so tasty! Do try it, even if you have to buy Pav from the store

Written by Sahini Banerjee

3 people

Serves 3 people

45 ingredients

For vada, Pav and 3 chutneys

10 hours

Prep time

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The Vada Pav has built a strong repertoire by now – the most consumed street food in the state of Maharastra, well loved throughout India, carb on carb fast food and can be eaten with one hand if you must.

Just in case you don’t know, Vada Pav came into existence in 1966. Vada doesn’t have a singular recipe. Consider a donut or dumpling, there are so many variations. Similarly, Vada is a dumpling/donut shaped fritter which can be made from anything – in this case, boiled and mashed potato. Pav comes from the Portuguese word –Pao, which means bread. A fusion dish in its own right, feeding generations of workers in Mumbai!

But why am I making everything from scratch? Well, I’d like to think I’m whimsical and I also like knowing how food is made. Making things from scratch gives me an idea as to how ingredients come together and produce something so iconic.

The recipe can be made even if you do not make the Pav(bread rolls) at home.

I have added a cup of whole wheat flour, aka Atta along with one and a half cups of maida(AP flour). Just to pretend like that makes a difference. But truly, I really like the taste of bread made with half atta and half maida. For some reason it tastes really nutty, and I love nutty flavours.

Ingredients

For the Pav :
Water [lukewarm] – 250ml ~ 1 cup
Honey – 1 tbsp
Yeast – 6g ~ 2 tsp
All Purpose Flour(Maida) – 200g ~1&1/2 cup
Atta – 142g ~ 1 cup
Salt – 1 tsp
Butter – 20-25g(room temp)

For the Vada :
1. Batter :
Besan: 75g
Carrom seeds (Ajwain) : 1/4tsp
Water : 120ml ~ 1/2 cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp

2. Potato filling
Potato: 250g – Oil (for sautéing) : 1 tbsp
Nigella seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida(Hing) : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 15-20 leaves
Green Chili : 6 ~ 18g
Garlic: 2-3 large cloves ~ 15g
Ginger: 9g
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Sugar: 2 tsp
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala : 1/4 tsp
Coriander Leaf : 1/2 cup chopped
Lemon juice : 2-3 tsp

For the Chutneys

1. Green Chutney :
Garlic: 5 cloves ~ 15g
Ginger : 9g
Green Chili : 6 ~ 18g
Coriander Leaf : 15g
mint Leaf: 15-16 leaves
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Sugar: 2 tsp
Lemon juice: 2 tsp

2. Sukhi Chutney
5-6 garlic clove
1/3 cup boondi or “tiny batter balls”
1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

3. Imli Chutney (Tamarind Sauce)

100g seedless tamarind pulp
2 cup hot water
1/4 cup sugar/jaggery
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chili
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

For the Pav :

In lukewarm water, add honey, mix well, and add in the yeast. Let the yeast rest in the water for 10 minutes.
Add in the flours and salt. Mix well with hands so that you are left with a sticky dough
Knead for 30-40 minutes continuously. I like doing it by hand, but you can use a Stand mixer. I use a few different kneading techniques that I learnt from YouTube.
After 10 minutes of kneading add in the butter.
The dough will be very sticky at this point, but keep stretching and kneading, folding and pushing the dough for another 20-30 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
The dough requires 2 proofs : the first one, let it sit for an hour or so, until the dough has doubled in size. Knead it again, form a ball, and form 2 inch diameter dough balls. Let it proof again(I put the dough in the fridge after the first proof, and take it out the next morning. Kneading for 10 minutes brings the dough to room temp, after which I proof it for the second time)
Bake at 210 C for 10-12 minutes(or until the top is golden brown)
You can also buy Pav from the store to avoid the whole 7 steps.

For the Vada :

Mix the ingredients for the batter. keep aside while you prep the potatoes
Boil the potatoes in salted water(2 cups water, 2 tbsp salt)
Mash the potatoes.
In a mortar and pestle grind the following : Green Chili, Garlic, Ginger, Salt, Sugar
Heat a pan. Add oil. Add nigella seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida. When it starts to crackle, add curry leaves and the chili paste from step 4.
Saute for 60 seconds, add tarmac and garam masala. Sauce for 30 seconds
Add in the mashed but lumpy potatoes, and mix everything thoroughly.
Add chopped coriander and lemon juice and mix again!
Once cool, form small vada-s (around 1.5 inch diameter)
Dip them into the batter, and deep fry in hot oil.
The excess batter that you will have left is also essential – with the tip of your fingers, drop in thin stream of batter into the oil to create tiny batter balls
Keep these aside, because the “batter balls” are used in the sukhi chutney.
And while the oil is still hot deep a a few slit green chilies.

For the Chutneys :

Sukhi Chutney

Deep fry the garlic cloves in hot oil with the outer skin intact. For a minute or so.
In a mixer, blend everything. But not for too long. Keep this chutney a little crunchy!

Green Chutney

I just blend everything in a mixer.