Vada Pav ~ an ode to Mumbai

Ask any Mumbaikar or Maharashtrian if they have eaten Vada Pavs in cities of the North and they will tell you. They will tell you that North Indians don’t know a thing about what an actual Vada Pav is! And take it from me, they really don’t. I am from Delhi and until 2014, I had been to Vada Pav Land aka Mumbai and neighbouring areas only twice. My subsequent trips to Mumbai happened with my husband who although is a Malayali but at times identifies as a Bombay boy because he spent almost all of his summer vacations there as a kid. His maternal grandmother’s house in Andheri provided him access to a particular Vada Pav shop at the end of road near Apna Bazar that was and still is, a popular haunt for Vada Pav lovers in the area.

Now I know that readers who know a thing or two about Vada Pav haunts in Mumbai would say that that is not the place to get the Vada Pavs in Mumbai. But in my defence I am from Delhi. Also, accessibility, personal tastes and preferences like tolerance to heat and spice along with cleanliness and freshness determine what people call the Best Vada Pav.

So when I tasted the actual Mumbai Vada Pav, one marked difference was the heat and the use of a Maharashtrian Red Garlic Chutney. I haven’t found the actual name for this masala yet. In a recent interview to Frying Pan Adventure diaries Podcast, food blogger and columnist Kalyan Karmarkar of the finelychopped fame traces the history and specifics of the Mumbai Vada Pav, aptly called the Bombay Burger in the episode.

In that interview, Kalyan calls the chutney a Ghati masala. When I checked the recipe for Ghati Masala (literally the masala made by people of the Western Ghats), I found that the Ghati masala uses a whole lot of other whole spices which the Red garlic Vada Pav chutney doesn’t use at all. And then I found many other different kinds of Maharashtrian masalas like Kohlapuri masala, Goda Masala and even their own version of Garam Masala. And of course I made a mental note of exploring those recipes some other time.

But coming back, does the Vada Pav chutney masala have a particular name? If you know, please do educate me about it in the comments below.

From Dadar to the World

The reason why Vada Pav recipes and styles vary so much is that it isn’t that old a recipe. Apparently, the humble Vada Pav was created by Ashok Vaidya who sold snacks at a stall outside the Dadar station in the 1960s. Yes, you won’t find Food Historian K. T. Achaya talk about the Vada Pav in the Vedas as it is a fairly new food. The Pav buns come from the Portuguese of course and have been around in the western states for a while.  Ashok Vaidya’s ingenious invention of placing a Batata vada in a pav bun flavoured with some garlic chutney became an instant hit for people who needed a snack on the go.

Priced at a humble ₹20 (approximately 30 cents) now, his Vada Pav has churra or bits of fried batter added to the Vada Pav that I believe makes it extra crispy. I am sitting in Dubai as I write this and no, I haven’t yet tasted the famous Vada Pav from Ashok Vaidya’s stall in Dadar. But his invention has travelled all the way with me and I hope it travels far and wide and people taste this delicious carb loaded snack!

For the uninitiated, here’s a glimpse of what the Vada Pav means to Mumbai and the story of how it came about by news website Firstpost. 

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How to fix a Vada Pav Craving Instantly?

So this happens to me quite often. I see some dish, some picture, some recipe somewhere and then I have to make it for myself. A conversation with a friend might trigger a craving. Once the craving for some food strikes, I make it happen. Strangely, comically or even tragically, that is the most motivated and productive I find myself: trying to fix a food craving.

Recently when I heard the podcast on Vada Pav, I just had to have it. And no, a lot of times, instead of hopping restaurants and driving to different parts of town, I take the matter in my own hands and give the recipe a try.  Also because I live on the other side of town in Dubai, away from most good desi restaurants. So when I craved for Vada Pav last week I looked up the recipe shared by my sister a few years ago. Her recipe calls for an extensive use of garlic in the Batata Vada and the hari chutney but it misses out on the red chutney.

The quintessential Mumbai Vada Pav can be deconstructed into the following parts:

• The Batata Vada: The besan coated garlicy mash potato vada/patty
• The Laddi Pav or the square shaped soft bun. 
• The Fiery Maharastrian Red Garlic Chutney 
• The Wet Hari Chutney comprising of dhaniya, green chillies and garlic 
• Sweet Tamarind Chutney, used sometimes
• A whole Fried Green chilli sprinkled with salt

So this is how I approach making a Vada Pav from scratch. I usually have some potatoes and garlic in my pantry. I also have basic spices, nuts and frozen grated coconut. Here, I must tell you, that you can’t really fix the craving instantly! *shrugs* It is a process and this is how it’s done:

Making everything from scratch can be an overwhelming process but once you get acquainted with this flowchart, it’s pretty simple from there. Incase you don’t have Pav buns and still want to have Vada Pav, you’ll be glad to know that white sliced bread doesn’t disappoint either.

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Here’s how I make Vada Pav at home

Ingredients

Pav Buns

For the Batata Vada:

• Potatoes, 3-4
• Green Chilli, 3-4 or more if you can tolerate the heat
• Garlic, 4-5 cloves
• Heeng (Asafoetida), a few pinches
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves, a few sprigs
• Besan (chickpea flour), 4 tablespoons
• Filtered Water as needed (for the besan batter)
• Red Chilli Powder, 1/2 teaspoon or more (for the batter)
• Cornflour, 1-2 teaspoons (optional)
• Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon 
• Vegetable Oil for frying

For the Maharashtrian Red Garlic Chutney: 

• Grated Coconut, 1/4 cup
• Garlic, 4-6 cloves
• Peanuts, 2 tablespoons
• Sesame Seeds, 2-3 teaspoons
• Dried Kashmiri Mirch (Red Chilli), 6-8
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder, 2 teaspoons (optional, if you like it hot!)
• Salt to taste
• Oil, 1- teaspoons

For the Green Chutney:

• Fresh Coriander leaves, a bunch or 2 cups, with stalks
• Garlic, 2-3 cloves
• Green Chillies, 3-4 
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste
• Cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon

Other Optionals:

Sweet Tamarind Chutney

Fried and Salted Green Chillies

Method

Start by placing the potatoes in a pressure cooker for boiling. Pressure cook till the cooker just starts to whistle. Take off heat and work on the chutneys till the pressure cooker releases steam naturally.

The Maharashtrian Red Garlic Chutney

In a heavy bottomed Kadhai, dry roast the coconut, peanuts and sesame seeds for 4-5 minutes on medium low flame. You may use a teaspoon of coconut oil for cooking this but it’s optional. Once the coconut is toasty and changes colour to a slight brown, take off heat and transfer to a plate to cool.

Peel and smash the garlic cloves.

Now in the same Kadhai, pour a few teaspoons of vegetable oil and let it heat. Once hot, add the whole Kashmiri red chilli and the smashed garlic cloves and cook on medium low heat for 2 minutes. 

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Once you take this off heat, throw in some red chilli powder if you want the chutney to be extra red and hot. 

Finally,  transfer the coconut, peanuts, sesame and garlic, chilli mix in a grinder and process till a coarse crumbly powder is formed. Take care to do this step once these contents are cool as they may affect your processor if they are too hot.

This chutney is also great with some roti or paratha. You can store this in an air tight container in the fridge for a week to ten days, if you can make it last that long. 🙂

Hari Chutney

We have featured a fantastic Green Chutney on the blog before. You may use that chutney here as well. But for Vada Pav chutney, I add no mint or onions and throw in a whole lot of Chillies to make it extra hot.

To start with the hari chutney, wash the fresh coriander leaves thoroughly in some cold water. Remove stalks and leaves that don’t look clean or fresh. Remove the roots and chop the stalks and leaves roughly.

Peel and smash the garlic cloves and slice the green chillies.

In a mixie or a food processor bowl, throw in the coriander leaves and stalks, garlic cloves, green chilli, cumin seeds and salt with a little water. Process till a smooth paste is formed. Take out in a bowl and refrigerate until Vada Pavs have to be assembled.

Making the Batata Vada

Open the Pressure cooker which should have released the steam by now. 

Now, take a wide bowl and mix the besan, cornflour, salt, turmeric powder, baking soda and red chilli powder in it. Slowly add a small amounts of water and stir to make a thick batter. Stir well to avoid any lumps. 

Back to the boiled potatoes. Drain the boiled potatoes and peel them. Next, peel the garlic cloves and place in a mortar and pestle. Throw in green chillies and curry leaves next and pound them till they are mixed into a coarse paste.

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Frying the Batata Vada to a golden crisp

In a wide bottomed kadhai, add oil and place on medium high heat. 

Once the oil is hot, add the heeng, mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Next, add the green chilli- garlic paste and cook for a minute or two. Add the turmeric and salt and give it a good stir. Now, add the boiled potatoes and mash them into the garlic green chilli tadka with a Potato masher to make a good mash. Stir well.

Now take this potato mash off heat and let it cool till it’s comfortable to handle. Divide into balls/ round patties evenly.

Place another kadhai to fry the Batata Vada now. Pour oil in the kadhai and place on medium high heat.

Once the oil is hot, which should be in around 3-5 minutes, prepare to fry the vadas. Dunk and coat the potato patty in the besan batter evenly and carefully place it in the hot oil. With the help of a skimmer, carefully move and turn till all sides are cooked to a golden brown. Skim out the fried extra batter as well and drain the Batata Vada and Churra on a paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the Vadas.

If you want to use fried green chillies, flash fry a handful in the same oil and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle some coarse salt on top and toss them well to coat them.

Assembling the Vada Pav

Gather the green chutney, Maharashtrian red garlic chutney and the tamarind chutney (if using) along with the Batata Vadas and the churra.

Slice a Pav bun in the middle with a bread knife to open it, but not all the way so that it is still attached. You may or may not heat it with some butter on a tawa. I prefer to skip that.

Place a spoonful each of the green and red garlic chutney and then press a batata vada and churra inside the bun.  Finally, place more red garlic chutney and a small drizzle of the tamarind chutney, followed by the fried green chilli, if using. Close the Pav and press gently. Repeat with other buns and Vadas.

Serve this Mumbai Vada Pav with some steaming hot Adrak wali chai.