The Vada Pav is probably close to the top of the list of perfect foods to be eaten on the go. While I am sure there have been many paeans devoted to the Vada Pav, this post does not involve itself with them. Here we shall learn how to make the perfect vada pav.
The ignorant boor would say whats the big deal? Its just a potato fritter between two slices of bread. Ahhh Jimmy...., you have so much to learn yet..... read on and we might make a sensible person out you yet.....
Obviously a vada pava consists of a vada, a pav and some condiments to be applied sparingly. A vada being a potato fritter. A pav is a roll similar in some ways to dinner roll but not very crusty. I remember reading that it is made like a sourdough bread, not sure how true this is. The usual suspects in terms of condiments are a cilantro chutney and a garlic chutney.
To make the perfect vada pavs, you obviously need pavs. Buns, brioches, crusty italian loafs etc.. just wont do it at all.
If you are among the lucky few who live where a Hot Breads is located or the friendly anda-pav walla shows up at your door, thank your stars and offer blessings to whoever you offer them to.
If you live in Bombay, then why are you trying to make them at home, they are fairly easily available. I could start a war by trying to name THE best vada pav in Bombay. But I will say that Krishna Vada Pav located in Dadar TT and another place in Thana (whose name I have forgotten), 5 minutes from the station produce something close to Vada Pav Nirvana. I have also heard good reviews about vada pav walla outside Kirti/Saathye/FuckKnows_What_Its _Called_Now College and Mithibai.(There ....now, I await the slaughtering). Well anyways for some reason you want to make them at home....read on...
If you happen to live in Minneapolis, well... you can drown your sorrow in lite beer.
No seriously..... (dont you just hate people who say no seriously...), in a pinch one can use hamburger buns. Just get good quality ones, not the Wonder Bread variety and toast them lightly. Filipino/Latino stores sell Pan De Sal which is better than hamburger buns but might not be as readily available. Dinner rolls sold in just about every supermarket will also do the job.
Now we need to talk about potatos, for they are the star of the vada pav. Get good quality russet potatos or Idaho potatos. Look for clean, smooth, well-shaped potatoes. Potatoes should feel firm, the "eyes"--the buds from which sprouts can grow--few and shallow, and the skins free of cracks, wrinkles, or dampness. Reject potatoes with black spots, bruises, or other discolorations.
So now we have potatos for the vada and we have also procured the pav by some means.
On to the recipe...
Garlic Chutney:
I bought the Garlic Chutney from a random grocery store. Its basically red chillies, coconut and garlic ground together with salt. You might be able to find it in your Indian grocery store. If not, I dont know how to make it yet so I cant provide a recipe here. Ask for Lasoon Chutney or Lasoon ball.
Dhania (Cilantro) Chutney:
One needs dhania chutney to wet the pav a little and provide some nice cilantro freshness.
2 cups Cilantro coarsley chopped
1 pod Garlic
5 - 6 Green Chillies
20 leaves Mint
3/4 tsp (To Taste) Salt
1/2 Lime
Grind together in your favorite grinder. Once its smooth, take it out and add the juice from 1/2 a lime. Taste for salt.
Vada:
Made from dipping potato filling in a besan (Chick Pea Flour) batter and deep frying.
Potato Filling:
5 (600 - 700 gms) Potatos Medium Sized
7 Garlic Pods
7 (Or to taste) Green Chillies
3 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 cup (Or to taste) Cilantro(Dhania)finely chopped
1 tsp Salt (add more after tasting)
1. Boil or Microwave potatos till they are cooked completely. Cool.
2. Grind the garlic and green chillies to a coarse paste.
3. Mash the potatos and remember not to overwork the potatos. They will become gluey if you mash them way too much.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan at medium heat.
5. Fry the garlic/chilli paste for about 30 seconds
6. Add the turmeric and stir the mixture. If the garlic has begun to brown already turn the heat down a bit.
7. Add salt
8. Now add the mashed potatos and turn the heat off. Mix well so the fried garlic paste is incorporated well into the mashed potatos.
9. Add the cilantro now and mix throughly.
10. Form into lime sized balls and keep aside.
Batter:
1 cup Besan(Chick Pea Flour)
1tsp Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric
3/4 cup Water
1/2 tsp Salt
Mix Besan, chilli powder, salt and turmeric together in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and mix. Add more water till the mixture is the consistency of an egg white ie., not stiff but not very thin either. If you screw up and add too much water just add a few spoons of the besan till you reach the correct consistency.
Vada:
Heat 2 (two) cups of peanut or corn oil in a kadai or wok at medium heat. If you dont have a kadai or a wok, use a tall saucepan.
Heat to about 400 F, this will mean waiting for at least 5 minutes. To test, place a small drop of the batter in the oil. It should almost immediately float to the top in a rush of bubbles.
Now take the previously formed balls of potato stuffing and dip in the batter. Make sure that the ball is covered completely. Here is where the consistency of the batter makes all the difference. A thin batter will just slip off the stuffing and a thick one will make dipping the ball painfully sticky.
Now carefully and I urge you one more time carefully, place the coated ball in the hot oil. You should be able to fry about 4 of them simultaneously.
When the coating is a nice reddish brown colour, take them out with a fine strainer.
Make sure you drain as much of the oil as possible and turn out onto double layers of paper towel. If your oil was hot enough, the vadas should not be oily and the fried batter should taste crisp and distinctly un-oily. My pet peeve with most restaurants is that they rarely wait till the oil is hot. At 250 F the vada will turn out like yesterdays spring roll. You should use that to to fix squeaky hinges.
Once you are done with frying all the vadas. Turn the heat off and place about 5 -6 green chillies in the hot oil. Remove within 5 - 10 seconds. At any rate before they start exploding.
Vada Pav Assembly:
1. Cut the pavs in half.
2. Apply the dhania chutney on one half
3. Sprinkle the garlic chutney on the other
4. Place the vada on one of the halfs
5. Close the halfs together so that the vada flattens.
6. Serve with the lightly fried green chillies for extra heat.
7. Enjoy!!
I'll try to add photos as soon as I can.
