Vada Pav

Vada Pav is a very popular street food in India. Road side food joints of Bombay is the best place to get this yummy and filling snack. This is a home made version of the vada pav. Vada pav is basically batata vada served with spicy chutney and bread/pav.I wanted to try this for quite some time and had book marked Tarala Dalal's vada pav recipe. I found pav bread in our Indian grocery and so decided to give it a try. If you are looking for fresh home made pav bread recipe, check here.

Ingredients
Pav- bread- 6

For the Vada filling
Cooked and mashed potatoes- 2 large
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Green chilly paste-3/4 tsp
Curry leaves -a few
Hing- 1/8 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp
mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

For the batter
Chick peas flour- 1 cup
Rice flour- 1 tsp
Baking soda- a pinch
salt to taste
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Hing- a pinch
Hot oil- 1 tsp
Oil for frying- 2 cup

Chilly garlic chutney
Coconut- 3/4 cup
Garlic- 8-10 pods
Hing- a pinch
Kashmiri chilly powder- 1 tbs
Oil- 1 tsp
salt to taste

For the green chutney
Coriander leaves- a hand full chopped
mint leaves- a hand full
Green chilly- 2
Ginger- 1 thin slice
Lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
salt to taste

To make green chutney add all the ingredients listed along with salt and lemon juice into a blender. Make a smooth paste and set aside.

To make the garlic chilly chutney. Heat a pan and add one tsp of oil. When it is hot add chopped garlic and coconut. Fry till it changes color to golden brown. Finally add chilly powder, hing and salt and stir for a few more seconds. Switch off the flame and let it cool down. Put this into a mixer and make this into a course powder.

To make the vada filling. Boil and mash potatoes and set aside.Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.When it splutters add curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and green chilly paste. Saute till the raw flavor disappears. Add hing and turmeric powder and then the boiled and mashed potatoes and mix well.When it cools down make small potato patties and set aside.

To make the batter. In heavy bottom pan heat two cups of oil. In a bowl add besan/gram flour, rice flour, pinch of baking powder, turmeric powder,hing and salt. Mix well. Add one tsp of hot oil and enough water to make a smooth batter. Whisk till there is no lumps and the batter should be neither too thick nor too thin. Take each potato patties and dip in this batter and gently slide into hot oil. Fry in medium heat till one side changes to golden brown. Flip to the other side and continue frying till both sides are evenly crispy in the outside. Drain into paper towels and set aside.Continue the process and fry the rest of the patties.

To assemble.Heat a tawa.Slice pav/bread into two slices.Coat with ghee and toast the bread. Spread a layer of green chutney and a layer of garlic chutney on both slices. Place one potato vada in the center and serve. Enjoy with tea.