Vada Pav, also known as Wada Pao or Batata Vada, is a fast-food snack dish popular in Maharashtra. Vada Pav along with Pav Bhaji are the two classic street-food dishes in Mumbai that locals will forever rave about. These two are definitely must-try items when in Mumbai. Vada Pav is a dish made with an Aloo Bonda or Pakoda, sandwiched in a toasted bun and a few green chillies. It is generally served with chutneys like Imli chutney or Pudina chutney. The street dish is so popular now that it is served all over the country in countless restaurants!
The history of Vada Pav can be traced back to the 1960s when Balasaheb Thackeray urged Maharashtrians to become business owners much like South Indians who had Udupi restaurants to their name. This is when Ashok Vaidya was inspired to set up his own stall at a railway station which is where he invented and sold Vada Pav! And once the dish became a hit, many other business owners in the decades to follow also opened up Vada Pav stalls thereby making it popular.
During lazy afternoons or when hunger pangs drive you crazy between meals, a delicious Vada Pav can be your saviour. However, if you don’t trust street vendors with hygiene and the quality of their ingredients, preparing a Bombay-style Vada Pav at home is a great option. There are several ready to eat products that can help you save time in making this special dish. Out of this, ITC Master Chef Frozen Snacks is one exceptional brand that produces a varying range of frozen snacks including ITC Master Chef Mumbai Vada Pops. This contains Mumbai-style vadas in small round shapes which can be used to add to Pav and create tasty Vada Pavs.
Here is the full Mumbai Style Vada Pav recipe that you can use to make exciting Vada Pav at home:
Ingredients
- 4 Boiled and mashed potato
- 2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 2 tsp Garlic Paste
- 2 Chopped green chillies
- 2 tsp Haldi or turmeric powder
- 4 tbsp Besan or Bengal Gram Flour
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 cup of water
- Oil to fry
- Curry leaves as required
- Chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 4 tbsp Rice flour
- ½ tsp Hing
- 4 tsp Butter
- Salt to taste
- Pav as required
Procedure:
- Take boiled potatoes in a bowl. Cool them before mashing them together. Then add spices like salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, coriander leaves, lemon juice etc. Here you can even add frozen corn, or other veggies if you feel like making it healthier or more wholesome for your family. Mix well and set it aside for a few minutes.
- Now to fry the vadas, we must prepare the Besan batter. Take the required Besan in a saucepan. Add turmeric, spice, rice flour, Hing, salt and water and mix till a thick batter is formed.
- In another vessel, heat oil. Make balls of the potato mixture and dip them in the besan batter before frying them in hot oil. Repeat this process till the mixture is finished.
- Use paper towels to rid the Vadas of any excess oil.
- Toast pavs or buns with butter and cut them open. Add mint chutney to the base of the Vada Pav. Then place the Vada on the Pav and add a green chilly or two before closing the bun. Enjoy it hot!
