Vada Pav | The ever famous Bombay ka street food

Vada Pav - Naam tho sunaa tha(a famous SRK dialogue ;) ) magar idar nahi mila. Only very few outlets in Chennai sell this simple, yummy street food. But nothing can beat the taste of the ones that you get from a vada pav wala seated by the streets of Mumbai. My dad lived in Mumbai in his early years and he used to tell us how tasty the VP's of Mumbai were. He used to tell that it was one of the staple food of Mumbaites and workers returning home used to munch on these, thus completing their dinner. Eating 2 or 3 VP's would subside the hunger, said he.

Growing up hearing to these stories, eating a Mumbai VP had always been a dream to me. A dream which came true when I visited my new born niece and nephew 2 years back. As soon as I set foot in Mumbai airport, I called up my uncle and asked him to get a couple of them. And he did it laughingly. God, those ppl didn't understand how much I craved for these. Went home, took a shower and freshened up. All through these times, my mind was racing towards the garama garam VP's. I wanted to have them hot with a cuppa chaai.

So finally when I sat back and took a bite out of it, ohhhh god. It was similar to a LAYS ad (No one can eat just one). Yeah, the hot and extreme spiciness suppressed by the tangy and sweet chutney cleaned the palate tickling the taste buds for more. I just loved it. When I came back, I missed the VPs more, than my relatives. After I started food blogging and got to know more dishes, I wanted to try this out but controlled the hotness as Mr.A is not a great fan of spicy dishes. Even then, he wanted something mildly sweet to wash it down and I made some mango milkshake.

Recipe Source :Tarla DalalMakes - 4 wholesome vada pavs ~*What U Need*~ Pav Buns - 4 Chat Chutneys: Red chutney - 1 tbsp for each pav Green chutney - 1 tbsp for each pav For the vadas : Potatoes - 2(Medium) Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Onion - 1(Medium) Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander leaves - 2 tsp(chopped) Hing powder - a pinch Salt - to taste Oil - 2 tsp For Vada outer coating: Gram flour - 1/4 cup Rice flour - 1 tbsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - to taste Oil - to deep fry

How I Made it:

The Vadas:
Pressure cook the potatoes for 2 - 3 whistles, peel the skin and mash it well. Chop the onions finely. Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and jeera and allow it to splutter. Add onions and saute till it turns lightly browned. Add ginger garlice paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
Add the chilli powder and saute for few mins. Then add mashed potatoes, turmeric powder and mix well. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Cool the mixture and combine well with hands. Make 4 equal balls.

The Vada coating:
Mix all the ingredients mentioned under the vada outer coating section. Add little water and bring it to a consistency similar to the bajjis' outer coating. U must be able to coat the vadas uniformly with this mixture. Take the balls, flatten them a bit, dip it into the flour mixture and deep fry it till golden brown

How I assembled the vada pav:
Cut the buns into halves using a serrated knife. Take care that one end is still intact with the other bun. Apply the green chutney to one side and red chutney to the other side. Keep the prepared vadas in between as shown and enjoy your vada pavs.

Tips:
If you make the chutneys before hand, then toasting the vada and assembling the vada pav is half an hours work.
You can store the chutneys till 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
If you want the vada pav to be more flavorful, you can toast the insides of the pav in butter. This makes the dish more rich and tasty. This is a suggestion from my huss which I think will surely work. Gonna try this next time.