Flavors of Mumbai

Vada Pav Recipe, How to make Mumbai Vada Pav Recipe | Mumbai Street food

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Vada Pav Recipe with step by step instructions. Vada Pav is the most popular street food of Mumbai. It is also known as the Desi Burger. Vada is a deep fried potato savory and pav (buns). Vada Pav is served with two kinds of chutney, a dry red chutney powder and fried green chilies. This snack is popular with people of all age groups.

Vada Pav Recipe, How to make Mumbai Vada Pav Recipe | Mumbai Street food

It is also easily available at colleges, schools, office canteens, on the streets and restaurants all over Mumbai. The best Vada Pav you get in Mumbai are at Dadar and M.G. Road-camp, Pune. I have always loved to binge on them since my childhood and it makes me so happy to share this recipe with everyone. Making Vada Pav is actually easy as the chutneys could be made in advance.

In Mumbai, you also get jumbo sized Vada Pavs for the hungry stomachs. Nowadays you also see vendors adding an onion slice, sauce etc giving a modern touch of burgers to desi Vada Pavs ;). They are a filling breakfast to some, a snack and dinner to others. It is a savory enjoyed by people of all races, class and caste.

Mumbai Vada Pav Recipe

You could make the Pavs at home or buy from outside. It’s a joyous moment to eat hot vada pavs during the monsoon with a hot cup of tea. I make them a lot at home and it tastes much better along with being more clean than the outside ones. I love to have some chopped onion on my Vada Pav and also some nylon sev alongside. Yum! 🙂

Mumbai Vada Pav Recipe

 Green chutney, sweet chutney, dry red chutney and fried chilies are made along with the vada pav.

Vada Pav Recipe and the printable version below:

Vada Pav Recipe, How to make Mumbai Vada Pav | Mumbai Street food
Recipe Type: Side, Main
Cuisine: Indian
Author: Maria@flavorsofmumbai.com
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Vada Pav is the most popular street food of Mumbai. This vada pav recipe is easy and the chutneys could be made in advance.
Ingredients
  • [b]For the green chutney:[/b]
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 cup coriander leaves
  • 1/4th cup mint leaves (optional)
  • 3-4 green chilies or as required
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 lime juice
  • Black salt as per taste
  • [b]For the sweet chutney:[/b]
  • 1 cup pitted dates (khajoor)
  • 2 tbsp tamarind pulp (imli)
  • 1/2 t/s kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1/2 cup jaggery powder (gur)
  • 1/2 t/s fennel powder
  • 1 t/s roasted cumin powder
  • 1/4th t/s garam masala powder
  • 1/4th t/s black salt (kala namak)
  • 1 and 1/2 cup water or as consistency required
  • salt as required
  • [b]For the red dry chutney:[/b]
  • 1 cup garlic cloves chopped coarsely
  • 1/4th cup desiccated coconut
  • 1/4th cup roasted groundnut
  • 1 tbsp coriander seed
  • 2 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • salt as per taste
  • [b]For the vadas:[/b]
  • 3 cups oil + 1 tbsp oil for tempering
  • 4-5 medium sized potatoes
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 1 t/s mustard seed (rai)
  • 1 t/s cumin seed (optional)
  • a pinch of asofoetida (hing)
  • 1/2 t/s turmeric powder
  • 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
  • 2-3 green chilies chopped finely
  • 1/2 inch ginger chopped finely (optional)
  • 1 t/s chat masala
  • 1 t/s coriander seed powder
  • 1/2 t/s garam masala powder
  • salt as per taste
  • [b]For the batter:[/b]
  • 2 cups of sifted gram flour
  • 1 cup water or as required
  • 1/2 t/s turmeric powder (haldi)
  • 1 t/s cooking soda
  • 1/2 t/s red chili powder (optional)
  • salt as per taste
  • [b]Other Ingredient:[/b]
  • 8-10 pav (bread)
  • 1 chopped onion (optional)
  • 3-4 green chilies
Instructions
[b]Preparing Green Chutney:[/b]
  1. Grind everything in a blender with water until smooth paste is formed. Place it aside.
[b]Preparing Red Chutney:[/b]
  1. Boil tamarind and dates in water for 3-4 mins. Allow to cool and remove if any seed.
  2. Grind them with a cup of water until smooth.
  3. Take a pan and add the puree.
  4. Add 1/2 cup water and mix nicely.
  5. Also add jaggery powder, spice powder and salt.
  6. Mix and simmer for 4-5 mins, allow to thicken.
  7. Switch off the gas and allow to cool.
[b]Preparing Red dry chutney:[/b]
  1. Take little oil on a pan. Fry the garlic for 2 mins on low heat.
  2. Also add the desiccated coconut, roasted groundnut and coriander seeds.
  3. Saute for 2 mins and add salt.
  4. Now pestle it with a mortar until coarse mixture is formed.
  5. Place it aside.
[b]Preparing the filling:[/b]
  1. Firstly boil the potatoes until tender and cooked. Peel and mash them.
  2. In a pan take oil once hot add curry leaves, mustard seed, cumin seed and hing.
  3. Add this mixture to the mashed potatoes.
  4. Also add all spice powder, coriander leaves, chilies, ginger and salt.
  5. Combine all nicely. Make medium sized balls and gently flatten them with your palm.
  6. Place aside.
[b]Preparing the vadas:[/b]
  1. Prepare the batter by mixing all the ingredients. The batter should be smooth and thick enough to coat the vadas.
  2. Place a pan with oil on high heat. Once oil is hot reduce to medium.
  3. Dip the vadas in the batter and coat from all sides.
  4. Fry until golden brown and crisp from all sides.
  5. Slit the pav from center. Apply the green chutney, sweet chutney on both sides of the pav.
  6. Also put some dry red chutney. Top some chopped onion if using.
  7. Lastly fry some green chilies.
  8. [b]Serve your vada pavs hot with a cup of tea.[/b]
Notes
1. The batter has to be thick for the coating of vadas. Please don’t add too much water.[br]2. Add chilies, spices as per your taste.[br]3. If you don’t have patience to make chutneys, just make the vada pav and eat with chili sauce.

Comments

  1. Hi – I’m from Canada and am interested in trying this recipe for an upcoming party. One question – does the measurement “t/s” stand for tablespoon or teaspoon? I’m thinking teaspoon, but just want to confirm.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  4. For the chutney is says boil tamarind or dates for 3 mins…can u use either? Not both right?

    Reply

    • Wayne thankyou for highlighting actually you have to use both dates and tamarind. Have made the required changes hope this help’s you.

      Reply

  9. Hello mam, thanks for this recipe, i have made it three times and got praise because of you. I hace got a question and i hope u will reply to it- while deep frying , sometimes foods like pakoras, bhaturas and these vadas they stick to the bottom of kadai , why this happens even though the oil is hot? your tip will be great help to me.

    Reply

    • Thankyou Meenakshi for trying the vada pav pleased to know you got lot of praises 🙂 …….. Meenakshi the oil needs to be hot also you need to add few pakoras or vadas while frying otherwise they get stuck to the bottom. Give enough space and enough oil to deep fry them. Hope this helps you.

      Reply

  10. I am making this for tonight but i am confused do we have to use 1tsp. of baking soda in besan batter.

    Thanks.

    Reply

  11. Your typical Mumbai recipes are the best Maria.. every time I visit your blog, I bookmark atleast 5 recipes for later use 🙂

    Reply

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