Vada Pav is very famous fast food snack in Mumbai and it is made with spicy potato filling and deep fried with flour batter (besan).  Deep fried potato ball is called Vada (Aloo Vada) and Indian bakery bread is called Pav.  Vada and Pav are served with dry and wet sauces which are called Chutney.

The best way to experience Vada Pav is to eat it fresh and hot.  Vada Pav is available at all the railway stations and every other corner of Mumbai. Vada Pav is originally Maharashtrian dish but it is also enjoyed by people from all other cultures.  Last time when I visited New York, I was surprised to find people eating Vada Pav!  Let me show you how to make this Indian Burger.

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients Required for Vada Pav Recipe:

For the vada filling you will need:

• 4 medium potatoes (boiled)
  
• 2 green chillies
• 10-12 garlic pods
• 1 inch ginger piece
• 8 to 10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp mustered seeds (Rai)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 2 tsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp oil

For the outer covering of vada you will need:

• 2 cups besan (Bengal gram flour)
• 4 pinch’s baking soda
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste

For serving of vada pav you will need:

• Dry Garlic Chutney
  
• 6 Pav ‘s
• Few whole green chillies (fried)

How to make Vada Pav:

1. Let’s start making filling of vada first. Mash the boiled potatoes in a big bowl and keep aside. Pound the green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and garlic using a mortar and pestle.
   
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds starts crackling, add prepared pounded mixture and saute for a few seconds. Pour the crackling mixture over the mashed potatoes. Add salt, turmeric powder and chopped coriander leaves.
   
3. Mix all the ingredients very well and divide the mixture into 6 equal portions. Take some oil in your palms and make small round shaped balls.
   
4. Let’s start making outer covering of vada. Mix the besan, baking soda, red chilli powder and salt in a big bowl. Slowly add water for making a lump free and average consistency batter. (Tip: Use the chopper for mixing gram flour (besan), this will mix flour properly and will give you good consistency).  Make sure your batter is neither too thick nor too thin, it should be of average consistency.  Please note consistency is very important, If batter is too thick then your Aloo Vada will come out too hard and may remain uncooked from inside.  If consistency is too thin then outer shell of Aloo Vada will over fry and will get dark brown.
   
5. Keep the prepared balls and the batter ready for making vada’s. Heat good amount of oil in a frying pan. Dip each ball/round into the prepared Flour / Besan batter and coat it well from all the sides.
   
6. Deep fry in medium hot oil, till golden brown. Make sure oil is not too hot otherwise Vada will become brown.  Make sure, vada should be fried on a medium flame to get cooked very well from inside and outside. Cook aloo vada till it becomes golden brown.
   
7. Take out Aloo Vada from the pan and keep it aside for 2 minutes to cool.  Tip: you may take out Aloo Vada on tissue papers to suck out extra oil.  Slice the Pav from middle and serve your Aloo Vada with Dry Chutney and fry Mirchi.  Yummy!
   

Please let us know, how your Aloo Vada came out in comments section bellow.

Other References:

1. Vada Pav information at Wikipedia.
2. Aloo Vada is also called as Batata Vada. (Batata = Aloo)