Vada Pav
- Type: Street Food
- Place of Origin: India
- Region and State: Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Main Ingredients: Mashed boiled potatoes, spices, bread bun, gram flour, oil
When we talk about Maharashtra the things which come to our mind are the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Gateway of India, Haji Ali Dargah, and Juhu Beach but one thing without which we can’t fully describe Mumbai, Maharashtra is Vada Pav, the major love of Mumbaikars and Maharashtrians. Vada Pav, a vegetarian street food originating in Mumbai, Maharashtra is a go-to food for Mumbai people and also claimed to be a part of Mumbai. Vada Pav is made with boiled potato and spices mixture shaped in a small ball shape, coated in a gram flour batter, deep fried, and served hot by placing it inside Pav along with green chili or chutney. Vada Pav is also called Bombay Burger.
Invented in 1966 by Ashok Vaidya and Sudhakar Mhatre, there are many theories of how the Vada Pav came into existence. One of the most common theories of Vada Pav’s origin is that it was made in the erstwhile mill heartland of Central Mumbai. In 1966, a person named Ashok Vaidya from Dadar started the first Vada Pav stall outside the Dadar Railway Station. According to some sources, Sudhakar Mhatre was the person, who started his Vada Pav business in 1966. There are some theories that state that one of the earliest booths, selling Vada Pav was the Khidki Vada Pav, located in Kalyan. In the late 1960s, a Vaze family started to hand out vada pavs from a window (Khidki) of their house facing the road.
Making of Vada Pav
Potatoes, onions, green chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, Asafoetida, Turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, coriander leaves, gram flour, baking soda
- In a pot, boil 3-4 potatoes and mash them. Keep aside
- In a pan heat 1 tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds and 7-8 curry leaves and cook it until it leaves fragrance.
- Add ¼ tsp asafoetida, and mix it well then add 2 sliced onions, and 2 chopped green chilies, and sauté it until the onions become translucent, then add ¼ tsp of turmeric powder, salt to taste, and a little water and mix well
- Now add 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste, mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the mashed potatoes, and a little water and cook for 3-4 minutes then add 1 tsp of sugar and mix everything well until it combines
- Turn off the flame and remove the mixture to a plate and let it cool
- Now in a bowl take 1 ½ cups of gram flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, ¼ turmeric powder, salt to taste, and the required amount of water and whisk well with a whisker to form a lump-free thick batter and keep aside
- Now take the boiled potato mixture prepared before and add 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves and make small balls of the mixture.
- Dip the small balls in the batter and deep fry them till it turns crisp and golden
- Now take out the vadas and place them in absorbent paper to drain extra oil.
- Place vadas inside the Pav
- Serve hot Vada Pav with green chili and chutney.
Nutritional Content
One plate of Vada Pav serves 197 calories. Out of which carbohydrates consist of 136 calories, proteins account for 26 calories and the rest calories come from fat which is 36 calories. One plate of Vada Pav provides about 10% of the total daily calorie required for a standard adult diet of 2,000 calories.
Video
Vada Pav
Vada Pav, made with boiled potato and spices mixture shaped in a small ball shape, coated in a gram flour batter, deep fried, and served hot by placing it inside Pav along with green chili or chutney. This dry and tasty Vada Pav is the best Street food to have for a random evening walk.
