Vada Pav – Vegan Doppleganger Burger

Pri and I spend our Sunday chit-chatting, the last time we met was in twenty o twelve when she visited my home back in Mumbai. Now she is back in Toronto, and much has happened since.

I got married, she signed up for a long-term position at work, and we both lost a lot of weight. But, a lot hasn’t changed, we are still the same in many ways, we’re still fierce, yogis, and we still get excited about talking about dogs, fashion, and of course food! And we still love eating vada pav once in a while. So in honor of our friendship, I made this batch of mini vada pav (Mumbai spiced potato balls tuck into fluffy soft buns). I also made an easy peasy sauce to soothe the spicy potato balls.

Hashim too loves this mini version of vada pav, so I wanted to make an easy recipe from scratch. I figured making two types of chutney aka sauce would take too long, so I streamlined it by making a single sauce with a similar punch of taste instead. Vada Pav is great for an evening snack or even a party appetizer, you can also add some grated cheese and boiled peas in a potato mixture but we love the traditional Mumbai style recipe.

Authentic Vada Pav Recipe

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Serves: 3-4 persons

Ingredients:

For Chutney:

1 cup cilantro

2 green chilies, chopped

2 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted form

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon curd, optional

Salt to taste

Dry Garlic Powder:

2 tablespoons cooking oil

½ cup garlic

1 cup coconut, grated

3 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder

Salt to taste

For Wada Pav:

3 large potatoes, peeled-boiled-mashed

2 cups cooking oil

1 cup chickpea flour

½ cup water

¼ teaspoon baking soda

3-4 green chilies, finely chopped (adjust heat as per your pref.)

1-inch ginger, grated

¼ teaspoon mustard seeds

¼ teaspoon asafetida

10 curry leaves, chopped

3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

6 soft mini buns or pav

Method:

Dry chutney: In a skillet, warm cooking oil and throw in garlic cloves. Allow it to fry until they catch a tint of brown shade. Remove once done on a paper towel.

Continue to the same skillet, and roast freshly grated coconut for about a few minutes until they become brown in texture.

Into a blender, add golden coconut as well as garlic cloves, salt, and 3 tablespoons of Kashmiri chili powder. Grind well into a coarse mixture. You can adjust salt and heat according to your choice.

Let’s move ahead with easy peasy chutney:

It’s simple – in a blender, put 1 cup of cilantro, curd, 2 roughly chopped green chilies, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, and ½ teaspoon sugar. Blend to a smooth sauce by adding a little amount of water. Finish by adding salt as per the taste, mix with a spoon and keep it refrigerated.

Chickpea batter: In a large bowl, add 1 cup chickpea flour, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and salt. Mix the powder well and add water until it forms a lump-free smooth paste. The consistency should be on the thicker side similar to the batter of pancakes. Cover the bowl and leave it aside for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over low-medium heat, add ¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Continue by adding chopped curry leaves and ¼ teaspoon asafetida. Immediately, add chopped green chilies, and an inch of grated ginger and give it a quick mix.

Add mashed potatoes, ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, and salt as per the taste. Remove from heat, mix into a smooth dough, let it cool for about 8 minutes, and form a decent size of balls. Set aside and repeat with the remaining dough.

In a deep wok, heat 1 and a half cups of cooking oil, take one potato ball aka vada and drop it gently into the chickpea batter. Slowly, slide it down into the hot cooking oil over medium heat.

Repeat the step with the remaining potato balls, and fry for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until balls are crisp and golden brown.

How to Serve Vada Pav:

Arrange all the buns in a row, open their mouths, spread sweet and spicy chutney and dry powder, press warm vada in the center, and gently close their mouths. Serve with chutney and ketchup on the side, if desired. Enjoy!