Vada pav: is one of those things that feels impossible to get right at home… until you actually do it a few times. After burning a few batches and eating way too many test vadas, I finally got a version that tastes close enough to the roadside ones in Mumbai. Nothing complicated, no special equipment, just a normal kitchen.
This makes about 8–10 vada pavs.
Credit by AI Generated Img
What You Need
For the potato filling:
- 4–5 medium potatoes (boiled, peeled)
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 8–10 curry leaves
- 1 tsp ginger + green chilli (chopped or paste)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ¾–1 tsp red chilli powder
- Salt
- Small handful chopped coriander
- A squeeze of lemon (optional)
Credit by AI Generated Img
For the besan batter:
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- 2 tbsp rice flour (helps it get crisp)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- Tiny pinch of baking soda
- Salt
- Water (to make a medium-thick batter)
For the dry garlic chutney:
- 8–10 garlic cloves
- 4–5 dry red chillies (Kashmiri for colour, less heat)
- 1–2 tbsp dry/desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Salt
Credit by AI Generated Img
To assemble:
- 8–10 soft pav buns
- Green coriander chutney
- Tamarind chutney
- Fried green chillies (optional but very nice)
How to Make It
- Mash the boiled potatoes. Keep it a bit chunky – don’t turn it into paste.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, let them crackle. Add cumin, curry leaves, ginger-chilli. Give it 10 seconds.
- Add turmeric and red chilli powder, stir quickly so it doesn’t burn. Throw in the mashed potato + salt. Mix everything well for 2–3 minutes on medium flame.
- Finish with chopped coriander and a little lemon if you want. Let the mixture cool completely.
- Make lemon-sized balls from the potato mix, then flatten them slightly.
- For the batter: mix besan, rice flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Add water little by little until it’s thick enough to coat the potato ball but still flows a bit.
- Heat oil for deep frying (medium heat). Dip each flattened potato ball in batter, coat well, and slide into hot oil. Fry till golden, turning once or twice. For extra crispiness, give them a quick 20–30 second second fry on higher flame.
- Garlic chutney: Dry roast garlic cloves, dry red chillies, coconut and sesame seeds on low flame till you get a nice roasted smell (don’t burn the garlic). Cool it, then grind coarsely with salt. This is the most important part – don’t skip it.
- To assemble: Slit the pav from the side (don’t cut all the way through). Spread green chutney on one inner side, tamarind chutney on the other. Sprinkle a good amount of garlic chutney. Place the hot vada in the middle, press gently, and eat immediately.
Credit by AI Generated Img
Read More Recipes: How to Make Pav Bhaji at Home – The Ultimate Street-Style Recipe
That’s it. Eat it hot. Cold vada pav is just sad potato sandwich.
A few things I learned the hard way:
- Don’t make the batter too thin or the vada will soak up oil.
- Oil temperature matters – too hot and it burns outside, too cool and it gets oily.
- Steam the pav for 10 seconds in the microwave if they feel a bit dry.
- Make extra garlic chutney – it keeps in the fridge for 10–12 days.
Try it once and you’ll probably start craving it every weekend like we do.
