Vada Pav Recipe (Serves 3-4)

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Vada Pav is a very traditional Maharashtrian recipe which brings a lot of emotions, even with a single bite. Preparing Vada Pav is very easy and can be a very healthy & tasty snack to have as a quick bite.

Instructions:-

Overall ingredients used to make Vada Pav are:

FOR VADA –

• 3-4 large or 4-5 medium-sized potatoes (boil them evenly so that mashing them later becomes easier later).
• 3-4 large or 4-5 medium-sized onions (cut them into as tiny size as possible)
• 1 tablespoon of garlic paste
• 2-3 green chillies (if they are extra spicy then take only 1 or 2)
• 1 pinch of Turmeric & red chilly powder
• 1-2 pinches salt
• Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, 1-2 curry leaves, and chopped leaves
• 1-2 tablespoon oil

FOR BESAN BATTER COATING –

• 1/2 or 3/4 cup besan powder (quantity may vary according to the requirement)
• 1/2 tablespoon salt and turmeric respectively
• A pinch of baking soda for crispiness & flavor
• Take water about half the amount of besan
• 1 small spoon of medium-heated oil (to complement the baking soda and add extra spiciness to the vada for a longer time)

FOR PAV –

Along with the Vada, even some extra flavors can be added to the Pav to make the dish very interesting and delicious as a whole. These may involve the following steps –

• Take about 1/2 cups tamarind (sweet chutney) and 1/2 cups pudina (spicy chutney). The quantity of both chutneys may vary according to your taste and preference.
• Take a Pav bun and split it from between (make sure not to completely separate the Pav in 2 parts but just make some space for applying the chutneys).
• Apply both the sweet and spicy chutneys on each side of the Pav more or less, as you want.

Health Benefits of Ingredients Used in Vada Pav:-

Making Vada Pav as an afternoon or evening snack can not only be tasty but also healthy. Some of the health benefits of the ingredients used in making the Vada Pav are –

• Potatoes:

Along with carbohydrates, potatoes are also a rich source of Vitamin A. Eating potatoes gives nutrients to the body and helps in balancing the starch quantity of the body.

• Besan:

Besan is also known as Gram Flour and is very rich in fibre and protein. It is very good for people’s heart health. Even lactose-intolerant people can eat besan because it is completely and naturally gluten-free.

• Mustard Seeds:

Using mustard seeds can improve people’s digestion. With regular use, health problems concerning the stomach are highly reduced.

Step-By-Step Recipe of Making Vada Pav:-

Let’s walk through the detailed and step-by-step recipe for making a Vada Pav –

1. Take the collected quantity of onions and potatoes in one plate and chop them evenly.
2. Boil 1 tablespoon oil in a cooking pan until the flames are visible.
3. Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chopped green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, and some coriander leaves into the boiled oil. Once the color of the mixture is slightly red, add the evenly chopped onions and potatoes to it. Don’t forget to add salt to the mixture for proper taste.
4. Let this mixture cook and cool for sometime. Start mashing the mixture till it becomes even and all the potato pieces are mashed completely.
5. Take 1 tablespoon of oil and boil it again till it becomes mildly heated.
6. Take the besan in a container and add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, baking soda, and salt to it.
7. Add the medium-sized oil to this mixture, leave it for 1/2 to 1 minute and add water to it. Mix everything evenly and make a semi-liquid batter.
8. Now prepare small Vadas of the potato-onion mixture and roll it over in the batter evenly.
9. Boil 3-4 spoons of oil in the container and once it becomes medium-heated, start adding the Vadas covered with the besan batter and fry it till a uniform brown color appears on it.
10. Now take out the Vadas, stuff it inside a Pav (on which chutney is applied from the inside) & serve it with salted green chillies.

Special Instructions while making Vada Pav:-

While making tasty and crispy Vada Pav, make sure to keep in mind the below instructions –

• Don’t over-boil the oil before putting it in the besan batter.
• After putting the oil in the batter, don’t start mixing immediately. Let the oil rest and get absorbed in besan powder for 1/2 minute.
• While putting the besan dipped Vadas in hot oil, make sure not to get too close to the oil. Also, don’t put the Vadas from too far in the boiling oil, otherwise the hot oil will splash out and burn your hands miserably.
• Make sure to take out the Vada and dab it a little on a tissue paper before serving it on a plate to remove the extra unabsorbed oil from it.