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Vada Pav
Vada pav is an Indian potato ball or patty, laced with spices, green chili, and garlic. It's dipped into a besan batter and deep fried.
Servings:
4
people
Calories:
195 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Indian
Ingredients
- 10 soft buns , pav
For vadas
- 3 potato about 20 oz / 600 g, boiled, large, waxy
- 2 onion about 10 oz / 300 g, diced, large
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ginger 1 inch / 3 cm piece, fresh
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 green chilies
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
For the coating
- 1½ cup chickpea flour besan, Indian
- 1 tablespoon rice flour (or cornstarch)
- 1 pinch baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon chili
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder
- salt , to taste
- 1 cup water , or more
For frying
- vegetable oil , for deep frying
For the tamarind chutney
- 4 tablespoons tamarind pulp
- 2 tablespoons molasses (or powdered jaggery)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
For the garlic chutney
- ½ cup desiccated coconut dry
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Vadas
- Roughly mash the boiled and peeled potatoes.
- Roughly chop the ginger, garlic and green chili, then pound or blitz without water to a coarse paste.
- Heat the oil in a pan. Add the diced onions and sauté on medium heat until transparent.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and chili paste to it, reduce heat to low, and stir-fry for a few seconds to reduce the raw smell.
- Add to it the turmeric, coriander, and cumin powders. Stir to mix well.
- Add the mashed potatoes, sugar, and salt. Stir and cook for about a minute to mix all well.
- Remove to a bowl, add the lime juice & chopped coriander, and mix well. Allow the vada mixture to cool.
- To make the vadas, set a deep frying pan with the oil to heat.
- In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the coating.
- Slowly add water little by little and whisk so that no lumps form. Add enough water to make a batter like that of a pancake, runny but thick.
- Using moistened hands, take a lemon-sized ball of the vada mix and roll it in the palm. Press the ball slightly to get a round, flattened patty with even edges.
- Make 3 to 4 patties at a time and place them on a lightly oiled plate.
- Drop a small bit of chickpea batter in the oil to check the heat. It should rise immediately.
- Thereafter maintain the heat by reducing the flame to medium.
- Drop a patty in the batter, with a spoon pour some batter over the top. The vada should be coated evenly with the batter on both sides. Batter should be of a consistency getting a few millimeters (⅛ inch) of coating, not too thick.
- Remove with a wider spoon, and drop it gently into the oil, or use the fingers for coating with the batter, and carefully slide the vada into the oil. A large bowl of water is needed to wash the fingers after each batch, and a dark-colored tea towel to dry.
- Depending on how large the pan is, fry 2 to 4 vadas per batch.
- Flip over once, and fry the vadas to a light golden color on both sides. Remove the small tidbits of chickpea batter, that may separate and float.
- Remove the vadas to a plate lined with kitchen paper, and finish frying all the rest.
- Fry the chili peppers for a few seconds, if used as accompaniment last.
- Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Salt them.
Cup of Yum
Assembly
- Cut the bun in half, keeping it intact at one end.
- Brush 2 tsp of tamarind chutney on one side. Place the Vada on it and lightly press to flatten a bit.
- Add the garlic chutney on top of the vada. Add a fried chili on top of the vada, or at the side of the plate.
- Fold over the bun to form a burger.
Tamarind chutney
- Mix all the ingredients.
- Add some water to make it a bit runny. Chutney should taste sour, sweet, with a hint of chili, and salty. Adjust accordingly.
Garlic chutney
- Blitz all the ingredients in a small blender to powder.