Vada Pav Sandwich Recipe

Vada Pav Sandwich Recipe

Of Maharashtrian origin, the vada pav is a very popular Indian street food
snack, consisting of spiced deep fried potato, garnished with various
chutneys. The credit for invention often goes to a man named Ashok Vaidy,
who slung his wares from a stall outside Dadar station in 1971. Beats a
soggy sandwich on the train home from work, huh?

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SPICED POTATO MIXTURE:

2 fresh green chilies, finely chopped (seeded or not is up to you)
1 garlic clove, crushed
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida (optional)
10 (fresh or dried) curry leaves
1lb 2oz (500g) cold mashed potatoes
½ tsp ground turmeric
Sea salt, to taste
4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

FOR THE SWEET CHUTNEY:

6 dried dates
½ tsp tamarind purée

FOR THE DRY GARLIC CHUTNEY:

10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp peanut (groundnut) oil, plus extra for frying
½ cup (35g) dry unsweetened (desiccated) coconut
1 tsp chili powder

FOR THE GREEN CHUTNEY:

A large bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander)
A handful of fresh mint leaves
About 5 fresh green chilies, chopped (seeded or not is up to you)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp vegetable oil

FOR THE BATTER:

Generous 1 cup (100g) chickpea/besan (gram) flour

¼ tsp ground turmeric

A pinch of baking powder

Scant 1/3 cup (80ml) water

5 soft white rolls, split open, to serve

Fried fresh green chilies, to serve (optional)

To make the spiced potato mixture, mash together the chilies, garlic, and ginger. Heat the

vegetable oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, and cook until they pop. Add the

asafoetida, if using, and the curry leaves and cook for 10 seconds. Add the chili/ginger

paste and cook for 10 seconds. Add the mashed potatoes, turmeric, and salt, then add

the cilantro (coriander) and mix well. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the chutneys.

To make the sweet chutney, soak the dates in warm water for about 20 minutes, then

remove the pits (stones). Whizz the dates in a blender with the tamarind purée and a

splash of water to form a tomato sauce-like consistency. Set aside.

To make the dry garlic chutney, gently caramelize the whole garlic cloves in a frying pan

with a little peanut (groundnut) oil. Add the coconut, stirring until golden. Blend together

with the chili powder and the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Season with salt. Set

aside.

To make the green chutney, blend the cilantro, mint, green chilies, and lemon juice

together with a splash of water. Add the vegetable oil, plus some salt, and blend to mix.

Set aside.

To shape and cook the potato mixture, pour vegetable oil for deep-frying into a deep

frying pan or an electric deep-fat fryer and heat to 350°F (180°C). Shape the spiced

potato mixture into balls (to make about 20 balls).

To make the batter, mix all the batter ingredients together, then dip each potato ball in the

batter. Deep-fry the balls in batches for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until

golden brown all over. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve

hot.

Serve the warm potato balls in the white rolls with the chutneys and fried green chilies, if

using.