Vada Pav - Indian Street Food

Step 1: Prepare Potatoes

Empty the bag of potatoes into a large pot. Wash the potatoes thoroughly with water until clean. Transfer the washed potatoes to another large pot and place it over a wood fire. Boil the potatoes until they are tender, approximately 20-30 minutes. Once boiled, remove the potatoes from the hot water and let them cool slightly. Peel the skin off all the boiled potatoes. Mash the peeled potatoes using potato mashers until smooth.

Step 2: Prepare Coriander and Turmeric

Wash the fresh coriander leaves thoroughly. Finely chop the washed coriander leaves. Grind fresh turmeric root on a stone grinder with a little water to form a smooth paste.

Step 3: Temper Spices for Potato Filling

Place a large kadai (wok) over the wood fire. Pour cold-pressed sesame oil into the kadai and heat it. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Add the hand-ground turmeric paste and sauté for a minute. Add curry leaves and asafoetida powder, stirring well.

Step 4: Cook Potato Filling

Add the mashed potatoes to the kadai with the tempered spices. Mix everything thoroughly with a large wooden spatula. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the potato mixture. Add crystal salt to taste and the fine chopped coriander leaves. Continue to mix and cook the potato filling for about 5-7 minutes until all ingredients are well combined and heated through.

Step 5: Form Potato Vadas

Take small portions of the cooked potato mixture and roll them into small, round balls. Place the potato balls on a large tray.

Step 6: Prepare Gram Flour Batter

In a large pot, add gram flour. Gradually add water while mixing by hand to form a smooth, thick batter. Ensure there are no lumps. Add crystal salt to the batter and mix well. The batter should be of a consistency that coats the potato balls evenly.

Step 7: Deep Fry Vadas and Green Chillies

Heat a generous amount of cold-pressed sesame oil in another large kadai over the wood fire for deep frying. Dip each potato ball into the gram flour batter, ensuring it's fully coated. Carefully place the batter-coated potato balls into the hot oil. Deep-fry the vadas until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove the fried vadas using a slotted spoon and place them on a tray. Slit the green chilies lengthwise. Deep-fry the green chilies in the same oil until they are slightly blistered. Remove the fried green chilies and place them on a separate tray.

Step 8: Assemble Vada Pav

Take a pav bun and slice it horizontally, but not all the way through, creating a pocket. Sprinkle a pinch of red chili powder inside the bun. Add a spoonful of green chutney (mint-coriander) inside the bun. Place one fried potato vada inside the bun. Add one fried green chili alongside the vada. Close the bun to complete the Vada Pav. Repeat the process for all the pav buns and vadas.

Step 9: Serve

Serve the freshly prepared Vada Pavs to the residents of the old age home, accompanied by fresh fruits.

• Ensure potatoes are boiled until tender but not mushy for best mashing consistency.

• Adjust the amount of green chilies and red chili powder according to your spice preference.

• Fry the vadas until golden brown and crispy for a perfect texture.

• Add finely chopped onions to the potato mixture for extra flavor and crunch.

• Experiment with different chutneys like garlic chutney or tamarind chutney.