Vada Pav - Indian Street Food

Step 1: Boil the Potatoes

Pour 8 kg of potatoes into a large vessel. Wash the potatoes thoroughly with water. Transfer the washed potatoes to a large pot and place it over a wood fire. Boil the potatoes until they are tender, checking periodically with a spoon (around 10-15 minutes).

Step 2: Peel and Mash Potatoes

Once the potatoes are boiled, remove them from the pot. Carefully peel the skin off all the potatoes. Place the peeled potatoes in a large tray and mash them using a potato masher until smooth. Ensure there are no large lumps.

Step 3: Prepare Turmeric Paste

Grind 100g of fresh turmeric on a traditional stone grinder to make a smooth paste. This paste will be used for tempering.

Step 4: Prepare the Potato Tempering

Place a large pan (kadai) over the wood fire. Add 200 ml of cold-pressed sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add 2 tbsp of mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then, add 2 tbsp of cumin seeds. Stir well. Add the hand-ground turmeric paste and a large bunch of curry leaves. Finally, add 1 tbsp of asafoetida powder and mix everything thoroughly.

Step 5: Combine Potatoes with Tempering

Add the mashed potatoes to the pan with the tempering. Mix vigorously with a large wooden spatula, ensuring the tempering is evenly distributed throughout the potatoes. Squeeze in the juice from 2 lemons, add crystal salt to taste, and sprinkle with 500g of fine chopped coriander leaves. Continue mixing until everything is well combined and heated through.

Step 6: Form Potato Balls (Vada)

Transfer the potato mixture to a large tray and allow it to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, take small portions of the potato mixture and roll them into uniform, bite-sized balls.

Step 7: Prepare Gram Flour Batter

In a large vessel, add 2.5 kg of gram flour. Gradually add water while mixing with your hand to form a smooth, thick batter. Add crystal salt to taste and mix until there are no lumps.

Step 8: Deep Fry the Vadas

Place a large kadai over the wood fire and pour in 7 liters of cold-pressed sesame oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, dip each potato ball into the gram flour batter, ensuring it's fully coated. Carefully drop the batter-coated potato balls into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon and place on a tray.

Step 9: Fry Green Chillies

While the vadas are frying, cut 500g of green chilies. Once the vadas are done, use the same hot oil to deep fry the green chilies until they are slightly blistered and softened. Remove and place on a separate tray.

Step 10: Prepare Pav Buns

Take 100-150 pav buns and carefully slice each bun horizontally, almost all the way through, creating a pocket for the filling.

Step 11: Assemble Vada Pav

To assemble, take a sliced pav bun. Spread a generous amount of red chili powder (dry chutney) on one inner side of the bun. On the other inner side, spread a layer of green chutney. Place one fried potato vada in the center of the bun. Add a fried green chili on top of the vada. Close the bun to form the Vada Pav. Repeat for all buns.

Step 12: Serve and Enjoy

Arrange the freshly made Vada Pavs on serving trays. Serve them immediately, optionally with additional fried green chilies and chutneys. The Vada Pavs are then served to the elderly at an old age home, accompanied by fresh fruits.

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

• Adjust chili quantities in the chutneys and for frying according to your spice preference.

• Serve immediately after assembly for the best taste and texture of the Vada Pav.

• Add a touch of ginger-garlic paste to the potato mixture for extra flavor.

• Experiment with different types of chutneys, such as tamarind chutney or garlic chutney.

• For a healthier option, you can bake the potato vadas instead of deep-frying, though the texture will differ.