Vada is heavenly deep fried dumpling made of potatoes coated with gram flour bombing with the flavours of ginger garlic and green chillies. Vada is served with pao and an out of the world chutney i.e. the vada pao chutney. Vada pao belongs to Maharashtra. It is also known as vada pav or batata vada. It makes great high tea, breakfast or brunch option. Vada lovers, like me, can simply increase the count and convert it into lunch or dinner option. Writing about is making me hungry, that’s vada pao for you!
Vada pao has 3 elements to it. The vada, the pao and the vada pao chutney! Further the vada has 2 elements, gram flour coating and potato stuffing. Let’s deal with each one separately.
Pao: Go to the market and get a packet or make them at home following the recipe given here.
Chutney: The best vada pao chutney and I swear by it, is what I’ll be sharing in this Batata vada recipe. The best part about this recipe is that is calls for minimal ingredients i.e. coconut, garlic, red chillies; little time and super yummy chutney is ready.
Vada: It has a fried potato stuffing. The stuffing boasts with the flavours of ginger, garlic and chillies. They are dipped in gram flour mix and deep fried. The fried chunks of this gram flour mix that float on the oil and do not become the coating can be an important ingredient while assembling vada pao. They are very crunchy and give an awesome bite to vada pao.
Other recipes using pao are pao sandwich, pao bhaji and more.
1. Dry roast 1 cup coconut till aromatic.
2. Dry roast 12 unpeeled garlic cloves till golden patches appear.
3. Dry roast red chillies on low flame till crisp.
4. Let the ingredients cool down. Add in salt to taste. Transfer to a grinder.
5. Grind to make chutney. Keep aside for now.
1. Make a paste of 30 g of each ginger, garlic and green chillies. Keep aside.
2. To make stuffing, heat 2 tbsp oil and let 2 tsp mustard seeds (raie) crackle.
3. Add prepared paste.
4. Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes.
5. Add 6 boiled and mashed potatoes.
6. Cook for 10-12 minutes
7. Add ½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur) and salt to taste. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Let the mixture cool down. Then portion it. Make 12-15 balls and flatten them.
9. In a bowl add 1 cup gram flour. Add salt to taste and 1/8 tsp baking soda. Mix well.
10. Add water gradually to make thick yet flowing batter.
11. Heat enough oil.
12. Dip flatten ball in gram flour mix.
13. Put in hot oil. Fry on low to high flame till cooked.
1. Cut pao from the centre. Spread vada chutney.
2. Place vada. Put fried green chilli. And fried gram flour particles (I don’t know what to call them exactly)
3. Bon appétit.
PREP TIME 20 minutes
COOK TIME 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME 50 minutes
To make vada pao chutney
How to make vada pao chutney:
To make stuffing of vada
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp mustard seeds (raie)
• 30 g ginger
• 30 g green chillies
• 30 g garlic
• 6 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
• ½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
• Salt to taste
To make coating of vada
• 1 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1 cup water or as much required
• Salt to taste
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
To fry vada
• Oil, as much required
For the stuffing
1. Make a paste of 30 g of each ginger, garlic and green chillies. Keep aside.
2. To make stuffing, heat 2 tbsp oil and let 2 tsp mustard seeds (raie) crackle.
3. Add prepared paste.
4. Add ¼ tsp turmeric powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes.
5. Add 6 boiled and mashed potatoes.
6. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
7. Add ½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur) and salt to taste. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Let the mixture cool down. Then portion it. Make 12-15 balls and flatten them.
For the coating
1. In a bowl add 1 cup gram flour. Add salt to taste and 1/8 tsp baking soda. Mix well.
2. Add water gradually to make thick yet flowing batter.
For frying vada
1. Heat enough oil.
2. Dip flatten ball in gram flour mix.
3. Put in hot oil. Fry on low to high flame till cooked.
To assemble vada
• Pao
• Fried green chillies
• Vada
• Vada pao chutney
How to assemble vada pao
1. Cut pao from the centre. Spread vada chutney.
2. Place vada. Put fried green chilli. And fried gram flour particles (I don’t know what to call them exactly)
3. Bon appétit.
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