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vada pav recipe

Vada pav recipe

Mumbai vada pav is a snack made by sandwiching a batata vada in Pav or bun with a generous amount of chutneys smeared.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips.

© Swasthi's Recipes

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Servings7 to 8 vada pav
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Green chutney

  • 1 to 1 ½ cups coriander leaves or daniya patta
  • ¾ to 1 tbsp dalia or fried gram or dried coconut (optional)
  • ½ tsp cumin or jeera
  • 2 hot green chilies (adjust as needed)
  • 2 small garlic cloves or lehsun
  • 1 tsp Lemon juice or as needed
  • water as needed
  • Salt as needed

Dry garlic chutney

  • 6 to 8 garlic cloves
  • 6 to 10 red chilies (less spicy one like byadgi or kashmiri)
  • ½ to 1 cup dried coconut (copra) (for more garlic flavor use 1/2 cup)
  • 1 tbsp peanuts (optional)
  • salt as needed
  • ½ tsp red chili powder (optional, for color)

For vada pav stuffing

  • 3 medium potatoes or aloo – 2 ¼ cups crumbled
  • 2 to 3 green chilies (use as needed)
  • ¾ inch ginger or adhrak
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic or lahsun
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • ¼ to ½ tsp mustard
  • 2 pinches hing or asafoetida
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
  • 1/8 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
  • Salt as needed
  • Handful coriander leaves chopped

For vada covering

  • ¾ cup gram flour or besan
  • 2 to 3 tbsp rice flour or corn flour
  • Salt as needed
  • Pinch asafoetida or hing
  • Tiny pinch soda (optional)
  • 1 pinch Turmeric or haldi
  • 1/8 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
  • oil for deep frying

For serving

  • 7 to 8 pav
  • 7 to 8 green chilies deseeded

How to make the recipe

Making green chutney for vada pav

  • Pluck coriander leaves, you can keep the tender stalks. Rinse them well in lot of water a few times. Drain them well in a colander.
  • Add all the ingredients to a blender jar. Make a thick paste by adding 1 tbsp water at one time and blending until smooth.
  • Adjust salt, lemon juice and green chili to suit your taste. The chutney must not be very runny otherwise it makes the pav very soggy quickly.
  • Store this in a clean dry airtight glass jar. Refrigerate until used.

Making dry garlic chutney

  • Skin the garlic and dry roast them for 2 to 3 mins.
  • Add red chilies and roast until crisp. Transfer them to a plate and cool.
  • To the same pan add coconut and just allow it to turn hot. Transfer this to a plate and cool.
  • If using peanuts you can dry roast them until golden.
  • First powder red chilies with red chili powder and salt. Then add garlic and blend once. Then add coconut and peanuts. Powder them little coarsely. Set this aside.

Making stuffing for vada

  • Boil potatoes until just done. They must be firm and not mushy. You can boil them either in a pressure cooker, steamer or in a pot.
  • When done, crumble them lightly.
  • Make a coarse paste on green chilli, garlic and ginger.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add mustard, when they begin to crackle. 
  • Next add curry leaves and fry until crisp. 
  • Add ginger garlic and green chili paste. Fry on a low heat until it turns fragrant.
  • Next put in hing, salt, turmeric and red chili powder. Mix well and add potatoes and coriander leaves. Turn off the stove and mix everything well.
  • Cool this mixture and make 7 to 8 balls.

Making vada

  • Heat oil for deep frying.
  • Add besan and rice flour or corn flour to a mixing bowl.
  • Next add salt, hing, turmeric and red chilli powder (optional). Mix everything well adding water as needed and make neither too thick nor too thin batter. Check salt and spice.
  • When the oil is hot enough, add a tiny pinch of soda to the batter. Mix well. This is optional.
  • Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small amount of batter in oil. The batter should rise.
  • Regulate the flame to medium.
  • Dip each ball in the batter, coat the potato balls with batter and drop in oil. You can use your fingers or a tbsp to do this. You can drop 3 to 5 balls in each batch depending on the size of your kadai.
  • Do not disturb them for a while, gently stir and fry until golden.
  • Drain them on a kitchen tissue.
  • Deseed green chilies to prevent them from bursting. Place the green chilies in a mess strainer or colander. In the same hot oil, fry the deseeded green chilies lightly. Do not over fry them.

Assembling vada pav

  • Slit each pav bun to sandwich it. Make sure one side is intact.
  • Smear green chutney on both the inner sides of the pav. Sprinkle garlic chutney.
  • Place a batata vada. You can also flatten the vada first and then place it.
  • Serve vada pav with fried chilies and chutney on the side.

NUTRITION (estimation only)

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 1786mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2440IU | Vitamin C: 253.5mg | Calcium: 440mg | Iron: 15.8mg