Vada pao is one the most favorite street side food which is always relished by Mumbaikars. I love vada pao the most during rainy season…Garma garam chai ( tea) with vada pao, it tastes simply extraordinary, what better one can ask for, I am sure all will agree with me..isint it Mumbaikars…..!
Though I use to make vada’s in a very different way, the way I was taught at my early age, but then as I use to have on streets of Mumbai, I felt what I was preparing is different, so then I started doing a lot of research , ( not by net or online blogs) but by tasting almost every now and then, i use to always open the vadas before having, to see what all must have been added to get this extra ordinary flavor….
One more thing I noticed that at times, I could get that raw small potatoes at times, which might have not been mashed properly , and I simply loved it , so whenever I make at home , I mash it roughly , though they have a huge quantity so by default they actually cannot mash each and every potato into bits, but I simply like it that way and mash it roughly so that I get street side vada taste……
And now I can proudly relish my vada pao at home which has almost the taste of street side vendor…..here is the Recipe…..enjoy it with hot pipping tea and vadas with pao and mint chutney/ garlic chutney…
INGREDIENTS:
FOR VADAS
4 -5 Medium sized potatoes.
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
coriander leaves chopped
a pinch of hing
1- 1 and 1/2 tsp lemon juice
5- 6 nos finely chopped green chilies
salt
2 tbsp oil
BATTER:
1 and half cup gram flour ( besan )
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of soda bicarbonate ( soda khar )
oil for frying
salt
METHOD :
- Boil the potatoes in pressure cooker or in a deep pan with 3/4 covered lid , with water.Once the potatoes are done , ( check by inserting a knife in the middle of a potato if it passes smoothly then it means its done ) , drain, let it cool, peel it, keep aside.
- In a bowl add besan , salt , soda , red chilly powder and turmeric powder , make batter by adding sufficient water, mix well so that no lumps are formed , make sure the batter is semi thick , and keep aside.
- In a sauce pan add oil, hing, cumin seeds and mustard seeds , let it splutter . Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute .Now off the gas , immediately add curry leaves , green chilies and turmeric powder in the same pan, pour this mixture on potatoes, let it cool down.
- Add salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves, mix everything well, make lemon sized balls ( medium sized , not too small nor too big ) and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a kadhai , now dip the vadas in the gram batter ( besan batter) , one by one and deep fry till golden and crispy on to outside.
- Drain on an absorbent paper, serve immediately with slit pavs , garlic chutney and mint coriander chutney or you can serve it with out pav with chutney of your choice.
NOTE:
Best with mint coriander chutney or garlic chutney with pav.
