Vada Pav (Bombay street style recipe)

Authentic Indian savory snack recipe. Fried potato fritter coated in a spiced batter served with a soft buttery bun, green chili and chutney. A street food classic.

Growing up vada pav is a dish you would’ve eaten/heard off at least once if you lived in Bombay. I was not a fan of vada pav, I preferred samosa pav but my dad loved and to this day LOVES vada pav. Hence I thought how difficult could it be to make? Once I made it at home, I FELL IN LOVE. Sometimes you need to make it and learn about it to fall in love with it and that is how I grew to love vada pav. This is my way of finding my roots through food that I know is part of who I am and my culture. It is not that difficult to prepare but I must warn you, when you are making this recipe, don’t half the quantities as it will get over before you know it.

What is vada pav?

Vada pav is a traditional Indian savory snack that is a popular street food dish that if found 24×7 in Bombay but in other parts of India too. It is a spiced potato fritter that is coated in a spiced chickpea flour batter and fried. Usually served with a buttery bun/dinner roll, a combination of chutneys and a fried green chili. The potato fritter/dumpling is also referred to as Batata Vada.

What is vada pav called in English?

While some people like to call vada pav the Bombay Burger, vada translates to fritters/cutlets or fried dumplings. Pat translates to buttery buns/bread.

Who invented vada pav?

I would like to say it was invented in Mumbai, a that is as far as my knowledge goes. A man by the name of Ashok Vaidya is credited to introducing vada pav to the city of Mumbai and now his sone Narendra Vaidya carries the family tradition – like many many others according to JBVFoods.

Is vada pav healthy or unhealthy?

It is a street food classic recipe, I wouldn’t suggest it is healthy as it is deep fried and that is the BEST way to make the batata vada crispy and golden. Hence it is a deliciously indulgent snack for sure, not your everyday affair, like most street food recipes this provides comfort and a piece of culture but let us not get too technical about the nutritional component.

Which country is famous for vada pav?

INDIA, predominately Bombay aka Mumbai. But you can find this popular street food recipe all over India.

Is vada pav like a burger?

You could say it is like a vegetarian burger. As it has a potato “patty”/cutlet and a bun to hold it. It also has sauces like a burger would and condiments like the fried chili.

What to eat with vada pav?

It is a meal in itself with the pav aka bread, chutneys and green chili but a glass of masala chai would be perfect with it. Thats how I grew to love it.

When can we eat vada pav? & Can we eat vada pav for breakfast?

There is no rule book on when to eat vada pav, you can enjoy it all through the day, a mid night snack. a hang over cure or even at the crack of dawn. With Bombay, the city that doesn’t sleep in india, you can always find street stalls working round the clock serving up some classics like pav bhaji, chole, egg burji and vada pav, among others.

Which city has the best vada pav?

My answer is partial as I have only ever tried it in Bombay (where I grew up) but I believe other states in india would also dish it out just as well.

What is vada pav batter made of?

The batter is made up of chickpea flour aka gram flour, turmeric, chili powder, cumin powder, salt and water. A little corn starch helps make it crispy once fried.

Can I eat vada pav daily? & Is vada pav junk food?

No, I wouldn’t recommend eating it everyday, it is a form of street food that doesn’t come with very high nutritional value. Everything is moderation is key in my opinion. Just like McDonalds, you wouldn’t eat it everyday for all your meals and expect it to work in your favor down the line.

What ingredients do you need to make vada pav?

To make the potato dumping aka batata vada –

I use boiled potatoes, oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, garlic cloves, ginger, green chili, coriander leaves, lime juice salt and turmeric powder.

To make the batter for the batata vada –

We need gram flour (chickpea flour), corn starch, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, baking soda. Water.

Serving the vada –

We need pav – any buttery soft dinner roll, a mixture of chutneys like green mint chutney, tamarind chutney, garlic chutney and fried green chilis.

What equipment do you need to make vada pav?

To make the vada mixture I have used a sauté pan and wooden spatula. You will need a stock pot heavy bottom, to fry them one they are coated in the batter. To make the batter you will need a mixing bowl and whisk. Once they are fired I like using kitchen paper towel to drain out the excess oil.

How to make vada pav?

Make sure the potatoes are boiled and peeled. Boil the potatoes in salted water. In a sauté pan on medium heat add the oil, mustard seeds, and let them fry until they start popping, add the curry leaves, garlic, ginger, green chili and cook for a minute. Break up the potato in your hand into the pan and add turmeric powder, fresh coriander leaves, lime juice and season with salt. Cook until the mixture is dry and the potatoes have taken on the flavors of the masala. Set the saute pan aside and place a heavy bottom sauce pot on the same stove, pour in vegetable oil half way through and let it heat up gently.

In a medium mixing bowl add the gram flour, corn starch, turmeric powder, chili power, salt and stir. Add the baking soda, water and stir with a whisk to remove any lumps. Set aside. The potato mixture should’ve cooled down enough to handle it with your hands. Divide the mixture into 10 portions and roll into balls. Test the heat of the oil with a little dust of flour, if it sizzles and dissolves, then its hot enough. Dunk the potato dumpling into the batter and deep fry, I prefer using my hands but you can use a fork or Amy equipment that make you feel comfortable. Deep fry for 2-3 minutes until golden and the vada rises to the top. Transfer to kitchen paper towel to drain out the excess oil. Repeat until all are done. Deepening on how large your sauce pot it you will be able to fry a few and one go.

Serving and storing vada pav?

The fried batata Vadas should be served in a pav (soft dinner roll) with green chutney and tamarind chutney. You can also add dry garlic chutney to the pav. It is also served with a green chili that is fried. I wouldn’t recommend storing the fried Vadas for very long as they wont be crispy. You can always make the potato cutlets, the batter and keep everything ready t serve. When ready t eat just fry the Vadas and let everyone assemble them as they like. Also you can store a the fried Vadas in air news paper or baking paper once cooled down – this will keep some parts crispy.

Lookin for more Indian inspired recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Homemade Vada Pan recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.