Vada pav is a flavorsome dinner roll stuffed with fried mashed and spiced potato fritters. It is a popular street food snack eaten primarily in Mumbai and loved by people all over the world for its spicy taste and crunchy texture. Here, we will help you with an easy and delicious vada pav recipe!

It is one of the cheapest and most widely sold street foods in Mumbai yet its taste will never disappoint you! Vada pav is nothing but batata vada sandwiched between two slices of pav and then topped with various chutneys to enhance its flavors.

What is the History of Vada Pav?

The Vada pav is believed to have been invented in 1966 by a Mumbaikar (obviously!), Ashok Vaidya, who opened the first vada pav stall in front of the Dadar train station. Hundreds of thousands of workers used to go to textile mills by catching trains from this busy station. They always looked for something quick, inexpensive yet tummy-filling snack. Vada pav fulfilled everything and thus, became the heartthrob of Mumbaikars!

Vada Pav
Vada Pav

How to Make Vada Pav? 

It is, undoubtedly, the most popular street food. Well, you can also bring those street flavors at home by trying this effortless Mumbai-style vada pav recipe.

You can find various versions of assembling this recipe. Serve it with only garlic chutney, that is sandwiched between pav, which is known as vada pav masala. You can enjoy vada pav chutney by serving it with green chutney, tamarind chutney, and dry chutney made with dried coconuts and peanuts. 

So, let’s see how you can vada pav recipe at home! 

Quick Stats 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cooking time: 20 minutes 

Servings: 6 serves 

Ingredients 

for aloo mixture:

  • 2 tsp oil
  • ½ tsp mustard
  • pinch of hing / asafoetida
  • few curry leaves
  • 1-inch ginger (crushed)
  • 2 clove garlic (crushed)
  • 1 chili (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric / Haldi
  • 2 potato / aloo (boiled & mashed)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

for besan batter:

  • ¾ cup besan/gram flour
  • 1 tbsp rice flour
  • ¼ tsp turmeric / Haldi
  • ¼ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
  • pinch of hing / asafoetida
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup water
  • oil for deep frying

other ingredients:

  • 6 ladi pav / dinner rolls
  • 7 green chili
  • 6 tsp green chutney
  • 3 tsp tamarind chutney
  • 3 tsp dry garlic chutney

Method to Prepare 

  • Add oil to a pan. Then add mustard seeds, hing, and neem leave to it. 
  • Saute it and let everything splutter. 
  • Then add ginger, garlic, green chili, and coriander and saute well. 
  • Add turmeric and stir it well. 
  • Then, add boiled, mashed potatoes and salt to it. 
  • Give it a good mix to combine everything well. 
  • Then, pour a tablespoon of lemon juice over the potato mixture. Your aloo mixture is ready.
  • Now, add oil to a deep frying pan and heat it over medium flame.
  • Meanwhile, let’s prepare the besan batter. 
  • Add besan, rice flour, turmeric, chili powder, hing, salt, and baking soda to a mixing bowl. 
  • Pour water as needed and combine to make a thick batter. 
  • Pinch a large ball from the aloo mixture and dip it in the prepared batter. Roll it to coat well.
  • Carefully slide the vada into hot oil and fry. Stir it occasionally.
  • Fry it until golden brown. Once the vadas are fried, transfer it to paper napkins to remove the excess oil.
  • Slit the pav and spread green chutney, 1/2 tamarind chutney, and 1/2 dry garlic chutney.
  • Then, place the prepared vada in the center.
  • Serve it with fried green chili and enjoy!

Must Check: Paneer Pakora: Crunchy and Flavorsome Paneer Pakoda Recipe!

Final Words 

Crispy vada stuffed inside a pav – this dish tastes heavenly when enjoyed with green chilis and some chutneys on the side. You can also sip it with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy it as a flavorful evening snack on a rainy evening. Enjoy it with the dry chutney and enjoy Mumbai-style vada pav at home!