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Vada Pav

Vada Pav

40 min Easy 4 servings

Serves 4 · Total 40 min · Prep 20 min · Cook 20 min

Photo: Rutvi Mistry / CC BY-SA 4.0

Mumbai's favourite burger: a spiced mashed-potato ball dipped in gram-flour batter, deep-fried crisp, and sandwiched in a pav bun with garlic and tamarind chutneys and a fried green chilli.

Quick answer: 40 min in total · serves 4 · main ingredients: Potato, Mustard seeds, Green chilli, Ginger · amounts in metric and US

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Ingredients

  • 4 pc 4 pc Potato, boiled and mashed
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 2 pc 2 pc Green chilli, chopped
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp Ginger, paste
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp Garlic, paste
  • 0.5 tsp 0.5 tsp Turmeric
  • 150 g 5.3 oz Gram flour
  • 0.5 tsp 0.5 tsp Red chilli powder
  • 500 ml 2 cup Cooking oil, for deep-frying
  • 8 pc 8 pc Bread, pav bread rolls
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp Salt, to taste
  • 10 pc 10 pc Curry leaves (Optional)

Steps

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  1. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves in a little oil; add green chilli, ginger and garlic, frying a minute.
    ⏱ Tempering the spices · 1 min
  2. Add turmeric and the mashed potato, with salt; mix well and shape into small balls.
  3. Whisk gram flour with water, red chilli powder and a pinch of salt into a smooth, thick batter.
  4. Dip each potato ball into the batter, coating it fully.
  5. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes, turning occasionally.
    ⏱ Frying vada · 5 min
  6. Slit the pav, spread chutneys inside, tuck in the hot vada and serve immediately with a fried green chilli.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does Vada Pav take?

40 minutes in total: about 20 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking.

Is Vada Pav hard to make?

Degchi rates it easy. The method has 6 steps, and 2 of them have a timer you can start on this page.

How many people does Vada Pav serve?

This recipe serves 4. Use the toggle above the ingredient list to see the amounts in metric or US measures. For more or fewer portions, scale every amount in the same proportion, or use the servings control in the Degchi app.

Is Vada Pav halal, vegetarian or eggless?

It is marked halal in our recipe data. It is vegetarian. It has no egg. It has no beef. Check the labels on any packaged ingredients for your own needs.

What will I probably need to buy for Vada Pav?

Everyday staples that Degchi counts as pantry basics: turmeric, red chilli powder, cooking oil, salt. Spice-box items: mustard seeds. Fresh items you will probably need to buy: potato, green chilli, ginger, garlic. Lentils, grains and other dry goods: gram flour, bread.

Any tips for making Vada Pav?

Fry a few whole green chillies in the same hot oil for a few seconds — they're the classic spicy side bite with vada pav.

Notes and questions

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Cooking terms in this recipe: Besan (gram flour)

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