Bombay Vada Pav (Mumbai Style at Home)
Mumbai-style vada pav with spiced batata vada, butter-toasted ladi pav, quick dry garlic chutney, and fry tips for a crisp besan shell at home.
Ingredients
Batata vada filling
- 500 g potatoes about 4 medium; boiled until fork-tender, peeled, cooled, mashed with small lumps
- 2 tbsp neutral oil groundnut or sunflower
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 10 to 12 fresh curry leaves torn
- 1 pinch asafoetida hing; optional
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 green chilies or 1 for mild; finely chopped
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp lemon juice optional
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- Salt, to taste
Besan batter
- 1 cup besan gram flour
- 2 tbsp rice flour or fine cornstarch optional
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder Kashmiri; or to taste
- 1 pinch asafoetida hing; optional
- ¼ tsp baking soda optional
- ¾ tsp salt or to taste
- ⅔ to ¾ cup cold water as needed for thick coating batter
Dry garlic chutney (lasun khobra)
- 6 to 8 large garlic cloves
- ½ cup unsweetened dried coconut kopra; lightly dry-toasted
- 2 to 3 dried Kashmiri red chilies stems removed
- Salt, to taste
For frying and assembly
- Neutral oil for deep-frying (about 1½ to 2 inches depth in pan)
- 6 ladi pav rolls split almost through
- 2 to 3 tbsp salted butter softened, for toasting pav
- Prepared wet garlic chutney or green chutney, for spreading inside pav
Instructions
Make the potato filling
- Heat oil in a kadai on medium. Add mustard seeds; when they pop, add cumin, curry leaves, and hing.
- Stir in ginger-garlic paste and green chilies; cook until the raw smell fades. Fold in turmeric, mashed potatoes, and salt.
- Cook on medium, stirring, until the mixture is dry enough to shape and masala clings, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Cool completely before shaping.
Shape and fry batata vada
- Divide filling into 6 portions; roll into balls and flatten slightly into thick patties.
- Whisk besan, rice flour if using, turmeric, red chili, hing, baking soda, salt, and enough cold water to form a thick lump-free batter; rest 10 minutes if time allows.
- Heat oil to about 350 to 375°F (175 to 190°C). Dip each patty in batter, let excess drip off, and fry until golden, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Drain on a rack or paper.
Dry garlic chutney
- Blend garlic, toasted coconut, dried chilies, and salt to a coarse sandy texture. Taste and adjust salt.
Toast pav and assemble
- Butter the cut sides of pav; toast on a tawa until golden spots appear, or warm covered to keep soft.
- Spread wet chutney on one inner face, sprinkle dry garlic chutney on the other, tuck one vada inside, and press gently. Serve hot.
Notes
If the besan coat slides off, thicken the batter with a spoon of besan and ensure oil is fully preheated before the next batch.
Shape vadas ahead and refrigerate on a tray lined with parchment; fry just before serving for the crispiest shell.
Store leftover fried vadas separately from pav; re-crisp vadas in an oven or air-fryer. Dry chutney keeps about 1 week refrigerated in a clean jar.
For a wet chutney option with less oil, pair with Petite Paprika wet garlic chutney (see blog post link in intro).
Shape vadas ahead and refrigerate on a tray lined with parchment; fry just before serving for the crispiest shell.
Store leftover fried vadas separately from pav; re-crisp vadas in an oven or air-fryer. Dry chutney keeps about 1 week refrigerated in a clean jar.
For a wet chutney option with less oil, pair with Petite Paprika wet garlic chutney (see blog post link in intro).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!