No Deep Frying. No Baking. & No Compromise on the taste. That was my challenge when I decided to healthify one of our favorite street foods – Vada Pav. If you think that this recipe can not match the taste of what you eat outside, in Maharashtra – Try it. Be ready to be blown away. With your eyes closed, you won’t be able to tell the difference if it is deep-fried or made with our healthy twist.
What is Vada Pav?
Vada Pav is one of the most popular street foods in Maharashtra. Those who tried it loved it. I heard that people living in Mumbai literally survive on this one recipe. It is cheap, easily available, filling, and gives you the energy to keep up with the pace of Mumbai.
It is basically vadas – deep-fried potato fritters – sandwiched between the pav (dinner rolls) and layers of chutneys. You can enjoy it throughout the year, any time of the day, but for me, it complements well with the rainy season. Having vada pav with some garma garam chai (hot cup of tea) on the streets during monsoon season is a treat in itself. It never fails to excite you.
STORY TIME
We are from Delhi and moved to Pune, Maharashtra since we got married. That time we used to go to the same place every Friday and have vada pav with chai. We did this for a few months. Then that small shop got closed down. We were very sad seeing that. But then life has to move on. We found another place for our love of vada pav.
That time vada pav was so easily accessible that I never thought of making it at home. But when we moved to Germany, we started craving for vada pav so much. Maybe because of the lovely weather here. I had no option but to make it at home. If you know me, you know that I just don’t like to deep fry anything if I can manage without it. When I told Jatin that I am going to make the Non-Fried Vada Pav, he had his own doubts about it. But when he had it, he said that he can’t even tell if it is deep-fried or not. The taste was exactly like we used to eat on the streets in Pune, Maharashtra. Yay. A victory for me.
If you don’t have much time, watch the video instead.
COMPONENTS OF VADA PAV
We lived in Maharashtra for 6 years and tried vada pav of so many different cities there. Every place has its own version of vada pav. Some sell it very simple – vada, pav, and sukha (dry) garlic chutney. Some add the chura (fried drops of the batter). Chura adds a nice crunch to the vada pav. Some sell it with green chutney, red chutney, schezwan chutney, peri peri chutney. I mean the variations are endless. Of all, our favorite has to be the simple vada pav. No Fuss.
For this recipe, you need to prepare the following:
- Batata Vada: This is the backbone of vada pav. It is made of boiled potatoes and some very basic spices. In this recipe, instead of deep-frying, I coated the balls with the batter and cooked them on a pan with just a little bit of oil. DO NOT worry, the vada or the balls get cooked from all the sides. Gram Flour doesn’t need a lot of heat to cook. Just cover the pan and you are sorted.
- Dry Chutney: This is the soul of vada pav. Without this sukha chutney, it feels incomplete. I tried different styles of chutney for vada pav but the one which I shared here gives the most authentic taste. The chutney feels a little moist after grinding. But it gets dry when you put it in a bowl (uncovered).
- Green Chilli: Fried chili and vada pav go hand in hand. But it is my recipe so obviously, the green chili won’t be deep-fried. You actually don’t need to do that. Green chilies cook in no time. You can add them in the same pan with the vadas, cover, and cook. It gets cooked in less than a minute.
HOW TO STORE?
You can make the mixture, store it in an air-tight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days. The dry chutney can last for a few weeks on the countertop. Or you can put it in the refrigerator too.
Now grab all the ingredients because we are ready to make these Non-Fried Vada Pav at home. Everybody in your family will be blown away by the taste. I am sure they will enjoy it as much as we do. Make it with your evening tea & enjoy this delicious treat over snacks. Or if you are like us, eat a little extra so that you are sorted for the dinner too.
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