often times i have marvelled on how i have never been able to understand politics. power corrupts, that i have seen. but power makes one an idiot? and then, missing all the delicious flavors that were wafting from this silly item in the news, i googled for the images of a vada-pav. instantly, i was reminded of the hundereds who flock to the veggie burger that rules the hearts of mumbai, at a shocking 22 cents a piece and i suddenly understood why everyone would want to label this burger as their own.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_by-shiv-it-s-now-beedi-vs-vada-pav_1164651
so when do we make vada pav chez nous? hmmm let me think. when we celebrate, when we can't think of anything better to eat, when our taste buds are ready for a super nova explosion and even on valentines day! so here is the tried and tested way to mess up any diet plan - fry the god of all things carb (duh, the potato!) and sit it nice and cozy between pav slathered with chutney(s).
yet another journey in my kitchen begins with boiled potatoes finding their way into a heated wok, slick with olive oil and fragrant with ginger, garlic and (super)finely chopped onions. once the potatoes and the ggo mix (ginger/ garlic/ onion - what? i am my own rachel ray, thank you!) are married and settled into a peaceful and fragrant routine, i pay my salt taxes and add some hing and turmeric for good measure. i love tons of turmeric in my potato mix for the vada - after all, the pav should be home to 3 colors - the green of the coriander chutney, the red of the garlic chutney and the bright yellow of the vada.
since the origin of this burger is in maharashtra, i would not go far without some chopped curry leaves and green chilies. within seconds i am ready to fry. now a note on the frying business. i have always shyed away from woks laden with a ton of oil - something about the business of frying makes me feel that i will look 10 pounds heavier the day after. i had assumed this was another kink in my brain. i figured soon that it is not just me, a lot of people equal frying to unhealthy and keep far away from it. as always, there is a science to it and if fried at the right temperature and quickly, most foods do not absorb alarming quantities of oil. In fact, frying can sometimes leave your food light and airy - again, if done right.
making sure that my potato mixture is now cool, i proceed to make little (an inch and a half in diameter) balls of it. meanwhile, i have assembled the batter for the vada's crust - 3 tablespoons of besan and a little bit of water. let's take a minute here to ensure that the batter is just right in consistency. neither too liquid, nor difficult to put a spoon through. there, we're ready!
now normally i would just proceed with the frying, but ahha ha ha, we wait. after checking the seasoning on the batter, i would add a teaspoon of baking powder at this point. yes, i am the crazy lady who bakes as if there is no tomorrow, but this is frying, right? right! baking powder, in any recipe (baked or fried) works with the water in the batter and on the principle of releasing carbon di-oxide into food, thus acting as a leavening agent. human-speak? adding baking powder is going to make your batter light and airy and super crisp, there!
now quickly, using 2 forks, i roll each ball of the potato mixture in the batter - the forks i use, just so that i don't coat my potatoes in too much or too little batter. if this were a dry coating, i would just use a ziplock bag, but wet coating can be slimy and using 2 forks just makes me feel like a super chef (making vada-pav, ha!). making sure that my oil is super hot - you can ensure this by slipping in one drop of the batter right into the oil, if it pops up instantly, your oil is right - start frying the vadas. rest them on layers of kitchen towels, so that you can mop up any oil that has figured out a way to cling to your wada. crisp, deep friend heaven is staring you in the face.
here's a picture from our valentines day dinner, of a very unromantic, but super pleasurable meal. oh yeah, the fried green chillies on top are the cherries on a proverbial cake - i would never eat vada pav without them!
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_by-shiv-it-s-now-beedi-vs-vada-pav_1164651
so when do we make vada pav chez nous? hmmm let me think. when we celebrate, when we can't think of anything better to eat, when our taste buds are ready for a super nova explosion and even on valentines day! so here is the tried and tested way to mess up any diet plan - fry the god of all things carb (duh, the potato!) and sit it nice and cozy between pav slathered with chutney(s).
yet another journey in my kitchen begins with boiled potatoes finding their way into a heated wok, slick with olive oil and fragrant with ginger, garlic and (super)finely chopped onions. once the potatoes and the ggo mix (ginger/ garlic/ onion - what? i am my own rachel ray, thank you!) are married and settled into a peaceful and fragrant routine, i pay my salt taxes and add some hing and turmeric for good measure. i love tons of turmeric in my potato mix for the vada - after all, the pav should be home to 3 colors - the green of the coriander chutney, the red of the garlic chutney and the bright yellow of the vada.
since the origin of this burger is in maharashtra, i would not go far without some chopped curry leaves and green chilies. within seconds i am ready to fry. now a note on the frying business. i have always shyed away from woks laden with a ton of oil - something about the business of frying makes me feel that i will look 10 pounds heavier the day after. i had assumed this was another kink in my brain. i figured soon that it is not just me, a lot of people equal frying to unhealthy and keep far away from it. as always, there is a science to it and if fried at the right temperature and quickly, most foods do not absorb alarming quantities of oil. In fact, frying can sometimes leave your food light and airy - again, if done right.
making sure that my potato mixture is now cool, i proceed to make little (an inch and a half in diameter) balls of it. meanwhile, i have assembled the batter for the vada's crust - 3 tablespoons of besan and a little bit of water. let's take a minute here to ensure that the batter is just right in consistency. neither too liquid, nor difficult to put a spoon through. there, we're ready!
now normally i would just proceed with the frying, but ahha ha ha, we wait. after checking the seasoning on the batter, i would add a teaspoon of baking powder at this point. yes, i am the crazy lady who bakes as if there is no tomorrow, but this is frying, right? right! baking powder, in any recipe (baked or fried) works with the water in the batter and on the principle of releasing carbon di-oxide into food, thus acting as a leavening agent. human-speak? adding baking powder is going to make your batter light and airy and super crisp, there!
now quickly, using 2 forks, i roll each ball of the potato mixture in the batter - the forks i use, just so that i don't coat my potatoes in too much or too little batter. if this were a dry coating, i would just use a ziplock bag, but wet coating can be slimy and using 2 forks just makes me feel like a super chef (making vada-pav, ha!). making sure that my oil is super hot - you can ensure this by slipping in one drop of the batter right into the oil, if it pops up instantly, your oil is right - start frying the vadas. rest them on layers of kitchen towels, so that you can mop up any oil that has figured out a way to cling to your wada. crisp, deep friend heaven is staring you in the face.
now if you can manage to steal yourself away for a bit, grind together one whole pod of garlic with some roasted coconut and red chilies (that have soaked in warm water for 5 mins). this would be your yummy red garlic chutney. now grind together a bunch of coriander, a few green chillies and add a dash of salt and lemon juice. there you have your fabulous green coriander chutney.
on dry roasted crisp slabs of pav, slather these chutneys to your heart's content, add one (or two!!) vadas and GO!!
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