Vada Pav (BOMBAY BURGER)

Back with a mouth-watering snack.  THE BOMBAY BURGER, yes it is a snack packed with calories and all the things diet conscious should avoid.  Once in a while, leaving all the diets aside you can dig into this wonderful fried snack.    But here's a twist.  To keep the fried bit away, we have made them in the appe kadai, (remember the appe recipe I had put up).  Yes it is made in the appe kadai to enjoy the vada's a little guilt free.   Let's just get into the making without any delay.

 

INGREDIENTS:

Potatoes	5-6 nos
Salt	1 tsp (for potato mixture)
Lime/lemon juice	1 tbsp
Coriander leaves	A handful
Gram flour	1 cup
Salt	1 tsp (for gram flour)
Hot oil	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp (for gram flour)
Asaoetida	1/2 tsp (for gram flour)
Oil	To fry

To temper:

Oil	2 tsp
Mustard seeds	1/2 tsp
Asafoetida	1/4 tsp
Garlic	5-6 pods (chopped fine)
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Green chillies	2-3 nos (spicy variety)

To serve:

Pav's/ bread	As required
Garlic chutney	As required
Coriander chutney	As required

METHOD:

1.       Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker until soft and mushy.  Once cool, peel off skin and mash them well.

2.       Put oil in a kadai(wok) and keep it on low flame.  Once it's hot add in the mustard seeds.  Let them splutter.  Add the asafoetida, turmeric, green chillies (chopped fine) and curry leaves.  Add in the chopped garlic and cook it for a minute taking care not to let it burn. 

3.       Put this tempered mixture onto the mashed potatoes.  Add salt and mix well.  All the potatoes should get covered with the tempered mixture.  Add in the lemon juice, coriander leaves and mix well again.  Adjust salt according to your taste.

4.       In another bowl add in the gram flour, salt, turmeric powder and a little asafoetida.  Add sufficient water to make a thick batter. (the batter should be like a thick ribbon consistency).

5.       Make small balls of the mashed potato mixture.  Drop these balls in the gram flour batter and coat them well.

6.       Heat oil in a frying pan and once it is hot enough, fry these vada's on a medium flame till they are golden brown.  Alternately, heat a appe kadai and brush each hollow cavity with oil.  Place these potato balls dipped in the batter into each cavity and cover and cook them on each side for 3-4 minutes and remove them once they golden brown.

7.       Take the pav and slit them open.  Smear the pav's with garlic chutney and place the vada in the pav and serve hot.  ENJOY.

FOR THE WET GARLIC CHUTNEY:

Garlic	10 pods
Red chillies	6-7 spicy variety
Salt	1/2 tsp

METHOD:

1.       Heat water and add in the red chillies and soak them for 15 minutes.  The chillies will turn soft. 
2.       Peel the garlic pods.  In a mixer grind the chillies along with salt and garlic pods with very little water to a fine paste.
3.       Keep aside and use as required to smear it on the pav along with the vada's

FOR THE CORIANDER CHUTNEY:

Coriander leaves	1 cup (packed)
Green chillies	2 nos
Garlic	1 pod
Salt	1/2 tsp
Lime/lemon juice	1 tsp

METHOD:

1.       Wash the coriander leaves well.

2.       Grind together coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic and salt with little water. Grind this to get a  smooth chutney.

3.       Add in the lime/lemon juice and mix well.  Keep aside to be served along with the vada's.

NOTES:

1.       You could use only the frying method for these vada's.  I have given an alternative to the otherwise fried snack.

2.       Pl adjust the salt according to your preferences.

3.       Here, I have used dry garlic chutney.

4.       I have given the recipe of wet garlic chutney to be served with the vada's.  Just like the way, it is served at some places.

5.       Using spicy variety of green or red chillies gives a zing to the wonderful vada's and chutney respectively.

6.       I will post the recipe of dry garlic chutney soon.