Vada Pav (Potato Fritter Sandwich) Recipe

The Vada Pav or the Potato Fritter Sandwich is the heart of the Mumbai street food. Crispy vadas stuffed inside the soft pav (bun) with the spicy red powder made of dry coconut, ginger and red chilies sprinkled inside is a treat to your tasted buds when served with red and green chutneys along with onions and chilies. Oops I am hungry again!

Hmm these Vada Pavs or Batata Vadas as they are known over there are the identity of Maharastrian Snacks. Whether you are a kid, a teen ager or an 80 year old you can’t stop our self from having it! These vada pavs would for sure be in your favorite chaat list if you have ever had them.

The smell of the hot vadas pulls you like magnet when you pass by the Mumbai streets. At the beginning I was a little hesitant to have them but once I had one Voila! It was a roller coaster ride for my taste senses. That one small dish had it all the sweet, the sour, the tangy, the soft, the crispy! So many flavors in that one bite were amazing.

Being a foodie as I am I couldn’t resist myself to learn how to make these Vada Pavs and was headed to the same destination again my neighbor Aunty!
She, I must tell you is a marvelous cook and a wonderful person too. She not only made it for me but also promised to share all her cooking secrets and recipes with me and I would for sure share them all with you guys.

So friends are you ready to have this healthy, easy, yummy, tangy, spicy sandwich made of potato balls and various chutneys.

Ingredients for Vada:

Ingredients	Quantity
Potatoes( boiled & meshed)(aloo)	6 large
Green chilies (hari mirch)	6 finely chopped
Garlic (lasan) Paste	1 tea spoon
Ginger (adrak) Paste	1/2 tea spoon
Onion	1/2 cup finely chopped
Coriander Leaves	1/2 bunch chopped
Mustard Seed (Rai)	1/2 tea spoon
Cumin Seed	1/4 tea spoon
Asafoetida	1/4 tea spoon
Curry Leaves	1 spring ( around 6-7)
Red Chili Powder	1 tea spoon
Turmeric Powder	1/2 tea spoon
Cumin Powder (Dry & Roasted)	1/2 tea spoon
Oil	2-3 tea spoon
Salt	to taste
Lemon Juice	1/2 tea spoon
Rock salt (optional)	1/4 tea spoon

Ingredients for Coating of Vada:

Ingredients	Quantity
Bengal Gram/Chickpea Flour	1 & 1/4 Cup
Soda Bicarbonate/Baking Soda	a small pinch
Rice Flour	1 table Spoon
Turmeric Powder	1/4 tea spoon
Red Chili Powder	1/2 tea spoon
Salt	to taste
Oil	1 table Spoon
Yogurt (optional)	1/4 cup
Water	as needed

Ingredients for Red-Dry Powder:

Ingredients	Quantity
Dry/Desiccated Coconut(grated)	3 table spoon
Red Chili Powder	2 tea spoon
Garlic (lasan)	4-6 cloves chopped
Oil	1 table spoon
Gram flour crumbs/ besan boondi (optional)	1/2 cup
Salt	to taste

Other Ingredients:

Pav ( bun/dinner rolls/hamburger) - 8-10 Pav

Red Chutney ( Sweet Chutney)

Green Chutney( Coriander-Mint Chutney)

Method/Process/Instruction for Making the Vada Stuffing:

Take a frying pan add oil to it. Once heated add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and Curry Leaves
After the seeds crackle add finely chopped Onion, Green chilies (hari mirch), Garlic (lasan) Paste and Ginger (adrak) Paste,
 After which add all the spices like Asafoetida, Red Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, Cumin Powder (Dry & Roasted)
After which add salt and lime juice and sauté it till onions become translucent then add the mashed potatoes and  chopped coriander Leaves.
Mix all the ingredients properly and keep the filling aside to let it cool little.
Then divide the masala into 8-9 equal parts and make balls out of it.

Method/Process/Instruction for Making the Coating for Vada:

Take a bowl put all the dry ingredients like Soda Bicarbonate/Baking Soda, Rice Flour, Turmeric Powder, and Red Chili Powder
Then heat 1 table spoon of oil pour it to the bowl and mix it well with the other ingredients
After which pour water as need to form a thick smooth paste and blend the batter well so that it is lump free
The batter shouldn’t be too thin or else the coating will not hold on to the stuffing.

Method/Process/Instruction for Making the Vada:

Take frying pan (6-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2”) ad
Take the potato balls dip them into the batter and put them in the oil one after the other as shown in the image.
Keep turning it with a frying spoon

d oil for deep frying and heat it in the medium flame.

Fry it until they go golden as shown in the image. Instead of deep frying you can also make it in a paniyaram pan (which will consume less oil and be easy to cook) as shown in the figure below:

But I have deep fried it, and then transfer it to an absorbent paper and let the excess oil drain.

Method/Process/Instruction for Making the Red Powder:

Grind all the ingredients (that is the dry coconut, garlic, red chili powder, oil and salt) together to make a powder out of it. If you want you can also add the besan boondi crumbs left out while making the vada.

Method/Process/Instruction for Assembling the Vada Pav:

Take a pav (dinner rolls, hamburger) cut it open (while cutting make sure that it is intact from the other side just like a shell)
Apply sweet red chutney on one side and green mint chutney on the other (optional)
Then take the already prepared vada (potato balls) press it a little and place it inside the pav( bun) sprinkle the red coconut-garlic powder and chopped onions or green chilies if you want.
Finally close the pav and take a big bite
Do share your views about the bite you just took!

Indian Vegetarian Stuffed Aloo Paratha Recipe

The king of all the Indian parathas is the rich Punjabi Aloo Paratha. These aaloo parathas are very popular in north india and are the most sought after breakfast over there; whether its ghar(house), dhaba( motel) or a big hotel these parathas are always in demand. In fact you have a complete lane in Delhi (capital of India) dedicated to parathas called the Paratha Wali Gali where the restaurants serve more than 100 types of parathas and yet the aloo paratha tops the chart.

These parathas/parothas are also the most loved dish of the heroes in the Bollywood movies, whether it was Aamir Khan in Rang De Basanti or Shahrukh Khan in Main Hoon Na, these parathas have always been patrons of Bollywood mothers’ for showing love towards their kids and has been popularized a lot.

These mouthwatering parathas are my personal favorites too. I live in Hyderabad which is in the southern side of the country and thus these parathas are like special occasion dish for us.
Our neighbors are north Indians and the Auntie makes yummy parathas. So, I thought why not share her recipe with you guys. Thus, here I am presenting to you the Royal Punjabi Aloo Paratha Recipe.
You can make it with less oil/ghee but, let me be honest  the royal taste of aloo paratha comes only when you use oil, ghee and butter in the required quantity this is what the Auntie told me!

Ingredients for Making Aloo Paratha:

For Filling/stuffing:

Ingredients	Quantity
Potatoes( boiled & meshed)	250 gm( around three large)
Cooking Oil(tel)	1 table spoon
Onion (pyax)	1 finely chopped/grated
Ginger(adrak)	1/4 tea spoon paste/finely chopped
Garlic (lasan)(optional)	1/4 tea spoon paste/finely chopped
Green Chili (hari mirch)	3-4 finely chopped
Coriander/Cilantro Leaves	3-4 table spoon finely chopped
Red Chili Powder	1/4 tea spoon
Coriander Seed (dhaniya)	1 tea spoon
Cumin Powder( dried & roasted)	1 tea spoon
Cumin Seed (jeera)	1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric (haldi)	1/2 tea spoon
Garam Masala	1/2 tea spoon
Coriander Powder	1/2 tea spoon
Dry Mango Powder (aamchur)	1/2 tea spoon
Salt ( namak)	to taste( 1 teaspoon approx.)
Rock/Red/Black Salt	1/4 tea spoon

For Dough:

Ingredients Quantity wholewheat flour (attaa) 500 grams( around 3 cups) Water 300 ml. approx Ghee/butter 2 tea spoon Salt to taste( 1 tea spoon) Carom Seeds(ajwain)  1/4 tea spoon Oil  2-3 table spoon(for pan frying)
For Garnish: Ingredients Quantity White Butter(makhan) 1/4 cup Coriander Leaves 20-30 leaves  Onions 1 chopped Green Chili 10-15 (can chop if you want) Serve with any of these: Red chutney Green Chutney Curd/Lassi Mango Pickle

Method of Making Aloo Paratha

Instruction/Method of making the Dough: 

Note: Make the dough when potatoes are boiling & also keep three-four table spoon of flour aside for dusting the parathas’

Take large bowl add flour, salt and carom Seeds (ajwain) to it

Mix all the ingredients well with oil and then add the required amount water in order to make stiff dough; do knead it well for around 6-7 minutes.

And then keep it aside for 5-10 minutes (in the mean time you can make the filling)

Instruction/Method of making the filling:

Take frying pan put cooking oil (sunflower oil) and heat it.

After few minutes add cumin seed and coriander seed to it then ginger paste (add garlic paste only if you like the flavor it is not the part of the recipe)

Then add the finely chopped onions and green chili after which add the other power like red chili, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, Garam Masala (if not then add chat masala) & Dry Mango Powder  or instead you can also use dried pomegranate seeds powder (anardana powder) in the specified quantity( you can make changes as per your need)

Finally add mashed potatoes and chopped coriander and both the salts and put it aside.

Instruction/Method rolling out the Parathas:

Divide the dough into 10-11 equal roll (cover it with a moist cloth incase the temperature in you city is high)
Take a rolling board and sprinkle some flour on it
Dust one roll and place it on the board and then press it little with hand or roll it out, 8-10 cm approx. or take the roll in your hand and press it with you thumb to form a pouch as shown in the figure.

Then place the filling in the center (around 1/10th part of the filling) of the rolled out dough/pouch (or else you can divide the filling into 10-11 equal balls and keep it ready)

Now take it in your palm and bring all the edges together to seal it as shown in the picture below

Then place the filled roll on the rolling board and roll it into a circle. The filling might ooze out in case it happens just place it again to the circle and seal it, but you can avoid the oozing by using a light hand while rolling

Though the perfect round looks good it will only come with practice. So, friends don’t worry about the perfect round shape of the parathas if you are a beginner, the shape might be anything this recipe just tastes yum in any shape.

Simultaneously heat the griddle/pan (take a non- stick pan (tawa) in case you are very health conscious and don’t like to add much oil in your calorie chart) {medium hot}

Instruction/Method for frying the Parathas:

Put one rolled paratha at a time on the heated griddle

and flip it to the other side when you see little bubble/blisters rise and the color changes after turning brush oil/ghee all over it

Then flip it again after 30 seconds and brush the oil to this side of the paratha too.
And apply pressure with a cloth or flat spatula for the parathas to cook evenly and fluff, it will also make it crispy.

Finally the paratha will be done when both sides become crispy and turn out to be golden brown.
Remember to cook the parathas on medium heat only.

It tastes best when served hot garnished with a knob of butter and fresh coriander leaves on the top along with chutneys (red chutney and green chutney) along with pickle and curd or lassi and the icing on the cake would be if chopped onion and green chilies are also served along with it!

Note: You can make a bunch of it, cut into wedges it like pizza and serve it as a starter too.
Though it is great if served hot but if not then the parathas can be covered with aluminum foil and frozen they can be later de-frosted and re-heated prior serving

This was my Aunt’s recipe you can make it yours by adding and removing ingredients accordingly and can come up with wonderful recipe!

Mash K Dahi Wade Recipe

Ramazan has come & with it comes the tasty Haleem & Dahi wade. These two delicacies have really blurred or should I say erased the religious boundaries. A lot of people from all walks of life are found flocking the bandi's (kiosks).
So today I am here with the recipe of dadi Wade with a healthy, light & tasty twist.

Ingredients for making Mash k Dahi Wade:

1. Mash Ki dal - 1/4 kg
2. Salt - To taste
3. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp
4. Green Chilli paste - 1/4 tsp
5. Oil - for deep Frying
6. Water

Ingredients for Dahi of Mash k Dahi Wade:

1. Green Chilli Paste - 1/2 tsp
2. Yogurt - 1/2 kg
3. Salt - to taste
4. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/4 tsp

Ingredients for Garnish of Mash k Dahi wade:

1. Oil
2. Rai
3. Zeera
4. Curry Patta
5. Dahi dried Mirch
6. Turmeric - 1 pinch
6. Corriander leaves, finely chopped
7. Mint leaves, finely chopped

Method of Making Mash k Dadi Wade:

1. Soak Mash ki Dal for about 3-4 hours before grinding. Make sure Dal is Clean with no stones in it.

2. Grind Mash ki dal in a Mixer Grinder adding water as required. Make a smooth paste.
3. To this add Salt, Green Chili Paste & Ginger Garlic paste and keep aside for 10-15 mins.
4. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan & with a spoon put Mash ki dal paste. Make them as round as possible.

5. Deep fry till golden brown. Take out in a plate & let cool. The wade are ready.
6. Take a bowl, add water & salt to it.
7. Put the fried Mash k wade into this water & let it soak water & become soft.

Method of Dahi for Mash k Dahi Wade:

1. Blend yogurt & make it smooth & lump free.
2. Add ginger garlic paste, green chili paste & salt to the yogurt.

Get the Mash k Dahi Wade ready:

1. Remove the Mash K Wade from Salted Water & Dip them the Dahi (Yogurt Mix)

Method of Tampering & Garnishing for Mash k Dahi Wade:

1. Take a pan, heat oil & add Rai & Zeera.
2. When Zeera starts spluttering add currypatta & Dahi dried Mirch. Saute for 1/2 min & remove before it gets burnt.
4. Garnish the Mash K Dahi wade with the tampering & Greens like mint & coriander leaves

Now this Hyderabadi Dish is ready to serve!

Sev Batata Puri Mumbai Style

We Indians love chaat-pata ( spicy and tangy) street food and sev puri is one among the most loved chaats served on the road side stalls and chaat shops.

In fact anytime anywhere you can pleasure your taste buds with this easy to make healthy snack recipe.

Ingredients to be used to make Sev Puri:

Ingredients	Quantity
Crispy Puris/Pooris	4-6 pieces
Sev	1/4 cup
Potato/aloo (boiled and cubed)	1 cup
Onion/pyaz (finely chopped)	1/4 cup
Tomato/ tamatar (finely chopped)	1/4 cup
Sweet Chutney or Red Chutney	1-2 tea spoon
Green Chutney	1-2 tea spoon
Coriander/Cilantro ( dhaniya) Leaves (Chopped)	1/2 table spoon
Chat Masala	1/4 tea spoon
Lemon Juice	1/2 tea spoon

Method of making Sev Puri

1) Take a nice medium sized serving plate.

2) Break the puris in the plate 

3) Add all the other ingredients like potato, tomato,onions etc

4) Finally sprinkle all the spices and mix it with the red chutney, green chutney and lime juice.

5) Garnish the dish with chopped coriander leaves

And here we go the delicious sev puri is ready to jump upon J