RecipesVegetarian and Vegetables

Vada Pav recipe (Spiced potato fritter rolls)

A delicious recipe reproduced with kind permission from Julius Fiedler's cookbook Naturally Vegan.

Dairy Free
Gluten Free
Vegan
Vada Pav recipe (Spiced potato fritter rolls)
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Ingredients

For the recipe:
  • 8 Pav (see book for recipe), or small soft rolls
For the Vada
  • 3 potatoes, about 400g in total
  • 11/4 tbsp salt
  • 20g fresh root ginger
  • 2 green finger chillies, plus 8 to garnish (optional)
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 30 small fresh curry leaves
  • 20g fresh coriander
  • 1 litre vegetable oil for deep frying
  • 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
  • 1/3 tsp asafoetida
  • 1/3 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
For the Batter
  • 120g chickpea flour (also called gram or besan)
  • 1/3 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • 1/3 tsp salt
To Serve
  • Hari chutney (see book for details)
  • Imli Chutney (see book for details)
  • Lasun Chutney (see book for details)

A delicious recipe reproduced with kind permission from Julius Fiedler’s cookbook Naturally Vegan.

Active time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Note: The chillies make a fiery garnish, but they will split in the hot oil, so only use them if you’re confident with deep-frying. Heat the oil to 140°C (285°F) and pierce each of the 8 chillies to prevent them from bursting. Place them on a slotted spoon and carefully dip it in and out of the hot oil, making sure to lift it up as soon as they sizzle. Continue this way until they stop sizzling in the oil and are blistered all over. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain. 

Naturally Vegan: Delicious Recipes From Around The World That Just Happen To Be Plant-Based by Julius Fiedler, £25. DK RED.

Method

01
Start with the pav, if making your own (see cookbook for details).
02
To make the vada put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, season with 1 tablespoon of the salt, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until knife tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly, then peel and mash. Make the chutneys in the meantime. 
03
Peel the ginger and garlic, trim the chillies, then use a pestle and mortar to mash them to a paste. Pick the curry leaves; trim and discard the lower stems of the coriander and roughly chop the rest. 
04
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they sizzle, add the curry leaves, asafoetida, and the ginger-garlic paste. Saute until aromatic, then stir in the turmeric and turn off the heat. Mix in the mashed potatoes, lemon juice, coriander, and remaining salt, then tip everything into a bowl and, once cooled, mix well with your hands. Shape the mixture into eight patties about 2.5cm (1in) thick. 
05
Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. If making the fried chillies, fry them first (see Note, opposite). Bring the oil temperature to 170°C/340°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, place the end of a wooden spoon into the oil; if it’s hot enough, tiny bubbles will form around the tip. In a bowl, whisk together the batter ingredients with 140ml (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) of water. Coat four of the patties, one at a time, in the batter and add immediately to the hot oil. Fry until golden (around 4 minutes), turning  them occasionally, then transfer to kitchen paper to drain. Continue with the rest. 
06
After frying the vada, slowly drizzle the rest of the batter into the hot oil. It will puff up into crispy bits (these are called chura). Once golden, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to kitchen paper to drain. 
07
Cut open each pav (bread roll), spread the hari (coriander) chutney over the lower half, the imli (tamarind) chutney over the upper, and sprinkle the lasun (dry garlic) chutney over both. Add the vada, top with the chura and chillies, then close the sandwich and serve the chutneys alongside to dip into with each bite.