Indian cuisine · Breakfast & Eggs

Vada Pav

Mumbai's classic: spiced potato dumpling deep-fried in a chickpea coating and tucked into a bun with dry garlic chutney.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g floury potatoes
• 200 g chickpea flour
• 8 pav buns
• 10 garlic cloves
• 60 g grated coconut
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 3 green chilies
• 1 piece ginger (3 cm)
• 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 700 ml frying oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins for 20–25 min. until soft, peel and mash coarsely; finely chop the ginger, green chilies and cilantro.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the frying oil, let the mustard seeds pop in it for 30 sec., fry the ginger and green chilies in for 1 min. and mix everything with the potatoes, cilantro and 1.5 tsp salt; shape into eight balls.
3. For the chutney, toast the grated coconut and peeled garlic cloves in a dry pan for 4 min. until fragrant, let cool and crush in a mortar with the chili powder and 1 tsp salt into a coarse, dry powder.
4. Whisk the chickpea flour with 1 tsp salt and about 220 ml water into a thick batter that fully coats the balls when dipped.
5. Heat the frying oil to 175 °C (350 °F), dip the balls in the batter and deep-fry in batches for 4–5 min. until golden, then drain on paper towels.
6. Slice open the buns, spread the inside generously with the garlic chutney, tuck in a vada each and serve immediately hot.