Indian Vegetarian Fast Food at Home

 Indian Potato Fritter Sandwiches with Coriander Chutney and Tamarind-Date Chutney

Indian Vegetarian Fast Food at Home

by Victoria Challancin

It may not be as fast, but making Vada Pav at home is almost as satisfying as grabbing one of these exotic and aromatic potato fritter sandwiches at a bustling street stall in Mumbai.  Well, almost...

Vada Pav, or a Potato Fritter Sandwich, is staple vegetarian fast food in Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra.  Popular for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks, these tasty fritters are served to rich and poor alike, all over the city with variations appearing all over the country.  Even luxury hotels offer this dish--for a price, of course.

The word vada refers to a "fritter," and pav means an unsweetened bread or bun.  Although completely vegetarian, these are often known as "Indian Burgers."  Served with chutney(s) and placed between a toasted, buttered soft roll, these sandwiches have morphed and fused with other cuisines in such popular variations as the following:

• Szechuan Vada Pav-- a Chinese fusion version that serves the vada with a spicy Szechuan-style sauce
• Cheese Vada Pav--Processed cheese is either melted over the vada or stuffed inside
• Jain Vada Pav--caters specifically to Jain religeous restrictions by eliminating onion, garlic, and potatoes (yes, these substitute a mash of cashews and raisins for the potatoes with other variations existing)
• Samosa Pav--samosas are used instead of a vada 
• Gujarati-Style Vada Pav--usually the vada are fired in butter or sometimes are not fried at all

Cook's Notes:  Like many Indian recipes, this one looks complicated because of the number of ingredients, but in fact, is quite simple to make. While I did use the delicious and fluffy batter on these, you could eliminate that step and still have a tasty dish.  Even though I have asafoetida on hand, my cooks have no access to it, so I simply omitted it.  I also just pan fried these in a large skillet instead of deep frying them in more oil.  Because we don't have tamarind paste, I used tamarind pods and used the fresh pulp--actually, I had a bag of the pulp with seeds that was a gift from a friend who brought it to me from the Pacific Coast of Mexico.  One last thought--we ate both chutneys with everything until they disappeared, but the tamarind chutney was particularly lovely served with cheese.

Recipe:  Vada Pav (Potato Fritter Sandwich)

(Recipe from Saveur Magazine)

For the Coriander Chutney:

2 cups chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 jalapeños, stemmed (or serrano chile)

For the Tamarind Chutney:

8 oz tamarind paste

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 serrano chile, stemmed and finely chopped

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup pitted dates, finely chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 teaspoon hot paprika

For the Vada:

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons canola oil

3/4 teaspoons black mustard seeds

1/8 teaspoon asafoetida

1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 serrano chile, stemmed and finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup chickpea flour

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Canola oil for frying

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 store-bought Parker House rolls, split but left hinged (or ciabatta or other small roll of choice)

 The two chutneys

 Make the coriander chutney:  Heat the tamarind paste and 2 cups water in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat; cook, stirring, until tamarind dissolves.  Pour through a medium strainer into a small bowl, pressing on solids to extract all pulp; discard solids and set aside pulp.  Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add fennel, mustard seeds, and chile; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.  Add reserved tamarind pulp, brown sugar, dates, raisins, paprika, and 1 cup water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until reduced and thick, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Make the vada:  Bring a 4-quart saucepan of salted water to a boil, and add potatoes; cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain in a colander, then pass through a potato ricer into a large bowl; set aside.  Heat oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add fennel, mustard seeds, and asafoetida and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to bowl with potatoes, along with cilantro, mint, and juice; season with salt and stir until well combined.  Shape mixture into 2-inch balls, slightly flatten with palms, and transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; refrigerate for 1 hour.  Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining turmeric, chickpea and rice flours, yogurt, coriander, cumin, baking soda, and 3/4 cup water until smooth; set aside.

Pour oil into a 6-quart Dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches, and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 360 degrees.  Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to dip potato patties into chickpea batter, shaking off excess, and transfer to oil.  Fry, turning occasionally, until browned and puffed, 2 to 3 minutes.   Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

To assemble, heat butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add rolls, cut sides down, and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes.  Spread 1 tablespoon coriander chutney inside top of each roll and 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney inside bottom of each roll.  Place a potato fritter in each and close, then gently smash.

Related Recipes

The filling for my Potato Samosas are similar to the actual vada pav, but are encased in pastry instead of served in a bun.  Click here for the recipe which is served with another green coriander-mint chutney.  And here you can find my coconut-garlic chutney, which would also be great with the vada pav.

Potato Samosas with another Coriander-Mint Chutney

Parting Shot:

 Lord Krishna playing in a friend's garden...

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

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