Cheese Burst Vada Pav
Eat like the average Mumbaikar... okay that line maybe a bit too cheesy, but guess what? So is this Vada Pav! Enjoy this Bombay-staple street food with a cheesy twist!
Eat like the average Mumbaikar... okay that line maybe a bit too cheesy, but guess what? So is this Vada Pav! Enjoy this Bombay-staple street food with a cheesy twist!
INGREDIENTS:
For the Batter:
3 cups Besan (gram flour)
Salt to taste
A pinch of Ajwain (optional)
A pinch of Baking soda (optional)
Water as needed
For Kharda (Chilli Garlic Paste):
5-6 cloves of Garlic
Small piece of Ginger
4-5 Green chillies (adjust spiciness to your preference)
A pinch of Salt
For Thecha (Spicy Green Chutney):
A handful of Fresh coriander
5-6 Green chillies (adjust spiciness to your preference)
5-6 cloves of Garlic
½ inch piece of Ginger
Salt to taste
Water as needed
For Aloo Mixture:
2 tbsp Oil
2 tsp Mustard seeds (Rai)
1/4th tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
8-10 Curry leaves (Kadi patta)
Kharda (made earlier)
½ tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
A pinch of Garam masala
5-6 medium-sized Potatoes (boiled & mashed)
1 tbsp Lemon juice
A handful of Fresh coriander (chopped)
For Red Vada Pav Chutney:
2 cups Chura
8-10 cloves of Garlic (with skin)
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Red chilli powder
Oil for frying the chura & vadas
Assembly:
Crispy vadas
Pav
Thecha
Sweet chutney
Chopped onions
Fried salted green chillies (as required)
METHOD:
For the Batter:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine besan and other batter ingredients. Mix well, adding water gradually to make a smooth batter without lumps.
2. Whisk the batter for at least 4-5 minutes until it reaches a flowy consistency. Ensure it's not too thick or too thin.
3. Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes.
For Kharda (Chilli Garlic Paste) and Thecha (Spicy Green Chutney):
1. Grind the respective ingredients in a mortar and pestle or a grinding jar to make pastes. Add water as needed for the thecha.
2. Keep them aside for later use.
For Aloo Mixture:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds (Rai) and let them crackle.
2. Add hing, curry leaves (Kadi patta), and the kharda paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, and boiled mashed potatoes.
4. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add lemon juice and fresh coriander. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.
5. Let the aloo mixture cool to room temperature.
For Red Vada Pav Chutney:
1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the vada pav batter in random drops until crisp and golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2. Deep fry garlic cloves briefly (30-60 seconds) and keep them aside.
3. In a food processor, grind 2 cups of crispy chura along with fried garlic, salt, and red chilli powder to make a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.
For Making Vadas:
1. Shape spoonfuls of aloo mixture into balls and flatten them slightly.
2. Dip vada balls into the besan batter, ensuring an even coating.
3. Deep fry vadas in hot oil until crisp and golden brown.
4. Set aside the crispy vadas.
For Fried Green Chillies:
1. Make a slit in green chillies without dividing them in half.
2. Briefly fry the slit green chillies for 15-20 seconds and coat them with salt.
To Assemble Vada Pav:
1. Slice the pav in half.
2. Apply thecha or sweet chutney on the inner sides.
3. Place a hot crispy vada in the pav.
4. Add chopped onions and red vada pav chutney.
5. Serve immediately with fried salted green chillies and extra chura for added crispiness.
6. Adjust the chutney and other elements according to your preference.