Mumbai Street Food Tandoori Vada Pav in 20 Minutes
Vada Pav, known as Wada Pav, is a renowned Mumbai street food. It consists of a batata vada, a fried potato dumpling served in a bun (Pav) with green coriander and dry garlic chutney. Some refer to it as “The Bombay Burger.”
Vada Pav is a budget-friendly treat available at almost all locations throughout Mumbai, including shops, outside schools and colleges, and factories. This delectable fried savory snack is rich in carbohydrates and fiber, making it a satisfying choice. You can relish it as an evening snack, light dinner, or any time of the day. Typically served with fried green chilies, it pairs perfectly with a cup of robust masala chai. Trust me, delicious Mumbai vada pav is an authentic delight you don’t want to miss.
Tandoori vada pav or barbeque vada pav is trending in the market. So, I decided to prepare this recipe. I came up with an exciting idea to introduce a subtle smoky twist. This innovative version of vada pav is easy to replicate at home, thanks to a simple trick that imparts a delightful smoky flavor to the dish. You can now enjoy this new take on vada pav in the comfort of your kitchen. Alternatively, you can follow the same recipe to make the traditional Mumbai vada pav without incorporating the smoky effect step.
Let’s begin by mastering the art of crafting the perfect batata vada. When choosing the potatoes, make sure they are not overly sweet. Boil them with the skin on to minimize moisture content. In case they turn out too moist, refrigerate them for a while.
Add a pinch of baking soda to the gram flour batter for crispy vadas. Before frying the vada, assess the consistency of the batter. Test by dropping a little batter into the oil; if it pops up straight without spreading too much, the batter is just right.
The recipe itself is straightforward. Start by boiling and mashing the potatoes. Next, combine garlic, ginger, fresh coriander leaves, and spices to create the base mixture for the batata vada. Place a piece of burnt charcoal over the potato mixture (smoky tandoori charcoal effect). Cover it with a lid for a few minutes to allow the enticing smoke to infuse into the prepared base mixture.
Take a small portion of the mashed potato mixture, prepare a round patty, dip it in the gram flour batter, and fry until golden. Assemble with green coriander and dry garlic chutney, similar to the street vendor style.
I love this part, as vendors don’t waste anything. They grind the crumbles of the vada fritters, garlic, chili powder, and salt to make a delightful dry red garlic chutney out of the leftovers.
You can make this dry red garlic chutney at home. First, fry the gram flour thin(sev type) pakora(fritters), as the leftover crumbles are less in quantity for making the chutney. With the same prepared gram flour batter, using your fingers, pour the gram flour batter in a circular movement into the oil and fry them. Then grind this with fried garlic, salt, and red chili powder. Simple dry garlic chutney is ready.
Please make these delicious, spicy, flavorful Mumbai-style Tandoori Vada Pav and enjoy them with a piping hot cup of tea and the beautiful rain.
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Table of Contents
Recipe Video
Recipe Card
Mumbai Street Food Tandoori Vada Pav in 20 Minutes(Updated)
Ingredients
- 2 Potato boiled and mashed
- 2 tbsp Oil
- ½ tsp Mustard seeds
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- ½ tsp Crushed coriander seeds
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- ½ tbsp Green chili paste
- 1 tbsp Ginger paste
- 1 tbsp Garlic paste
- few Curry Leaves
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- Salt as per taste
- Some Fresh coriander leaves
- 1½ cups Gram flour
- ⅛ tsp or a pinch Baking soda
- Oil for frying
- Green Chutney
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
Instructions
Potato Mixture Preparation
- In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add ½ tsp mustard seeds. The seeds will start to crackle.
- Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, and a few curry leaves. Stir fry for a minute.
- Add 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, ½ tbsp green chili paste, ¼ tsp asafoetida, and ¼ tsp turmeric powder, and saute for a minute.
- Add two boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt as per taste and mix all the ingredients well.
- Add some fresh coriander leaves and mix all the ingredients well.
Charcoal Smoky Effect
- Place a burnt piece of charcoal on the small plate. Now place this over the prepared potato mixture.
- Pour a few drops of oil over the charcoal.
- Immediately cover it with the lid and let the smoke infuse in the mixture.
- After a few minutes, remove the cover and charcoal plate from the mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. With greased hands, take some portion of the mixture in your hands.
- Gently roll between your palms.
- And form a shape of a ball.
- And slightly flatten the ball with your palm. Keep aside.
Gram Flour Batter Preparation
- Take 1½ cups of gram flour, salt as per taste, and ⅛ tsp or a pinch of baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients well.
- Add water in batches and prepare a medium thick consistency batter using a whisk.
- Transfer the vada to the gram flour batter.
Frying the Vada
- To check the batter consistency, drop the little batter into medium-hot oil.
- The batter is perfect if it pops up straight without spreading much in the pan. Tip* – Add some gram flour if the batter is watery, or add water and adjust if it is thick.
- Dip the potato vada in the gram flour batter.
- And gently transfer them into the medium hot oil.
- Allow the potato vadas to fry for a few minutes. Don't flip to the other side quickly.
- Flip and fry till golden in color.
- Drain the vada on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Keep aside.
- Make a slit in the green chilies and fry them. Keep aside.
Dry Garlic Chutney Preparation
- Use five fingers to pour the gram flour batter in circular movements into medium-hot oil.
- Flip and fry till golden in color.
- Drain the fritters on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Keep aside.
- Make a few slits in 2 garlic cloves along with the skin with a knife.
- Fry them in medium hot oil. Drain and keep it aside.
- Add fried fritters, fried garlic, 2 tbsp red chili powder, and salt, and grind them in a jar.
- Grind and keep aside.
Assemble the Vada Pav
- Make a slit in the middle of the buns, and apply the chutney.
- Place a fried vada on each of the buns.
- Spread some dry garlic chutney over each of the vadas.
- Close the buns gently with your hand and place a fried green chili over each vada.
- Serve hot vada pav with a piping hot chai.
Notes
How to make Tandoori Vada Pav at Home Step by Step Photos
Potato Mixture Preparation
- In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add ½ tsp mustard seeds. The seeds will start to crackle.
- Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, and a few curry leaves. Stir fry for a minute.
- Add 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, ½ tbsp green chili paste, ¼ tsp asafoetida, and ¼ tsp turmeric powder and saute for a minute.
- Add two boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt as per taste and mix all the ingredients well.
- Add some fresh coriander leaves and mix all the ingredients well.
Charcoal Smoky Effect
- Place a burnt piece of charcoal on the small plate. Now place this over the prepared potato mixture.
- Pour a few drops of oil over the charcoal.
- Immediately cover it with the lid and let the smoke infuse in the mixture.
- After a few minutes, remove the cover as well as the charcoal piece from the mixture.
- Transfer the mixture into a bowl. With greased hands, take some portion of the mixture in your hands.
- Gently roll between your palms.
- And form a shape of a ball.
- And slightly flatten the ball with your palm. Keep aside.
Gram Flour Batter Preparation
- Take 1½ cups of gram flour, salt as per taste, and ⅛ tsp or a pinch of baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients well.
- Add water in batches and prepare a medium thick consistency batter using a whisk.
- Transfer the kept aside vada in the gram flour batter.
Frying the Vada
- To check the batter consistency, drop the little batter into medium-hot oil. The batter is perfect if it pops up straight without spreading much in the pan. Tip* – Add some gram flour if the batter is watery, or add water and adjust if it is thick.
- Dip the potato vada in the gram flour batter.
- And gently transfer them into a medium hot oil.
- Allow the potato vadas to fry for a few minutes. Don’t flip to the other side quickly.
- Flip and fry till golden in color.
- Drain the vada on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Keep aside.
- Make a slit in the green chilies and fry them. Keep aside.
Dry Garlic Chutney Preparation
- Use five fingers to pour the gram flour batter in circular movements into medium-hot oil.
- Flip and fry till golden in color.
- Drain the fritters on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Keep aside.
- Make a few slits in 2 garlic cloves along with the skin with a knife.
- Fry them in medium hot oil. Drain and keep it aside.
- Add fried fritters, fried garlic, 2 tbsp red chili powder, and salt, and grind them in a jar.
- Grind and keep aside.
Assemble the Vada Pav
- Make a slit in the middle of the buns, and apply the chutney.
- Place a fried vada on each of the buns.
- Spread some dry garlic chutney over each of the vada.
- Close the buns gently with your hand and place a fried green chili over each of the vada.
- Serve hot vada pav with a piping hot chai.
Notes
1. Alternatively, you can follow the same recipe to make the traditional Mumbai vada pav without incorporating the smoky effect step.
FAQs
What is vada pav?
Vada Pav, known as Wada Pav, is one of the famous street food of Mumbai. Wada pav is a batata vada, a fried potato dumpling placed in a bun(Pav) sliced almost half through the middle and accompanied with green coriander and dry garlic chutney. Fried green chilies are always eaten with this snack.
How to make vada pav?
Vada Pav, known as Wada Pav, is one of the famous street food of Mumbai. Wada pav is a batata vada, a fried potato dumpling placed in a bun(Pav) sliced almost half through the middle and accompanied with green coriander and dry garlic chutney. Fried green chilies are always eaten with this snack.
– In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add ½ tsp mustard seeds. The seeds will start to crackle.
– Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, and a few curry leaves. Stir fry for a minute
– Now add 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, ½ tbsp green chili paste, ¼ tsp asafoetida, and ¼ tsp turmeric powder. Stir fry for a minute
– Add two boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt, some fresh coriander leaves, and mix all the ingredients well
– Transfer the mixture into a bowl. With greased hands, take some portion of the mixture in your hands
– Gently roll between your palms and form a shape of a ball. Slightly flatten the ball with your palm. Keep aside
– Take 1½ cups of gram flour, salt as per taste, and ⅛ tsp or a pinch of baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients well
– Add water in batches and prepare a medium-thick consistency batter using a whisk
– Transfer the kept aside vada in the gram flour batter
– Dip the potato vada in the gram flour batter and gently transfer them into a medium hot oil
– Flip and fry till golden in color.
– Drain the vada on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Keep aside
– Make a slit in the green chilies and fry them. Keep aside
– Make a slit in the middle of the buns, open and apply green chutney on the buns
– Place a fried vada on each of the buns
– Spread some dry garlic chutney over each of the vadas
– Close the buns gently with your hand and place a fried green chili over each of the vadas
– Enjoy hot vada pav either in the evening or anytime during the day
What is tandoori vada pav or BBQ vada pav?
Vada pav is a batata vada, a fried potato dumpling placed in a bun(Pav) sliced almost half through the middle and accompanied with green coriander and dry garlic chutney. A charcoal effect given to the batata vada before or after frying is called tandoori or BBQ vada pav.
How to make barbeque vada pav at home?
Vada pav is a batata vada, a fried potato dumpling placed in a bun(Pav) sliced almost half through the middle and accompanied with green coriander and dry garlic chutney. A charcoal effect given to the batata vada before or after frying is called tandoori or BBQ vada pav.
– In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add ½ tsp mustard seeds. The seeds will start to crackle.
– Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tsp urad dal, and a few curry leaves. Stir fry for a minute
– Now add 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, ½ tbsp green chili paste, ¼ tsp asafoetida, and ¼ tsp turmeric powder. Stir fry for a minute
– Add two boiled and mashed potatoes. Add salt, some fresh coriander leaves, and mix all the ingredients well
– Transfer the mixture into a bowl.
– Place a piece of burnt charcoal on a steel plate and place it over the potato mixture
– Pour a few drops of oil over the charcoal
– Immediately cover it with the lid and let the smoke infuse in the mixture
– After a few minutes, remove the cover as well as the charcoal piece from the mixture
– With greased hands, take some portion of the mixture in your hands
– Gently roll between your palms and form a shape of a ball. Slightly flatten the ball with your palm. Keep aside
– Take 1½ cups of gram flour, salt as per taste, and ⅛ tsp or a pinch of baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients well
– Add water in batches and prepare a medium-thick consistency batter using a whisk
– Transfer the kept aside vada in the gram flour batter
– Dip the potato vada in the gram flour batter and gently transfer them into a medium hot oil
– Flip and fry till golden in color.
– Drain the vada on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Keep aside
– Make a slit in the green chilies and fry them. Keep aside
– Make a slit in the middle of the buns, open and apply green chutney on the buns
– Place a fried vada on each of the buns
– Spread some dry garlic chutney over each of the vadas
– Close the buns gently with your hand and place a fried green chili over each of the vadas
– Enjoy hot vada pav either in the evening or anytime during the day
Conclusion
In this Tandoori Vada Pav Recipe, we have shared how to make delicious tandoori vada pav at home, the famous street food of Mumbai. We have first explained how to make the batata vada, the correct way of preparing the gram flour batter, the perfect way to fry the vadas, and how to prepare the dry red garlic chutney, especially to enjoy with the vada pav. We have also explained how to give a smoky tandoori effect to these vadas. If you like this recipe, please comment and rank us for this recipe. Your suggestion and comments are always welcome and are like a treasure to improve every time.