3teaspoonskashmiri red chili powderor add more to taste
1/2 teaspoonsalt
Green Chutney
1bunchcilantro
1-2green chili
2garlic cloves
1/4teaspooncumin powder
1/4teaspoonsalt
juice of 1 lime
1tablespoonwateras needed
1/2teaspoonsugaroptional
Tamarind Chutney
1cupwater
1/4cuptamarind paste
50gramsjaggery
3 tablespoonssugaror to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoonred chili powderor to taste
1/2teaspooncumin powder
1/2teaspoonginger powder
For the Vada
1inchginger
5-6largegarlic
2green chilies
1tablespoonoil
3/4teaspoonmustard seeds
1/4teaspoonhingalso known as asafetida
12-15curry leaves
4mediumpotatoesaround 600 grams
1/4teaspoonturmeric
3/4teaspoonsaltor to taste
2tablespoonschopped cilantro
For the batter
1cupbesanalso known as chickpea flour
1/4teaspoonturmeric
1/2teaspoonsalt
pinch baking soda
1/2cupwater+ 1-2 tablespoons extra, as needed
Other ingredients
10ladi pav
vegetable oilfor frying
butterfor toasting the pavs
Instructions
Make the garlic chutney
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Then add garlic cloves and fry for 1-2 minutes until garlic turns slightly brown in color. Set aside on a tissue.
To the same pan, add freshly grated coconut. Cook for 2 minutes until light golden brown.
Transfer coconut to a blender. Add toasted garlic, salt and red chili powder and grind to a coarse chutney. Set it aside.
Make the green chutney
To a blender add cilantro. Discard the hard stems, the softer ones are okay to use.
Add green chili, garlic, cumin powder, salt, sugar (if using) and lime juice. Add 1 tbsp water or as needed. Blend to a fine paste and set it aside.
Make the tamarind chutney
To a pan add water, tamarind paste, jaggery, sugar, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder and ginger powder. Bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and let it boil for 3-4 minutes until the chutney turns thick and coats the back of a spoon. Set it aside to cool. It will thicken more as it cools down.
Make the vada
Boil the potatoes until soft, peel them and set them aside. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the ginger, garlic and green chili. Set it aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the curry leaves and hing and mix.
Add the crushed ginger-garlic-green chili. Cook for one minute until the ginger and garlic starts changing color.
Now add the boiled potatoes and remove pan from heat. Add turmeric, salt and mash the potatoes using a potato masher. Add chopped cilantro and mix well.
Now make lemon sized balls out of the potato mixture. I was able to get 10 of these. Set these aside.
Make the batter to fry the vada
To make the batter, take besan in a large bowl. Add turmeric, salt and pinch of baking soda to it. Start adding water, little by little to the bowl.
Whisk to form a smooth batter. You may need couple of extra tablespoons of water to reach a desired consistency. The batter should neither be thick nor thin.
Fry the vada
Heat oil in a kadai/wok on medium-high heat. Dip each potato round into the batter, coat it from all sides. Then drop it carefully into the hot oil.
Fry the vada in hot oil until golden brown in color. Fry all vadas in a similar way. Drain on a paper towel.
Assemble the Vada Pav
To assemble the vada pav, toast the pav with some butter on a pan. Then slice each pav but not entirely. It should still be attached at one end.
Apply green chutney on one side and tamarind chutney on the other side of the pav. Then apply garlic chutney on top of these chutneys.
Place the fried vada in the center. Serve the vada pav immediately with more chutney on the side!
Notes
Adjust spice levels to taste. My vada pav isn't as spicy as it should be because I can't handle lot of heat. Add more green chilies/red chili powder to spice it up.