Air-Fried Vada Pav: A Tasty, Healthy Twist

Vada pav is a popular Indian street food and snack from Mumbai. It is a batata vada served in a pav (bread). This recipe is a healthier version where vada pav is made without frying in an air fryer. The vada is a potato fritter that is stuffed in between mini-burger buns called pav, along with sweet and spicy sauces or chutney.

To make vada pav in an air fryer, first make the potato filling by mixing boiled potatoes with spices. Then, make a batter with gram flour, salt, and red chilli powder. Dip the potato balls in the batter and place them in the air fryer. Finally, assemble the vada pav by placing the fried vada in between the pav with chutney.

Preparing the chutneys

Vada pav is served with three chutneys: dry garlic chutney, green chutney, and tamarind chutney. You can make these chutneys at home or use store-bought ones.

Dry Garlic Chutney

To make the dry garlic chutney, you will need:

• 6 to 8 peeled garlic cloves
• 6 to 10 dried red chillies
• 1/2 to 1 cup dried coconut
• 1 tablespoon peanuts (optional)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder (optional)

First, dry roast the garlic cloves for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, add the dried red chillies and roast until they are crisp. Set these aside to cool. In the same pan, roast the dried coconut until it is hot, being careful not to over-roast or brown it. If you are using peanuts, roast them on medium heat until they are golden and aromatic. Allow all the ingredients to cool, then powder the red chillies first with salt, followed by the garlic. Finally, add the coconut and peanuts, blending everything together to form a coarse powder. You can adjust the salt and chilli to your taste.

Green Chutney

To make the green chutney, you will need:

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups coriander leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1 to 2 hot green chillies
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, roasted chana dal, or a slice of white bread (optional)

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until you have a smooth chutney. Adjust the salt, lemon juice, and green chilli to your taste. The chutney should not be too runny, as this will make the pav soggy. Store the chutney in a clean, dry, airtight glass jar in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Tamarind Chutney

Although optional, tamarind chutney is commonly served with vada pav. You can make this at home or use a store-bought version.

Making the potato mixture

The potato mixture is a key component of Vada Pav, a popular Indian snack and street food that originated in Mumbai. Here are the steps to make the potato mixture:

Ingredients:

• Boiled potatoes (peeled and mashed)
• Spices (such as garam masala, red chilli powder, amchur powder, turmeric powder, salt, and mustard seeds)
• Curry leaves
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Green chilli
• Oil

Instructions:

• Put the boiled potatoes in a bowl and mash them using a fork or a potato masher.
• Add the spices, including garam masala, red chilli powder, amchur powder, turmeric powder, and salt, to the mashed potatoes.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients: mustard seeds and curry leaves.
• Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the ginger, garlic, and green chilli. Saute until the raw smell goes away.
• Add the tempered mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix until everything is evenly combined.
• Taste the potato mixture and adjust the spices and salt to your preference.
• Let the potato mixture cool completely before forming it into balls.

The potato mixture is now ready to be used for making Vada Pav. You can follow the rest of the recipe instructions to assemble and cook the Vada Pav in an air fryer.

Preparing the chickpea flour batter

Ingredients:

• Chickpea flour (also known as gram flour or besan): This is the main ingredient for the batter. It gives the vadas their distinctive crispy texture.
• Spices: You will need basic spices like salt, red chilli powder or cayenne pepper, turmeric powder, and asafoetida (hing). These spices add flavour and colour to the batter.
• Water: Water is added to the dry ingredients to create a batter of the right consistency.
• Oil: A small amount of oil is added to the batter to make it crispier.

Instructions:

• Gather your ingredients: Ensure you have all the necessary ingredients before you begin. This prevents any last-minute hassles.
• Mix dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the chickpea flour, salt, red chilli powder or cayenne, turmeric powder, and asafoetida. Whisk them together to ensure they are well combined.
• Add water gradually: Slowly add water to the dry mixture, whisking continuously. This helps create a smooth batter without any lumps. The batter should be of medium consistency, not too thick or too thin.
• Rest the batter (optional): For the best results, let the batter rest for about 30 minutes. This allows the ingredients to incorporate and enhances the flavour.
• Adjust consistency: If the batter becomes too thick or too thin, adjust it by adding a little more water or chickpea flour, respectively.
• Check readiness: To test if the batter is ready, dip a small piece of potato into it. If it coats the potato well without dripping, the batter is ready for frying.
• Dip potato balls: Once the batter is ready, gently dip each potato ball into it, ensuring they are evenly coated.
• Fry or air fry: Depending on your preference, you can either deep-fry the coated potato balls in hot oil or place them in an air fryer. If deep-frying, be sure to heat the oil to the optimal temperature before adding the vadas. If using an air fryer, preheat it and place the coated potato balls inside, leaving some space between them.

Forming the potato balls

To form the potato balls, you will need to prepare the potato mixture first. Boil or steam 3 medium potatoes until they are fork-tender. Make sure they are not mushy or waterlogged. Cool them and crumble or mash them.

Next, prepare a paste with 3/4-inch ginger, 2-3 garlic cloves, and 2 green chillies. Chop 3 tablespoons of coriander leaves and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds and, when they start to pop, add a sprig of curry leaves. When the leaves turn crisp, add the ginger, garlic, and chilli paste. Sauté until the raw smell goes away.

Now, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, a pinch of asafoetida, and 1/8 teaspoon of red chilli powder. Mix everything well without burning. If your pan is too hot, add a splash of water to avoid burning the spices.

Add the boiled and crumbled potatoes and 3 tablespoons of coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and mix well. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt if needed. Cool the mixture completely and divide it into 7 to 8 portions. Roll them into balls.

To make the potato balls, take a small amount of the potato mixture and form it into 1-inch diameter balls.

Frying the vadas

Firstly, prepare the vada batter by mixing gram flour or chickpea flour with basic spices like turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and salt. Add water gradually to form a smooth, thick batter. The batter should be thick enough to coat the vadas without dripping, but still thin enough to flow easily when dropped with a spoon.

Next, prepare the potato filling by boiling and mashing the potatoes. Add spices, herbs, and tempering ingredients such as mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and chillies to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and form small to medium-sized balls with the potato mixture.

Brush some oil onto the air fryer grill pan or basket. Dip each potato ball into the batter, ensuring they are evenly coated, and place them onto the air fryer grill pan or basket. Leave some space between each vada to avoid them sticking together. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the vadas in batches.

Set the air fryer temperature to between 390-400°F and cook the vadas for around 10-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. For best results, spray or brush the vadas with oil halfway through the cooking process.

Once the vadas are cooked, carefully remove them from the air fryer. They are now ready to be assembled into vada pav by placing them inside pav buns with chutneys of your choice. Enjoy your homemade vada pav!

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