Name: Vada pav (Mumbai burgers)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon chilli powder; 200 g (7 oz/1⅔ cups) chickpea flour (besan), sifted; a pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); deep-fried green chillies, to serve (optional); vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 4 small white burger buns; butter, for spreading; 3 green chillies, finely chopped; 2.5 cm (1 inch) knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped; a few coriander (cilantro) sprigs, finely chopped; chopped coriander (cilantro), to serve; Tamarind chutney, to serve; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds; a pinch of salt, or to taste; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes; ¼ teaspoon ground cumin; a few fresh curry leaves; Green coconut chutney, to serve; 5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
50 min

Appears in

Lands of the Curry Leaf

By Peter Kuruvita

Published 2018

About

My first experience of these yummy burgers was on the train from Mumbai to Hyderabad, around 1983. This vegetarian delicacy originated around 1960, and combines a wonderful local deep-fried spiced potato ball with a touch of the colonial influence in the form of a burger bun. As with most things, this iconic Mumbai street food is evolving and finding its way all over India.