4 green chillies, chopped finely (adjust as per spice threshold)
½ cup besan (gram flour)
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt + ¼ tsp haldi for the batter
Water to make batter
1 tbsp vegetable oil for tempering
Vegetable oil for frying
For the chilli garlic chutney:
1 tsp vegetable oil
⅓ cup garlic cloves
⅓ cup fresh or frozen grated coconut (can use ¼ cup dessicated/dry shredded coconut if needed)
4 whole dried red chillies, broken in half (adjust according to spice threshold)
½ tsp salt
Juice of half a lemon, approx 1 tbsp
To serve: 6-8Whole fried green and/or red chillies
Instructions
To prepare the chutney, heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai (wok) or a skillet. Break the red chillies in half and add them to the hot oil along with the coconut and garlic. Fry these on medium heat, stirring often, until they darken a few shades and are fragrant. Approx 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
For the vadas, mash the potatoes on a plate and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves, the haldi, the chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute before adding the potatoes and salt. Toss well to coat.
Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until needed. Keep covered to retain moisture.
Make the batter by mixing the besan, salt, haldi, baking powder in a bowl and adding enough water to make a smooth and slightly runny batter. Set aside.
Finish making the chutney by grinding it to a smooth paste in a processor/ grinder, adding the lemon juice and a splash of water. Set aside.
To fry the vadas, set the oil to heat in a kadhai. While it is heating, divide the potatoes into 6 portions and roll them into neat balls.
Once the oil is hot, dip each potato ball in the batter, coat well and drop into the hot oil. Fry in batches of 2-3 until they are golden. Remove onto paper towels and allow excess oil to drain.
To assemble the vada-pavs, break or cut the pavs into half and warm them slightly on a tawa (griddle).
Spread each half with some chutney, place between the halves, add a fried chilli and close like a burger to serve.
Serve the extra chutney on the side.
Notes
Although these are best served fresh, the vadas can be made earlier in the day and warmed up in the oven/tawa before assembling them.
Recipe by Food-Dee-Dum at https://food-dee-dum.com/2012/01/24/home-made-vada-pav/