Neena Gupta is known to tweak popular recipes to create something mind-blowingly good. 
She's already recreated Bihar's Lauki Jaabar (or Laukk Jaa Bharr), a medley of cooked rice, bottle gourd and milk that's seasoned with a light tadka of spices.
Recently, she uploaded a video on Instagram showing fans how to make Mumbai's popular Vada Pav. Neena shared the recipe for the red chutney as well.
Her crispy, deep fried vadas, sandwiched between a pav, sprinkled with red chilly-lasun chutney is a tempting treat on days when you are hanging indoors.
Vada Pav
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- Oil for deep frying the vadas
- 4 to 6 pavs
- Red chutney, please see the recipe below
For the red chutney
- 15-20 red chillies
- 2 garlic pods, peeled
- 3-4 tbsp mustard oil
- Salt to taste, a pinch
For the vada filling
- 3-4 medium-sized potatoes, washed, boiled, peeled and roughly cut
- 1 tsp rai or mustard seeds
- 1½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- 1 garlic pod, peeled
- Pinch hing or asafoetida
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilly paste
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2-3 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste, around 1 tsp
For the besan covering of the vada
- 1½ cup besan or gram flour or chickpea flour
- ½ cup water
- Pinch jeera or cumin powder
Method
For the red chutney
- Deseed the red chillies.
Transfer into a kadhai or frying pan with the garlic, salt and the mustard oil and fry over medium-high heat, till the red chillies become crisp.
Take off heat, cool and transfer into a blender.
Grind to a coarse mixture and keep aside.
For the vada filling
- Heat the 2-3 tbsp oil in a kadhai or frying pan.
Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing and the garlic pod and saute for a few minutes over medium heat.
Once the garlic pod turns golden brown, add the ginger-garlic-green chilly paste and let the masala fry.
Add the turmeric powder.
Add the boiled potatoes, salt and mix.
Reduce the heat and mash the potatoes.
Take off heat and cool.
Once the mixture is cool, using your hands, divide it into small portions and roll it into 2-inch diameter balls.
Keep aside.
For the besan covering of the vada
- In a large bowl, whisk the besan along with water and the cumin powder.
Keep aside for 30 minutes.
Using your hands, mix the besan mixture well (please watch the video below).
There should be no lumps, and it should be a medium-thick batter with pouring consistency.
It shouldn't be too watery or too thick.
To fry the vadas
- Heat the oil in a kadhai or frying pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, dip the potato balls into the besan mixture and deep fry them in batches until golden brown.
Flip occasionally, so they fry evenly.
Drain and transfer onto a paper towel or tissue-lined plate.
Slit open a pav and add some red chutney.
Place a vada inside, close the pav and serve.
Repeat for the remaining vadas.
WATCH: Neena Gupta shows you how to make the Vada Pav from scratch.
