Garam Masala Tuesdays: Vada Pav

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Vada Pavs: Spicy potato fritters that are sandwiched between two pavs (buns), a sweet chutney, a garlic chutney and green chutney. The potato fritters are gluten free and vegan. By using gluten free buns, and omitting butter, Vada Pav can be an entirely vegan and gluten free option for those with dietary restrictions.

Vada Pav: Indian vegetarian sliders

Edited May 2020: The original post went live in July 2012. A print friendly option for the recipe, and a new cover image was added in May 2020. Rest of the images and text is from the original post. You can find the recipe for homemade pavs here.

Original Post:

Vada Pavs: Spicy potato fritters that are sandwiched between two pavs (buns), a sweet chutney, a garlic chutney and green chutney.

Vada Pavs: Spicy potato fritters that are sandwiched between two pavs (buns), a sweet chutney, a garlic chutney and green chutney.

Once or twice a month we take the four hour drive from our small town to the big city of Phoenix. We generally leave on Saturday and return the next day on Sunday. Since all of our Indian grocery shopping is done in Phoenix and so that the food doesn’t spoil we plan our shopping on Sundays. As a result we get to leave Phoenix a little after lunch, making us reach home around dinner time. And since there is no way I have the energy to cook anything after a hectic weekend, we get two Vada pavs  as to-go from Little India to have as dinner. Sometimes we get four vada pavs to-go and use the leftover 2 as breakfast the next day.

Both V and I love them and relish each bite.

Since our trips to Phoenix have reduced in frequency in the recent past, we have to wait longer for our dose of Vada pavs. So over the last few visits, both V and I would dissect the vada in order to replicate the recipe at home. And I think we have finally nailed it.

We went to Phoenix the weekend that just went by. And I am happy to say I wasn’t tempted to buy the Vada pavs. Because now I can make them at home.

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Garam Masala Tuesdays: Jeera Aloo

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Today, me and my heating pad are inseparable.

Today, cooking is the last thing on my mind.

But today, is also Tuesday. One of the two days of the week that V does not eat non-vegetarian food.

Staying where we do, to-go options are slim, and vegetarian to-go options are next to none. The only things that count are pizza and really cheesy mexican food. V is not fond of really cheesy things and I did not care for pizza.

So, I had to think of something easy that I could make that would fill and satisfy V and my stomachs.

Jeera aloo came to the rescue.

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Garam Masala Tuesdays: Aloo Parantha (Indian flatbread stuffed with potatoes)

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Aloo Paranthas, where I come from, are comfort food at its best.

Parantha is nothing but a flat bread. Its an unleavened dough made from whole wheat flour and cooked on a tawa/skillet. Paranthas can be made plain or stuffed and aloo (potato) is most popular when it comes to stuffing paranthas. Paranthas can be eaten  just like that, on their own, but a really good way to eat is to pair the paranthas with yogurt/curd and your favorite pickle.  Aloo paratha is a great one-dish meal for the family that can be served anytime of  the day!

The best paranthas that you will ever find are served in small shops on the roadsides, called dhabas. Some of the best ones I have had, were outside the GE call center (BPO) in Gurgaon, India. The first time I had a parantha there, was when I was an undergrad and my cousin and his  then girlfriend (now wife :)) took me and my brother out partying. After a fun night, my cousin took us to this dhaba for paranthas. Even at 2am the place was crowded with people. My cousin ordered aloo paranthas for us and after a brief wait, a small boy came with our plates of paranthas with a cube of melting butter on top. The parantha was huge and I was sure I would end up wasting it- but one bite and I could not stop myself. I had to really restrain myself to not order another. I did take a few more bites from my brother’s second parantha! Well, I could afford it then!

The second best I have had were when my senior sneaked us out from our hostel during my first year in undergrad and took us to a dhaba next to the IGI airport, Delhi. You should all know Delhi is not a safe place for woman, even during the day and at night time it gets worse. So there we were- just us girls out at 2 at night in a place that was full of scary truck drivers, waiting for our paranthas. And boy, were they worth it. I would still not recommend any girl to go their alone- it did not look like a safe place. But, if you have bodyguards with you, do pay this place a visit!

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