Vada pav

Dassana Amit’s vada pav puts a crisp gram-flour-coated potato fritter inside a soft bread roll with green and sweet tamarind chutneys. Her Mumbai-style snack combines a soft potato centre with sharp, sweet and spicy spreads.

Boiled potatoes are drained and mashed, then mixed with a tempering of mustard, curry leaves, asafoetida, fresh garlic, green chilli and turmeric. Coriander and salt finish the filling, which is shaped into slightly flattened balls.

The potato balls pass through a gram-flour batter with turmeric, asafoetida, salt and optional baking soda. They are deep-fried until golden and drained, while any chosen green chillies fry in the same pan for a separate salted side.

The green chutney grinds fresh coriander, garlic, green chilli, lemon and salt with a little water. Her sweet chutney strains soaked tamarind, then cooks it with a cumin tempering, ginger powder, chilli, asafoetida, jaggery and salt.

The rolls are slit without separating their halves and spread with both chutneys. Optional dry garlic chutney precedes the potato fritter; Amit serves the sandwiches promptly while the vada is hot or warm, before the bread absorbs enough moisture to become soggy.