The making of Mumbai's fundamental vada pav

Preparing Mumbai's ultimate street food -- a cutlet in a bun -- is a hands-on process. Here's how it looks from ground level

By Moina Luther 25 April, 2011

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Shivaji has done well for himself in the last few decades.
He started in a clichéd but commendable manner as a dishwasher, moved from one job to another till he set up his own vada pav stall in Colaba.

Shivaji also serves other popular Maharashtran snacks like mistal pav, samosa pav, vegetable cutlet and Bombay sandwiches.

“There is nothing different or special about the recipe, we just use good quality products and fresh ingredients everyday,” says Shivaji.

Shivaji sources his pav from a nearby 24-hour bakery. The bread buns comfortably fit together in each others' freshly-baked warmth.

The pav wallah goes about his business, underneath Shivaji's counter where he assembles the vada pav for customers.

“There are at least five pav bakeries in Colaba itself. Rex Bakery supplies to everyone in this area of Colaba,” says Shivaji.

The beauty of these bakeries spread all over Maharashtra is that they follow exactly the same baking methods once learned from the Portuguese in the 1500s.

Rex bakery oven. Don’t be fooled by its petite entrance, it bakes pav bread for an entire neighborhood.

Uma Shankar Yadav is Shivaji’s cook who opens the shop at 7 a.m. and closes it at 11 p.m. daily. Like a lot of the street vendors in Mumbai, he too is from Uttar Pradesh and has been working in Mumbai kitchens for 35 years. “I have had Uma Shankar working for me in the kitchen for 10 years now so the taste has been consistent for a long time,” says Shivaji.

Dipping the potato, coriander, chilli mash mix in chick pea batter.

“We used to use almost 30 kilograms of potatoes a day, but since the last two years it’s gone down to 20 kilograms,” says Uma Shankar.

The golden potato vadas do a docile dance of self-sacrifice as they fry up.

Green chillies get fried too.

Customers bite into the fried, whole green chillies as a side order along with their vada pav.

Like any good business owner, Shivaji does not try to cut costs by compromising on quality. Instead he gets innovative with leftover fillings, making three-rupee sandwiches out of them, so nothing goes to waste.

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To say that Mumbaikers live on vada pav would not be an overstatement.

This Maharashtran street snack is super cheap -- a mere Rs 5 -- prepared faster than a McDonald's McAloo Tikki Burger and provides a fulfilling shot of carbohydrates when a main meal is not to hand.

It's essentially a cutlet in a bun, a combination of boiled potatoes mashed with fresh coriander, green chilies, a bit of ginger and sometimes garlic. The mash is then made into palm-sized balls, dipped in a chickpea flour batter and deep-fried till golden.

The vada pav contains an array of flavors which best describe the local palate: A richly fried, starchy spiciness, strong essences of tangy garlic and a just a trace of coconut -- all soaked up in a soft, fibrous bun.

Every born Mumbaiker has their favorite vada pav wallah, usually found outside colleges, bus and train stations and office districts.

In Colaba market the most popular vada pav wallah is Shivaji, part hidden in a by-lane beyond the scrum of the fruit and vegetable vendors.

We go behind the scenes to sniff out Shivaji's secrets but they're so obvious you could hit yourself on the head: consistent staff, consistent quality, maximum recycling.

Shivaji Vada Pav Walla, Mumbai Snacks, Akbar House, Shop 2, Rajwadkar Street, Colaba.

Moina Luther is a freelance food media consultant based in Mumbai.

The making of Mumbai's fundamental vada pav

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