The Vadapav Paradox
Through high school, mumma often wondered why my elder brother (I call him bhaiya out of respect and never by his name) came home after tuition classes tired, but never hungry. She was rightly confused because he has always had a healthy appetite. Upon asking him, she found out that he was eating vadapavs after all those classes! Mumma being a true strict parent and health enthusiast stopped giving him pocket money to fix the issue. Problem solved! Or at least that’s what she thought...One day, our driver came up to mumma asking for money that bhaiya owed him. Apparently, bhaiya continued to eat vadapavs…SNEAKY!!
So what is this delicacy that is almost addictive? Simply put, vadapav is a sandwich mastered by street vendors. It is a fried potato fritter (vada) stuffed inside a bread roll (pav) that is slathered with a couple of chutneys and butter. A tonne of butter!
Between the fried fritter, bread and butter, vadapav tends to be a sinful indulgence. We make it slightly healthier at home. We bake the fritter, use a whole wheat bread (any soft bread works) and reduce the amount of butter. It does the trick when you have a vadapav craving you can’t shake. In my opinion, it’s the chutneys that bring it over to the clean plate club. The mix of green cilantro chutney and the red garlic chutney makes it so delicious.
Vadapav pairs wonderfully well with chai for a snack time treat. For me, it tends to be a meal in itself. No matter when you serve them, they will certainly pull off a vanishing act by the end of your meal!!!
