The Street Food That Defines Mumbai
Of all Mumbai's street snacks, the vada pav has grown to be the darling of the masses. A pillowy pav, stuffed with a golden-fried spiced batata (potato) vada, covered with a lick of tamarind and coriander chutneys and a sprinkling of garlicky masala - the vada pav is starch heaven, an instant energy booster. Delhi has its own inimitable chaat tradition and Kolkata and Delhi have both appropriated the pani puri into golgappas and puchkas. But the vada pav remains till date, a proud Mumbai tradition. (The Parsi Trail: Top 7 Parsi Restaurants In Mumbai) How it All BeganLegend has it, that it all started way back in 1971 with Ashok Vaidya's vada pav thela, stationed just outside Dadar station. He was the first one to envelope a crisp, hot vada with a chutney-slathered pav and serve it to a customer who was in a tearing hury. If we go even further back though, the vada pav becomes inflected with global roots - the pav's origins can be traced back to the Portuguese, the potato vada's to the Dutch enterprise in India. But of course, the fortuitous marriage between pav, vada and chutney is pure Mumbai tradition and has since been adopted as the snack of the Maharashtrian masses. In fact, the snack is now so popular that there is even a Vada Pav Day every 23rd of August.
Vile Parle's Shivaji Vada Pav deserves special mention. Its Schezwan version is a huge hit for students of nearby Mithibai and NM colleges. Samrat and Anand Vada Pav stalls nearby have their own fan following too. Shree Krishna Sweets at Bandra East near Guru Nanak hospital is also a favourite of many. Dutta Snacks Center in Panvel is a popular stop for people enroute to Lonavala and the ghats. They even have a counter within Bharat Diamond Bourse Canteen in BKC. Shree Samarth near the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar West has quite the fan following as well.And almost every railway station has a vada pav thelawala, because it is perfectly portable food and great for people on the go (which basically sums up Mumbai’s fast life). Graduate Vada Pav outside Byculla Station is particularly popular. But much as I begged them, none of them were willing to part with even a wee bit of the recipe they used. However, if no vada pav wala is near and your cravings are high, here is a recipe you can use at home.(10 Best Maharashtrian (Marathi) Recipes)
