Vada Pav (Tangzhong Method)

My hubby is a big fan of the Mumbai vada pav. He is very very particular about the quality of pav, it’s texture, shape and elasticity, and wouldn’t get satisfied very easily. He loves the flat laadi pav and not the chubby tall bun like pav. Previously anyone coming to Chennai from Mumbai would invariably get us a pack of these pav. But of late, he is not very happy with the Mumbai pav texture . And thankfully he has started liking my home made pav. Ideally I should have made these with 100% maida or all purpose flour, but somehow I feel guilty to use only maida, so I always add some amount of whole wheat flour. You can choose to use any proportion of apf and wwf. Just adjust the liquids accordingly, as whole wheat flour absorbs more water. Around 60 grams of dough gives you a decent sized pav. I have used 240 ml cup. If you see my post of pav bhaji, this pav is made using the Tangzhong Method which makes the pav very very soft. The pav is so versatile, it pairs up well with potato vada, misal, ragda pattice, samosa, bhaji, Keema, egg burji and many more. Please check the post on misal pav, pav bhaji and vegetarian Keema (soya granules)

Ingredients:

For the pav:

• All purpose flour 325 gm
• Whole wheat flour 150 gm
• Salt to taste
• Milk powder 1 tbsp
• Sugar 2 tsp
• Instant yeast 1.5 tsp
• Milk 120 ml (1/2 cup)
• Lukewarm water as required
• Butter 1-2 tbsp

For the vada:

• Potatoes 4-5
• Green chilies 4-5 plus few for frying
• Ginger a small piece
• Garlic cloves 4-5
• Salt to taste
• Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves 1 sprig
• Coriander leaves 2-3 sprigs
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Refined oil as required

For the batter:

• Chickpea flour/besan 4 tbsp
• Rice flour 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder a pinch
• Red chili powder a pinch
• Baking soda a pinch
• Water as required

Method:

To make the pav:

• Take around 25 gm of all purpose flour (from the measured flour) which is roughly 2 tablespoon of flour in a sauce pan and add 120-125 ml that is approximately 1/2 cup of water. Mix well till there are no lumps.
• Cook it on low flame till it becomes thick and custard like consistency.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool. This is called the “roux”.

• Mix the flours, salt, sugar, instant yeast and milk powder in a big mixing bowl.
• Add the cooled roux into the flour mixture and mix well.
• Now add milk and lukewarm water ( as required to make a soft dough) and knead using the stretch and fold method.
• Incorporate the butter into the flour while kneading
• Knead for around 10-12 minutes on a clean kitchen counter. Do not be tempted to add more dry flour. Use a bench scrapper while kneading and sprinkle oil or butter to avoid sticking.
• The dough should be very soft, bouncy and elastic. If you poke it with your fingers, it should bounce back fast.
• Once the dough is ready, transfer the dough into a clean and well oiled bowl and cover the bowl with a clean and moist kitchen towel or cling wrap or shower cap.
• Place the bowl in a warm and dry place and allow the dough to double in volume. In this warm weather, it will take around an hour to double.
• Once the dough is doubled in volume, transfer the dough again onto the kitchen counter and punch out the gases. Knead the dough again for a minute or two.
• Grease the tray in which you are planning to bake the pav. I have used a 7 by 7 inches square tin and a 9 by 7 inches rectangular tin.
• Divide the dough into 14 equal parts. Each part weighs around 60 gm. I prefer to weigh each ball.
• Shape the ball into smooth rounds by cupping it in your palm and rotating it on the counter. I prefer to preshape the pav into round balls and keep it covered with a cloth for 10 minutes till they relax a bit.
• After 10 minutes, shape the ball again and keep it in the greased tray and press and flatten it a bit. ( I do so, because my hubby doesn’t like tall bun like pav, he prefers a flat (chapta) Mumbai style laadi pav.
• Repeat with the remaining balls. I place 6 pav in the 7 by 7 tin and 8 pav in the 9 by 7 tin.
• Apply some oil on top of the pav and cover with a towel or lid and allow to proof for 20-25 minutes or till the pav looks puffed up.

• Meanwhile preheat the oven at 180-200 degree Celsius for atleast 10 minutes.
• Bake the pav for 20-22 minutes or till the top looks golden in colour.
• Remove from the oven and apply some melted butter on top using a brush.
• Transfer the pav onto wire rack and cool for few minutes.

• Enjoy these with hot crispy vadas or with misal or with ragda pattice 🙂

To make the vada:

• Boil the potatoes till it is soft.
• Make a coarse paste of green chilies, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, curry leaves, garlic cloves and ginger.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds to it. Now add a pinch of asafoetida.
• When they splutter add the ground masala. Saute well.
• Now add turmeric powder and the mashed potatoes and mix well.
• Remove from fire and allow the mixture to cool.
• Make small balls and keep it aside. You can make balls and store them in the refrigerator and fry them when needed.

• Mix all the ingredients listed for the batter and make a thick lumpfree batter using water.

• Heat oil in a kadhai. When the oil is sufficiently hot, dip each ball into the batter and fry them till they are golden in colour.
• Transfer these vadas onto an absorbent paper and drain the excess oil.
• Make slits in a couple of green chilies and fry them in the oil. Be careful, it may splutter.

• Serve the vada with pav and chutney. You can also serve green coriander chutney.