Street food is famous all over the Indian subcontinent, and two of the most popular staples of this type of food are the bun kebab and vada pav. Both of these street foods are handheld items.
They are delicious, flavorful and spicy meals that can be eaten on the go or when hanging out with friends and family. While there are many similarities of these dishes, there are some unique aspects as well.
Let’s take a look at these two amazing dishes below.
Introduction to Bun Kebabs and Vada Pav
The bun kebab is a sandwich that originated in Pakistan. It is made mostly of either ground beef or lamb, mixed with onions and spices and served on a soft roll.
A vada pav, meanwhile, is native to Maharashtra, a state in India. It’s a vegetarian version of a sandwich, with a deep fried potato dumpling placed inside a soft bun.
Both of these great foods are often served with flavorful and sometimes spicy chutneys to take their profile to the next level.
Cultural significance and popularity in their respective regions
Both bun kebabs and vada pav hold a special place in people’s hearts. They are huge parts of the culture and are often consumed during festivals, celebrations and/or when people are out and about in their everyday lives.
Bun kebabs are even a traditional late-night meal that many Indian Muslims will eat during Ramadan.
Ingredients and Preparation
Some of the ingredients of bun kebabs and vada pavs are similar. They look alike, with food stuffed between a soft roll that resembles and American hamburger. What is stuffed inside, though, is slightly different.
Key ingredients for Chapli Kabab and Vada Pav
Capli kebab is made with either ground beef, mutton or chicken. That’s them mixed with many different spices, formed into a patty shape and then cooked. Once done, it’s placed on the burger and served with some sort of chutney.
Vada pav is a deep fried potato dumpling that’s mixed with various spices. It’s also placed on a soft bun along with chutney and a green chili pepper to add some spice.
A step-by-step guide to making Chapli Kabab and Vada Pav
Here’s how to make chapli kebab…
- Toast a mixture of whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds and carom seeds for a few minutes. Then, add them to a spice grinder along with pomegranate seeds to roughly crush them.
- Toast the corn flour or gram flour for about five minutes.
- Combine these ingredients in a bowl along with red onion, scallions, tomato, green chili peppers, an egg, garlic and ginger.
- Mix and knead the dough vigorously until you can see a stringy texture. Then, shape them into patties.
- Fry the patties in hot oil, flipping once. Sprinkle with ground coriander and cilantro immediately after cooking, then serve on a bun.
Here’s how to make vada pav …
- Boil two large potatoes. Once done, peel and then mash them.
- Crush 6-7 garlic cloves and 1-2 green chilis together.
- Heat oil in a pan, and add mustard seeds to crackle them. Add 7-8 curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Stir and sautee them for about five seconds over low heat.
- Add the crushed garlic and chili mixture to the pan, along with turmeric powder. Stir on low heat to cook the raw spices.
- Pour this mixture as well as the oil to the potatoes. Add chopped cilantro and salt to taste.
- Mixture together with a spoon and check for seasoning. Mix into medium balls and then flatten them.
- Then, make a batter of gram flour, turmeric powder, hing, baking soda, salt and water.
- Drip the potatoe balls into the batter to coat evenly.
- Fry this batter in hot oil in a pan until fully cooked, flipping once. Drain when they are finished.
- Put the finished potato patty on a bun and serve with chutney and a green chili pepper.
Homemade vada pav recipe card
For Potato Stuffing:
- 2 medium potatoes
- 6-7 garlic cloves
- 1-2 green chillis
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 pinch of hing
- 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
For Batter:
- 1 to 1.25 cups gram flour
- 1 pinch of hing
- 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- ½ cup of water
- Salt as needed
Preparing various chutneys: Garlic Coconut, Green (Coriander), Dry Garlic, and Sweet Tamarind Chutney
A hallmark of both bun kebabs and vada pav are the chutney that’s served alongside it. Some of the most popular versions are garlic coconut, green (coriander), dry garlic and sweet tamarind. You can mix and match these chutneys to add the flavor profile you want.
Cooking Techniques and Tips
To make the best bun kebabs and vada pav possible, follow these tips and tricks.
How to prevent Chapli Kabab from breaking
Make sure to knead your mixture so it’s not crumbly. Squeeze out all moisture from your onions and tomatoes and drain moisture from the ground beef, too. When you flip the mixture, make sure to do so carefully.
Tips for making soft and tender Chapli Kababs
Make sure that your meat has some fat, a 20% mix is best. Also, make sure not too cook them for too long so the meat doesn’t dry out. If your mixture seems to be dry, try adding some more eggs.
The top 3 tips for the best Chapli Kabab
Make sure not to overcook them. This will make them dry.
Experiment with the different chutneys to increase the flavor profile.
Finally, select a burger bun that’s soft yet can hold up to the ingredients that you’re putting on it.
Making the batter and frying the vada for Vada Pav
Make sure that your oil is hot before you fry the vada pav. If it’s not hot enough, the end product will be very soggy, as it will just soak up the oil rather than cook in it.
Sides and Accompaniments
There are many different things that you can serve alongside your bun kebabs and vada pav.
What to serve with Indian Burgers: Exploring suitable sides and condiments
Chutneys are the most popular option for serving as a condiment for your bun kebabs and vada pav. You can also opt for a siracha mayor if you don’t want to mix and match with different ingredients.
The most popular thing to serve on the side of this is fried green chilis.
How to make and fry green chilies as an accompaniment
It’s simple to make fried green chilis. Make sure your chilis are thick so they can hold up to the frying, then wash them.
Heat up oil in a pan and fry them right in the oil. Make sure they are fried so they’re crispy but not burnt. Once done, remove them from a pan and immediately sprinkle with salt.
Burger buns
The best buns for Indian burgers are soft. However, they need to be able to hold the ingredients and the chutney, which can often be wet. So, make sure the bread is fluffy enough to soak it up.
Health and Nutrition
Overall, bun kebabs and vada pav can be healthy snacks. The one thing to keep in mind is that they are both fried, so there will be some extra fat in the oil.
Health benefits of beef in Chapli Kabab
Chapli kebab packs a lot of punch in terms of the spices and the health benefits. There is plenty of protein in the meat as well that you choose.
Nutritional considerations for Vada Pav and Chapli Kabab
Again, keep in mind that these dishes might be extra fatty since they are fried. The good news is that what they are served with and on doesn’t really add a lot of fat or bad ingredients.
Storage and Freezing
You can freeze chapli kebab and vada, so that you can make a big batch and have plenty on hand.
How to freeze Chapli Kabab and Vada for future use
One tip is to keep the tomatoes out so there isn’t extra moisture. Form them into patties and then lay them on a tray flat in the freezer. Then, you can thaw them out and fry them up when you’re ready.
FAQs and Additional Recipes
Want to learn more? Read on below.
Frequently asked questions about making Bun Kebabs and Vada Pav
You can easily substitute out ground beef for lamb, chicken or other types of meat. Just make sure that the meat is moist. So, if you go with chicken, use thighs and not breasts.
You can also air fry the bun kebabs and vada pav instead of frying on a pan. You can also grill them. These methods will reduce the fat in the dish.
More burger recipes and beef recipes you’ll love
Other great Indian beef recipes include a beef nihari sandwich, beef keema with tandoori hummus, beef Haleem, goan beef kofta curry, light beef croquettes and beef momos.
Conclusion: Culinary Journey through Street Foods
You can learn a lot about a culture by eating its street food. And there are no more iconic street food dishes than Pakistan’s bun kebabs and India’s vada pav.
Encouragement to try making these iconic dishes at home
If you love these foods, you can get a great culinary experience by making them at home. They are easier than you might think. So, follow one of the recipes above and enjoy!
Inviting readers to share their experiences and variations of the recipe
One of the great parts about making bun kebabs or vada pav is that you can play around with the recipe to your liking. Have a great experience or great tips? Share them with us. We’d love to hear from you!
