The classic delicacy with a Chinese twist

Vada bao is a variant of the conventional and crispy vada pav, but with a fluffy twist! Instead of sandwiching the vadas in between pav bread, we use fluffy and soft Chinese bao buns!

The procedure to make this variant of vada pav is similar to the normal one, where we fry the crispy vadas and sandwich them with garlic chutney and fried chilli in the bao buns. This fusion of steamed and soft buns with crispy condiments is a perfect breakfast and an optimum monsoon munchie!

Now let us look at how to make bao buns and the vadas!

A precis on making vada bao

Firstly, to make the bao buns take two and a half cups of flour. Prepare an active yeast mixture in warm water with sugar and dry yeast. Mix them well and leave them for ten minutes. Now, add this mixture to the flour with oil, milk powder and salt. Knead the dough well. Tuck the dough in an oil-greased bowl and let it rest in it wrapped for 2 hours. The dough for vada bao rises in its size. Now dust the dough with flour and cut it into two equal parts. Then roll one part into a thin sheet and using a circular cutter, make small circular sheets.

Secondly, fold the sheets semicircularly and brush them inside with water. Steam them for 12 minutes and hola! the bao buns for the vada bao are ready!

The next step is to prepare the vadas for vada bao. Blend a handful of coriander leaves with ginger, chillies and water and prepare a green chutney. Then take a pan and add oil to that. Following this, add cumin seeds and finely chopped onions. Saute them and add the chutney with turmeric powder. Cook till the raw smell goes away. Thirdly, add the mashed potatoes to this curry with salt, amchoor and garam masala. The potato curry is ready for the vadas.

Now coat the curry balls with besan flour paste consisting of besan salt and turmeric powder. Fry these balls till they turn golden brown and the vadas are ready for the vada bao.

Finally, place a little amount of dry garlic chutney in the bao buns and place the fried vadas with a chilli. The hot and delicious vada bao is ready!

Here is the recipe of various savouries from our cookbook

Just like the vada bao, here are some lip-smacking recipes to treat your cravings in cold monsoon weather!

Bao Buns – Steamed chinese buns.

Veg momos– Steamed dumplings stuffed with Chinese sauces and loads of veggies is an absolute go-to for your monsoon evenings.

Bread pakora– Another perfect Indian monsoon snack with pieces of bread deep fried and had with mint chutney!

Crispy bread cones– Another crispy snack made from bread.

Mint bread roll– Tasty bread rolls in spicy mint flavour.

Chicken popcorn– These KFC style chicken nuggets are crispy outside but soft and fluffy inside!

Added tips to make the vada bao

Firstly, make sure the dough is prepared accurately. It should not either be too sticky or too dry. This may affect the texture of the steamed bao buns at the end.
Secondly, while preparing the vadas, you can also add vegetables like green peas.

The video of making the delicacy

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5 from 2 votes

Vada bao

Crispy besan coated vadas stuffed in bao buns

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: steamed bao buns, vada bao, vada in bao buns

Servings: people

Calories: 160kcal

Ingredients

For bao buns

200 ml Warm water
2 tbsp Sugar
2⅓ tsp Active dry yeast
2½ Cup Flour All-purpose flour/ maida
3½ tsp Oil
3 tbsp Milk powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking powder

For the vadas

Handful Coriander leaves
2 tsp Ginger
2 Chillies Sliced
2 tbsp Water
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Onion Medium; finely chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
4 Boiled potatoes Medium; mashed
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Amchoor powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 cup Besan Gram flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Water To make besan flour paste
Oil To fry vadas

Final stuffing

Garlic chutney
Fried green chilli

Instructions

Making bao buns

Firstly, prepare the yeast mixture to prepare the dough for the buns.
For this, take 200 ml of warm water and add 2 tbsp of sugar.
Following this, add 2⅓ tsp of active dry yeast and mix it well. Leave the solution for 10 minutes.
Then take 2½ cups of all-purpose flour and add the yeast mixture to it. To this, add 3½ tsp of oil with 3 tbsp of milk powder.
Finally, add a tsp of salt and baking powder and knead the dough well. When done, wrap the dough in an oil greased bowl by tucking it. Let it rest for 2 hours.
During this period, the dough rises. Now take the risen dough and dust it with a little amount of flour.
Cut the dough into two parts and roll one part into a large sheet.
Using a circular cookie cutter or a sheet cutter, make small circular sheets out of the large one.
Then brush the small sheets with a little amount of water. Slightly fold them semi-circularly and place them on butter paper.
Steam the folded sheets in a steamer like momos. Your bao buns are ready!

Making the vadas

In a blender, take a handful of coriander leaves.
To this, add 2 tsp of ginger with 2 sliced chillies and 2 tbsp of water. Blend the ingredient to a chutney like texture.
Now in a pan, add 1 tbsp of oil with a tsp of cumin seeds. Following this, add the chopped onions with the coriander mixture and 1/2 a tsp of turmeric powder.
Let the ingredients cook well. To this, add the cup of mashed potatoes and mix all the ingredients well in a semi-dry filling state.
Finally, add 2 tsp of salt with a tsp of amchoor powder and 1/2 tsp of garam masala. The vada filling is ready.
Now take a cup of besan and to this, add 1/2 a tsp of salt and turmeric powder. Finally, add the required amount of water to make a thick besan flour paste.
Then make small balls of the filling and coat it well with the flour paste. Deep fry the vadas in oil till they turn golden brown. Your vadas are ready!

Bao buns

Now, take a steamed bao bun and keep a little amount of dry garlic chutney in its middle.
Then keep two vadas on it with a single fried chilli. Your vada bao is ready. Take a hot bite of the delicacy!

Nutrition

Step-by-step instructions of the recipe with images

Making of bao buns

Firstly, prepare the dough for the bao buns. For this, prepare a yeast mixture from 200 ml of warm water and 2 tbsp of sugar. To this, add 2 and a half tsp of active dry yeast. Mix the ingredients well.
Add this mixture to 2 and a half cups of all-purpose flour. Then add 3 and a half tsp of oil with 3 tbsp of milk powder and finally, a tsp of salt and baking powder.
Knead the dough well for the vada bao. Then tuck the dough in a greased bowl, wrap it and let it rest for two hours.
The dough for the bao buns doubles in its size. Now dust the dough with a little amount of flour and cut it into two equal parts.
Take one part and cut it into two equal parts. Roll one part into a thin sheet and using a cutter, make small circular sheets.
Fold these sheets semicircularly and brush them with a little amount of water.
Finally, keep them on butter paper and steam them in a steamer for 12 minutes. The soft and fluffy bao buns are ready for the vada bao.

Making the vadas

Firstly, blend a handful of coriander leaves with 2 tsp of ginger, 2 chillies and 2 tbsp of water. Blend it like a chutney.
Secondly, take a pan and add a tbsp of oil with a tsp of cumin seeds. Then add finely chopped onions and saute till they turn translucent.
Now add the green chutney to the pan and cook till the raw smell goes away. Then add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and cook well.
Finally, add the mashed potatoes to this curry and mix all the ingredients well. Complete it with 2 tsp of salt with a tsp of amchoor powder and 1/2 a tsp of garam masala.
The potato curry for the vadas is ready.
Thirdly, prepare a besan flour paste with a cup of besan and 1/2 a tsp of salt and turmeric powder. Coat the potato curry balls with the paste and deep fry them till they turn golden brown. The vadas are ready!