The countless vada-pav stalls dotting almost every street have gained reputation as indispensable parts of Mumbai’s street food. The delicious aroma of battered potatoes sizzling in a pan full of oil is impossible to resist, so much so, that it has carved a permanent niche in our taste buds. This simple recipe of potato patties stuffed in the soft pav has ensured, for a long time now, that the city never goes hungry.
With food, something that is slightly of the ordinary is always met with enthusiasm, and the omnipresent vada-pav, which makes its niche in reliability, any experimentation is a novelty. Having sensed this, a vada-pav stall owner in Mumbai’s Sewri locality has slightly digressed from convention, creating a huge fan base for vada-pavs fried on a wood fire instead of the usual stove-top.
A mere five minutes away from Sewri rail-crossing, in his shop Tukaram Shinde ignites logs of wood after setting the vessel on top of a fire alcove, getting his kitchen ready for the day’s business. At Vitthal Vade Wale, you can eat a variety of vadas and dal bhajjiyas straight out from over the wood fire. Taking cue from the word bhatti or wood-fired furnace, Shinde fondly calls the vadas at his shop Bhatte Vade.
About preferring the wood fire than a gas stove, Shinde told Mid-Day that “The benefit of this method is the evenness of the heat distribution, so it does not cause acidity later. Also, the smoke flavour imparted by the wood adds an extra flavour dimension that you just can’t get in a gas stove.” For running his concept, Shinde sources the wood from industrial debris. Out of this method that’s unique to his shop, the vadas here have a slightly different, charred flavour with no compromise to taste.
Goes unsaid, the vadas at Vitthal Vade Wale are something we Mumbaikars shouldn’t miss!
Where: Near Sewri rail crossing
Open from: 7 am till midnight
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