NIKI

Vada Pav

[wcm_nonmember]<!– –><div style="text-align: center"><!– –><img src="https://cdn.sorted.club/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Bucket-List-graphic.png" alt="" scale="0" style="max-width: 30%; margin-top: 20px"><!– –><!– –><h2><!– –>Unlock this Story<!– –></h2><!– –><p style="padding-bottom:25px"><!– –>Stories from the 'Bucket List' book are only available to members<!– –></p><!– –><a class="et_pb_button" background-color: #ffffff"<!– –>href="/product/digital-club-membership/">join the club</a><!– –></div><!– –><!– –>[/wcm_nonmember]<!– –><!– –>[wcm_restrict]<!– –><!– –><div class="page" title="Page 36"><!– –><div class="section"><!– –><div class="layoutArea"><!– –><div class="column"><!– –><!– –><p>It’s not uncommon to find <b>street food vendors </b>wherever you go in India. In Mumbai, you’ll find city goers, celebs, students, and everyone in between grabbing a bite from one of the stands. Each seller will usually <b>specialise in one dish and absolutely nail it</b>. Panipuri, the Bombay sandwich, Dosa, fresh coconut water; these are all must try dishes if you’re visiting. But the dish Niki is obsessed with is Vada Pav.</p><!– –><!– –><p>She visited India when she was sixteen and her whole family went together. Her dad was reminiscing about his childhood and how he would go to Churchgate Station and eat Vada Pav from a man who would make them fresh at his stall outside Churchgate Fountain. They took a trip down there on the train (which is a whole experience in itself) and there was the <b>very same stall 30 years later</b>. It wasn’t the same man but the same family were running the stand and, as Niki said, they were absolutely nailing the dish of fried potato balls sandwiched between fluffy bread buns with a couple of delicious chutneys.</p><!– –><!– –><p>No matter how hard you try you can never replicate the taste, experience and atmosphere of paying literal pennies for <b>such a delicious, handheld food</b>. You can easily chow down on a couple of these and enjoy them with some fresh sugar cane juice from the next vendor along before going about the rest of your day.</p><!– –><!– –><p>Niki grew up in Leicester, UK, a long way from the street food of India but <b>she would eat Vada Pav weekly at home</b>. It’s a staple dinner as they usually have a stockpile of every chutney in the freezer… it’s essential to have at least a few chutneys in your buns! She, her mum and grandma will team up. Niki will peel the potatoes and prep the ingredients. Her mum will mash the potatoes, make the balls, dip them in batter and drop it into the fryer. And her grandma will fry them and set them aside on a big platter for everyone to dig in and build their own later.</p><!– –><!– –></div><!– –></div><!– –></div><!– –></div><!– –><!– –>[/wcm_restrict]