Vada Pav, Alu Gobhi Among World's Top 50 Potato Dishes: Food and Recipe Listicle

TasteAtlas, a globally-recognised digital guide to food, just unveiled its rankings for 50 Best Potato Dishes.

Alu is very pyara in Hindustan and there are a zillion recipes for it, so not astonishing at all that four of our Indian favourites qualified. And one of them, naturally, is Vada Pav.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Ranjitha Deepesh/Wikimedia Commons

Vada Pav

At No. 17 is Mumbai's ultimate street burger, Vada Pav, which is a spicy, deep-fried mashed potato fritter tucked inside a soft pav (bread roll) and layered with chutneys and fried green chillies.

There is nothing quite like biting into this snack. Each bite delivers steam, heat (of the chillies), crunch and flavour.

What an ascent for a local working-class nashta: From a Mumbai street food to an internationally-recognised snack that is being made by international chefs on Instagram.

Please find three different recipes here: Reshma Aslam's Vada Pav and Neena Gupta's Vada Pav and Vishaka Damwani's Vada Pav

Photograph: Kind courtesy Paul Goyette/Flickr

Aloo Gobhi

Apna Aloo Gobhi, that we all grew up eating with our rotis and dal, bags 29th place.

A classic dry sabzi, popular all over northern, western and eastern India, it is made, in homes and restaurants, by sautéing potatoes and cauliflower with turmeric, cumin, ginger, and other warming spices. Recipe courtesy: Dr Ramendra Narain Singh

Please find the recipe here: Aloo Gobhi

Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani for Rediff

Batata Vada

Hitesh Harisinghani whips up the original Maharashtrian potato fritter that inspired the Vada Pav and comes in on the TasteAtlas list at 40.

In many places -- where sometimes paav is not available -- it's typically served with just dry garlic chutney or green chutney.

Spiced mashed potatoes are shaped into balls, dipped in besan or gram/chickpea flour batter and deep-fried until golden -- it's a popular chai-shop snack all over the state.

The Southern answer to it is Bonda, without garlic and with urad dal along with curry patta in its tadka.

Please find the recipe here: Batata Vada

Photograph: Kind courtesy Soniya Goyal/Flickr.com

Aloo Tikki

At No. 44, the pan-fried potato patty is much enjoyed across north India and in many metros too.

The patties are shallow-fried on a griddle until crisp and often served as chaat, topped with yoghurt, chutneys, chopped onion, spices, turning a simple potato cutlet into a layered, flavour-packed street delicacy.

Try both Manasi Sadarangani and Reshma Aslam's versions.

Please find the recipes here: Aloo Tikki and Aloo Tikki Burger

Text and Presentation: Hemantkumar Shivsharan