Literally meaning window, the name Khidki stuck after the fried potato snack sold from a tiny window of a chawl became a rage. Now, having been filling rumbling stomachs for over three generations, Khidki Vada has become a family name. From vegetable and fruit vendors toiling all day to busy homemakers cutting short an evening meal, the Khidki Vada appeals to all.
Started in the year 1962 by Yeshwant Vaze, a mill worker with the Kohinoor Mills No 3 in Dadar, it began as a home enterprise designed to repay the debts he’d taken for his wedding. “During that period, my father used to come home in the evening and then sell the vadas, from a window in the house, for just two or three hours daily,” says Nilesh Vaze (38), Yeshwant’s son and now proprietor of the business. “The term Khidki Vada was coined by customers and we too we liked it, so we adopted the name as our own.”
One of the specialities of this ver4sion of Mumbai’s favourite spicy is the size. “The size is the same since 1962 and people love it. It’s a respite for many poor people—two vada pavs for Rs 12. It can be a filling meal for any person,” he adds. They registered the vada pav centre in 1965 and even got a trademark in 1984.
The Vazes are also very cautious about the ingredients of the masala they add to the vada and the chatn—both great professional secrets they will not part with, not even to workers involved in the sales. Younger brother Shailesh himself oversees the making of the masala and the chatni. “It’s a very personal affair for us and also a trade secret. If one takes our masala and adds it to boiled potato, then he too can get the same taste,” Vaze adds.
When Khidki Vada began, the family would buy 5 kg of potato boiled in a pressure cooker. Today, they own a huge boiler that tackles 50 kg of potatoes in 15 minutes. Everyday, Khidki Vada employees boil some 400 to 450 kg of potato.
Khidki Vada now has three outlets in Kalyan, a main branch at Tilak Chowk and two others at Rambaug and the station road. “We also own a hall and a restaurant in Konkan. And another is in the pipeline,” Vaze smiles. “And it’s all due to Khidki Vada.” Sanjay Godke, a vada pav buff and regular at the Vaze’s outlets, says the taste is what takes him back for more. “Their vada has a different taste that remains on your tongue for a longer time,” says Godke, who owns a jewellery shop in Kalyan. “And if you like it spicy, nothing can match the taste of their chatni.”
prashant.rangnekar@expressindia.com