PAV BHAJI RECIPE
Pav Bhaji is a popular Indian Street Food which originates from Mumbai. Thick, spicy, mashed vegetables is served with bread rolls. Pav means bread in Marathi and Bhaji refers to vegetables. Bhaji is what the western world refers to as curry. It is one of the most popular street food in the India.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- 1 cup cauliflower florets small ones
- 1 cup eggplant peeled and diced
- 1 cup french beans chopped
- 2 cups potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 cup fresh coriander chopped
- 1 cup carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 cup onion peeled and chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper diced
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 10 tomatoes or 2 cups pureed tomato
- 1½ cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ⅛ tsp asafoetida
- 1-1½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp pav bhaji masala
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Garnish :
- ¼ cup chopped coriander
- ½ cup chopped onions
- lemon wedges
- 6-8 tsp butter
- 12-16 buns buttered
Instructions
IF YOU ARE USING FRESH TOMATOES
- Cut the tomatoes into chunks and put in a pan. Cover it and let them cook over low heat. When done, puree them.
BOIL THE VEGETABLES
- Take a wide pan and put 1 cup water to boil. When it starts to boil add the vegetables (potatoes,peas, french beans, cauliflower, eggplant, carrots) and 1 tsp salt and let them cook till done.
- If there is too much water drain it out and save it.
- Mash the vegetables. Mash completely or partially, according to the way you like it.
PREPARE THE BHAJI
- In a wide pan, heat the oil and 1 tbsp butter over medium heat.
- Add the cumin seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida, chopped onion and saute till it becomes soft turn light brownish.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste. Saute for a minute or so.
- Add chopped bell pepper and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add both chilli powders and coriander one too. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped coriander and mix well.
- Add the tomato puree, half tsp salt and sugar. Cover and cook till the gravy thickens.
- Add the mashed vegetables. If the mixture is dry then add a bit of the saved water.Mix well and cook the bhaji over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Don't leave the bhaji too watery. Take it off the heat.
- Add the pav bhaji masala and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Taste and add salt, masala and chilli according to your requirement.
TOAST THE PAV/BREAD ROLLS
- Slice the buns into halves.
- Butter them liberally.
- Toast them in a frying pan or tawa with buttered side down. Toast till the buns are golden brown.
- Flip them over and toast for a few seconds.
- Alternately, toast the bread under the broiler.
TO SERVE:
- Add chopped onion, coriander and dollops of butter to the bhaji.
- Serve with the toasted buns.
Notes
- If you want to prepare it for a dinner party, cook it the previous day and store in the fridge. It gives the masalas time to work and the bhaji tastes so much better.
- I prefer to use the Everest pav bhaji masala, but you can any brand of your choice.
- When I am not making pav bhaji for guests, I avoid the dollops of butter to make it a healthy meal.
- For a richer taste, saute the onions in butter instead of oil.
- If you use canned tomatoes, then you may need to add a bit more sugar as they are usually more tangy.