PAV BHAJI

PAV BHAJI

Pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food that consists of a spicy mix vegetable mash & soft buns. Usually pav bhaji is served with a generous amount of butter topped along with some fresh chopped onions & lemon juice. The butter toasted pav are eaten along with the veggie mash or bhaji.

Ingredients:

3 medium sizes potatoes 

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 a beet root 

2 to 2.5 cups water for pressure cooking

3 tbsp amul butter

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 green chilli, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped capsicum

3 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

2 to 3 tablespoons pav bhaji masala, add as required

1.5 to 2 cups stock in which the veggies were cooked or add as required

salt as required

Recipe:

1. Rinse, peel and chop the veggies. You will need cauliflower, carrot, beet root and medium sized potatoes (chopped). You can also add veggies of your choice.
2. Add all the above chopped veggies in a pressure cooker. Also add 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen).
3. Add 2 to 2.5 cups water.
4. Pressure cook the veggies for 5 to 6 whistles or for about 12 minutes on medium flame.
5. When the pressure settles down on its own, open the cooker and check if the veggies are cooked well.

Making Bhaji For Pav Bhaji

1. Heat a pan or kadai.  Add 2 to 3 tablespoons butter.
2. As soon as the butter melts, add cumin seeds.
3. Let the cumin seeds crackle and change their color.
4. Then add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions.
5. Mix onions with the butter and saute on a low to medium flame till the onions translucent.
6. Then add ginger-garlic paste.
7. Mix and saute till the raw aroma of both ginger and garlic goes away.
8. Then add chopped green chilli. Mix well.
9. Now add finely chopped tomatoes. mix very well.
10. Then begin to saute tomatoes on a low to medium flame.
11. Sauté till the tomatoes become soft and mushy. This takes about 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium flame. If the tomatoes start sticking to the pan, then sprinkle some water and mix well.
12. When the tomatoes have softened, then add 1/2 cup finely chopped capsicum. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
13. Add turmeric powder and kashmiri red chilli powder.
14. Then add pav bhaji masala. Mix very well.
15. Add the cooked veggies. Add all of the stock or water from the pressure cooker in which the veggies were cooked. Mix well.
16. Then season with salt as per taste.
17. With a potato masher, begin to mash the veggies directly in the pan.
18. Keep on stirring occasionally and let the bhaji simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. 
19. If the bhaji becomes dry and then add some more water. The consistency is neither very thick nor thin.
20. Do stir often. When the pav bhaji simmers to the desired consistency, check the taste. Add salt, pav bhaji masala, red chili powder or butter if required.
21. Your bhaji is ready.

For frying the pavs:

1. Heat a tawa. Keep the flame to a low and then add butter.
2. When the butter begins to melt, add a bit of pav bhaji masala. You can skip pav bhaji masala if you want.
3. Mix the pav bhaji masala very well with a spoon or spatula.
4. Then place the pav on the butter.
5. Rotate the pav all over the melted butter so that the pav absorbs the butter.
6. Now turn over the pav and rotate them on the tawa so that the second side absorbs the butter. Add more butter if required.
7. You can turn over and toast them more if required. Then remove in a plate and keep aside.

Your pav bhaji is ready to be served with some chopped onions, lemon and green chutney.

Enjoy and keep showering your love.