Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food which is served with soft bread. This is made by cooking the potatoes and vegetables in tomato based gravy with special spices which are available in any supermarket in India.This is personally one of my favourite street food which I once loved having it roadside or in restaurants  , but due to the food colour and the tremendous amount of butter that they include now I prefer making it at home.

When I was a kid, whenever my mom would make pav bhaji at home my dad would always get a bottle of coke for us, which otherwise my parents would never allow me and my brother to drink . It was like a party time for me and my brother  :)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Butter 

• 1 Tsp Oil

• 3 Medium Sized Potatoes

• 200 Gram Cauliflower

• 1/4 Cup Green Peas

• 1 Carrot 

• 4-5 Kashmiri Chilies 

• 5-6 Garlic Cloves 

• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds

• 2 Onions (chopped)

• 1 Capsicum (chopped)

• 3 Tomatoes (chopped)

• 1-1/2 Tsp Pav Bhaji Masala 

• 2 Tsp Red Chili Powder

• 1/4 cup Hot water

• 1-1/2 Tbsp Coriander Powder

• Coriander and Onion for garnishing 

• Salt to taste 

Method 

• Pressure cook potatoes, cauliflower, green peas, carrot with a little salt over two whistles by adding required amount of water. Once done, mash it nicely with the help of a masher or using spatula 

• Soak kashmiri chilies in water for about half an hour. Drain water and blend it to a smooth paste by adding garlic cloves and keep it aside 

• Heat butter and oil in a pan , add cumin seeds, chili and garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes 

• Add the chopped onions and saute them till they turn light brown in colour, then add the chopped capsicum and cook for another 2-3 minutes till the capsicum turns a little soft

• Now, add the tomatoes , pav bhaji masala, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt and cook it till the tomatoes turn mushy. Mash the mixture a little with the help of the masher

• Add the mashed veggies, pressure cooked in step 1 and mix everything really well by adding water and cook for 3-4 minutes 

• Finally, add some chopped coriander and mix well 

• While serving the bhaji, take a tawa, add some butter and  take one serving of the bhaji and mash it up even further. Let it cook for a minute and then serve it with some hot pav , onions and chopped coriander