Bellpepperss: Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a popular North Indian fast food. It is one of the most popular Mumbai street foods. It is served in almost all restaurants around the globe. It is a delicious whole some meal. The rich and tasty vegetable curry (bhaji) is served with butter toasted bread (pav). You can use any vegetable of your choice to make the bhaji like potatoes, peas, cauliflower, bell peppers, radish, eggplant, carrot and green beans. These vegetables are cooked and mashed and cooked along with ginger, garlic, oinion , tomatoes and spices. Usually we add pav baji masala but I din’t add pav bhaji masala instead I used household spice powders. It a easy way to make your kids eat veggies as the taste of butter dominates both the pav and baaji 😉. It can be served as a snack or as a meal. It is also a great party snack. You can make the bhaji in advance. There are many variations in pav baji like fried pav baji with pav tossed in bhaji, cheese bhaji , with cheese on top of the bhaji the list goes on … here I have made the usual pav bhaji. Try out this easy and quick recipe and surprise your friends and family 😍😍. Okay then let’s get started.

Preparation time: 15 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

Potato: 2 (medium)

Carrot: 1 (big)

Peas: ½ cup

Green chili: 2

Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Onion: 1 (big)

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp

Tomato: 2 (big)

Coriander powder: ½ tbsp

Kashmiri chili powder: 2 tbsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Fennel powder: ½ tsp (if your garam masala doesn’t have fennel in it.)

Water / Vegetable stock : 1-3 tbsp

Lemon juice: ½ of 1 lemon

Chopped coriander: as needed (optional)

Red food color: 1 tsp (optional)

For pav

Bun: as needed

Butter: as needed

Method

1. Chop the vegetables as shown.

2. Pressure cook the chopped veggies with salt and green chili by adding enough water.

3. When the veggies get cooked, mash it with a potato masher and set aside.

4. Heat a pan, add 1 tbsp butter.

5. When it is hot enough add cumin seeds.

6. When the cumin seeds gets crackled add chopped onion, when it gets sautéed add ginger garlic paste.

7. Add chopped tomatoes.

8. Add Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder when tomatoes turn mushy.

9. Add water / vegetable stock (if available after pressure cooking veggies), when it comes to a boil add mashed vegetables and food color if using. Mix it well. Cook in low -medium heat for few mins.

10. Add a tbsp of butter and switch off the flame. Check for salt.

11. Just before serving add lemon juice and chopped cilantro leaves.

12. Transfer it to a serving dish.

13. Heat a pan over medium flame, add a tbsp of butter when it starts to melt place the pav over it. Shallow fry both sides till light brown. Transfer it to a serving plate.