Avantika's Kitchen Delights: Mumbai Pav bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a street food from Mumbai, hugely popular all over India. Pav means bread rolls. Bhaji in Marathi language means Vegetable based dish.

Since both the Pav and bhaji are served together, hence the name Pav bhaji. We add a specific masala called Pav Bhaji masala to it too to get that special flavour. Pav bhaji masala can be home made or store brought. It is easily available all over India in any grocery store.

To make the bhaji of Pav bhaji, Onions, Tomatoes and ginger garlic paste are sautéed in butter first. To that boiled and mashed vegetables are added followed by Pav bhaji masala. The bhaji is then simmered for few minutes to be served later with buttered and slightly toasted pav.

In the streets or in the restaurants, pav bhaji is made on a large flat tawa (griddle). At home you can make pav bhaji in a kadhai / wok or in a frying pan.

Pav bhaji has a bright orangish red colour. When you make pav bhaji at home, you won’t get that jet red colour that you see in streets and in restaurants as some of them add artificial food colours to get that deep red colour. I recommend not to use food colour and keep it natural for your good health. In case you like to get that deep red colour, you may use byadgi red chillies while you prepare pav bhaji. Soak few byadgi red chillies in warm water for 20 minutes and grind them into a smooth paste using very little amount of water. Add this chilli paste in the pav bhaji and you will get the desired red colour.

The vegetables that are usually added to Pav bhaji are Cauliflower, Potatoes, Carrots, Beans, Peas and Capsicum. You can make Pav bhaji with any of these veggies combination, but do make sure that you add Capsicum (green bell pepper) as it gives a really good taste in Pav bhaji.

The vegetable bhaji is served with pav. Cubes of butter are also topped on the hot steaming bhaji while serving and coriander leaves are used as garnish. Chopped Onions and lemon wedges are also served as an accompaniment. The lemon juice has to be drizzled on the Pav bhaji and mixed and eaten with pav.

INGREDIENTS :

(1) 3 medium sized Potatoes, boiled, peeled and chopped

(2) 1 to 1.25 cups of chopped Cauliflower

(3) 1 cup chopped Carrot

(4) 1 cup green Peas, fresh or frozen

(5) 1 medium sized Capsicum (green bell pepper) finely chopped

(6) 1 medium sized Onion, finely chopped

(7) 8 medium sized Garlic cloves

(8) 1.5 inch sized Ginger

(9) 1 large Tomato, finely chopped

(10) 1 teaspoon of Coriander / Dhaniya powder

(11) Half teaspoon of Cumin / Jeera powder

(12) 4 teaspoons of Pav bhaji masala (I used RASOI brand of Pav bhaji masala). Add as per taste required.

(13) 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri lal mirch powder or else a paste of Byadgi Red Chillies. The latter is preferred as it gives a deep red colour to the Pav bhaji.

(14) Water for cooking

(15) Salt as per taste required

(16) Pavs for serving with the bhaji

(17) Finely chopped Onion as accompaniment

(18) Lemon wedges as accompaniment

(19) Coriander leaves as garnish

(20) Cooking oil

(21) Amul butter

Course : Brunch, Snacks

Cuisine : Mumbai Street food / Indian

Serves : 5-6 persons

Time : 1 hour

METHOD :

Preparing Vegetable bhaji :

(1) Take 3 medium sized Potatoes in a pressure cooker. Add sufficient water to immerse the Potatoes in it. I added 3 glasses of water. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook the Potatoes until 4 whistles. Turn off the gas stove and allow the pressure of the cooker to release on its own. Then open the lid of the pressure cooker. Drain the hot water away from the pressure cooker and pour some cold water in it. Allow the Potatoes to cool down. Then take the Potatoes and peel them and mash them as shown.

(2) Rinse Cauliflower, Carrots, Peas and Capsicum. Now, in a wide utensil, take 1 to 1.25 cups of chopped Cauliflower, 1 cup chopped Carrot, 1 cup green Peas fresh or frozen), 1 medium sized Capsicum (green bell pepper) finely chopped. Add 3 glasses of water and 1 teaspoon of Salt to it. Cook the veggies until they are soft and cooked. Once cooked, turn off the gas flame. Allow them to cool down. Once cooled, take a masher and mash the veggies as shown. Keep the mashed Veggies aside.

(3) Peel an Onion, 1.25 inch sized ginger and 8 cloves of garlic. Chop them and take them in a blending jar of a mixer grinder. Grind them along with very little water into a smooth paste as shown.

(4) Soak few byadgi red chillies in warm water for 20 minutes and grind them into a smooth paste using very little amount of water. Here is the chilli paste.

(5) Rinse and finely chop one Tomato as shown.

(6) Here we have gathered all the ingredients required for preparing the bhaji - Mashed veggies, mashed Potatoes, chopped Tomatoes, Onion ginger garlic paste and Byadgi red chilli paste.

(7) Now we proceed to prepare the bhaji. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a Kadhai or take 4 tablespoons of cooking oil.

(8) Add the Onion Ginger Garlic paste to the warm oil or butter. Mix well and sauté till the raw smell of it goes away.

(9) Add chopped Tomatoes and sauté well till they turn mushy.

(10) Now, add the mashed veggies (Cauliflower, Capsicum, Carrots, Peas).

Mix well.

(11) Add the mashed Potatoes. Mix well.

(12) Add the Cumin powder, Coriander powder and Pav bhaji masala in measures as given in the ingredients list.

Mix well.

(13) Add the Byadgi red chilli paste now.

Mix well.

(14) Add one glass of water. Add Salt to taste and mix well. Note that we had added salt while cooking the veggies so add little salt accordingly.

(15) Add 2 tablespoons of butter again. Simmer for 8 - 10 minutes and stir constantly so that the bhaji does not stick to the kadhai / wok. If the bhaji becomes dry, add more water and achieve the desired consistency (Neither too thick nor too thin).

(16) Add handful of chopped Coriander leaves. Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes. Finally turn off the gas flame.

(17) Our Pav bhaji is ready.

(18) Transfer the Pav bhaji into a serving bowl.

Frying Pav for bhaji :

(1) On a small plate take one teaspoon of kashmiri red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon of pav bhaji masala and mix well.

(2) On a low flame, heat a shallow frying pan or a Tawa. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan.

(3) Once the butter begins to melt, add two pinch of the chilli powder we prepared in step 1. Mix well with butter. Then sprinkle little chopped Coriander leaves over it.