Pav Bhaji

Before I start talking about today’s recipe, I would like to take this moment to say a heartfelt thanks to each and everyone who have inspired me for this blog till date – today’s recipe marks my 100^th blog post, a significant milestone for me which would not have been possible in this short time frame (just shy of 5 months) without the love and support of all you guys. Let’s celebrate this occasion with the Indian street food gem, the very famous scrumptious Pav Bhaji. The highlight of this recipe is that, I have made this pav bhaji without using the pav bhaji masala…Yes 🙂 …and the taste is just awesome !!

Pav Bhaji is a very famous street food of India, wherein Pav is the Hindi word for bread buns, and Bhaji is the Hindi word for mashed cooked spicy vegetables. Pav Bhaji is a simple, spicy and healthy treat as it is made up of different vegetables. Nowadays people generally buy the readymade Pav bhaji Masala to make this Pav bhaji but I have stuck to my practice and have not used the Pav bhaji masala in it. The taste is perfectly superb and believe me, no one can get the hint of that, that without using pav bhaji masala you have made this delectable pav bhaji. 🙂

I love spicy food and to celebrate this occasion what would be better than the scrumptious Pav Bhaji…so let’s start our celebration….

The ingredients for making Pav Bhaji are :
1. Potato : 2 big
2. Cauliflower : 1 cup (chopped)
3. Carrot : 1 cup (peeled, chopped)
4. Peas : 3/4 cup
5. Tomato : 2 big
6. Green Pepper : 1 (finely chopped)
7. Onion : 1 big
8. Ginger : 1 tsp
9. Garlic : 6-7
10. Green Chilli : 2 (finely chopped)
11. Garam masala : 2 – 2.5 tsp
12. Dried Mango Powder (Amchur) : 1 tsp
13. Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
14. Turmeric Powder (haldi) : 1 tsp
15. Cumin seeds (Jeera) : 1 tsp
16. Salt : to taste
17. Butter : 1-2 Tbsp + to toast the buns
18. Buns (Pav) : 12-14

Method :

Firstly boil/steam the potato, cauliflower, and carrot in a pressure cooker or a microwave. Then mash these vegetables lightly and keep them aside.

While the vegetables are getting boil/steam – Heat butter in a pan, and then temper it with cumin seeds. Next add onions and cook till it becomes translucent. Now add ginger, garlic and sauté for a minute. Next add green chillies and sauté for few seconds; then add tomatoes and cook till it becomes soft and mushy.

Add green pepper and again sauté for a minute. Next add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, dried mango powder and mix well; cook till the pepper becomes a little soft.

Finally add all the mashed vegetables, and mix well; add some water and cook on simmer for 10-12 minutes with occasional stirring. Your scrumptious bhaji is ready !

For Pav : Take the bun, and slice it in two parts horizontally. Heat the skillet/griddle (tawa) and put some butter on it; toast the buns using butter on both the sides. Your Pav is ready to be served !

To Serve Pav Bhaji :

Take some bhaji on a plate and sprinkle some finely chopped onions, coriander leaves and a dash of lemon juice on it and serve with the warm, toasted buns ! Enjoy your delectable Pav Bhaji with your love ones!

Happy Cooking 🙂

Insider Tips / Finer Points :

• You may add vegetables of your choice in the Bhaji e.g., beans etc.
• You may adjust the spices according to your taste buds.
• Feel free to add more butter to the Bhaji and the Pav, as per your preferred taste.