Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji needs no introduction. If bhatura chana is Punjab's contribution to Indian fast food, then Pav Bhaji is definitely Mumbai's choice offer. Wikipedia interestingly traces the origins of Pav Bhaji as follows: "The origin of this dish is traced to the heyday of the textile mills in Mumbai. The mill workers used to have lunch breaks too short for a full meal, and a light lunch was preferred to a heavy one, as the employees had to return to physical labor after lunch. A vendor created this dish using items or parts of other dishes available on the menu. Roti or rice was replaced with pav and the curries that usually go with Indian bread or rice were amalgamated into just one spicy concoction-the 'bhaji'"

Today, Pav Bhaji is regarded as a staple at any Mumbai fast food joint. Try it and you will know why this is an instant classic.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium Potatoes peeled and diced
• 1/2 Cauliflower diced
• 3 Carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 Capsicum chopped
• 1 Cup fresh green beans chopped
• 1/2 Cup frozen peas
• 8 roma tomatoes pureed
• 1 medium Onion chopped fine
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 3 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tblsp Oil
• 1/2 stick salted Butter
• 6 Tblsp pav Bhaji masala
• 2 Cups water

First, add all the vegetables - except the onions, garlic and tomatoes - into a pressure cooker with 2 Tsp salt and 2 Cups water. Cook on high until the first whistle and then bring down the heat to medium low. Let the vegetables cook for another 15 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and keep the cooker aside for the steam to release. Once you can open the cooker, mash the vegetables well.

On a separate stove top, heat the oil in a saucepan. Throw in the garlic and the onions, and fry them until the onions have turned transparent. Add the tomato puree and 1 Tsp salt to this pan and cook on medium heat, until you see the mixture releasing oil on the sides.

Finally, add the tomatoes to the mashed vegetables and mix well. Add the pav bhaji masala and the butter to this mixture and blend them well. That's it, just garnish the bhaji with some cilantro and you're good to go.

Although you can substitute the pav with a burger bun, I find the water rolls or french hamburger buns are a very close substitute. You can find them at your local grocery store's bakery section