Masala Pav / Masala Buns

Masala Pav

Pav Bhaji is one of the most famous quick eats from Mumbai streets. You would think making fast food faster would not be possible - but trust Mumbaikars to come up with unique ideas! This take on Masala Pav is an ode to the famous Pav Bhaji with unparalleled simplicity and flavor. It is the perfect 4pm snack with a hot cup of tea!

Ingredients:

• 4 Pav (you can use hard rolls or water rolls from the Deli)
• 2 Tblsp butter
• 1 Tblsp garlic paste (or 3 cloves garlic)
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 1/2 large green pepper (capsicum)
• 2 Tsp salt
• 1.5 Tblsp Pav Bhaji masala
• 1.5 Tsp red chilli powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped

First, chop the onions, green pepper and tomatoes fine.

Put a large saucepan or griddle (tava) on medium heat and add 1 Tblsp on butter to it. As the butter melts, rotate the saucepan slowly so that the butter covers the entire base. Add the garlic paste to this and saute it until it starts to turn brown. If you're using fresh garlic cloves, crush them fine before you add them to the butter. Using fresh garlic is always better - the paste has vinegar based preservatives which can sometimes play into the food flavor but for this recipe you're fine either way.

Add the onions to the pan and saute them well. As they start to get translucent, add the peppers and cook for 3 minutes before adding the tomatoes.

Cook the mixture for 3-5 more minutes. Now add, salt, chilli powder, the pav bhaji masala and the water to the mixture and mix well. If you have a potato masher handy, use it to mash the mixture. It should start to look like pav bhaji. :)

Add the lemon juice, mix well and move the mixture to one side of the pan. Now, add 1/4 Tblsp butter on the empty side on the pan. Slice one of buns in half (like a burger) and cook the buns in this butter on both slides.

For the assembly, add the mixture on both sides of the bun, adding some cilantro on the bottom half. Add the top part back on, smear more mixture on the outer side as well, garnishing with cilantro. Enjoy!

Chinese Bhel

Chinese Bhel

"Bhel" is the quintessential snack from Mumbai, perhaps second only to Samosas in terms of global fame. Chinese Bhel is something born on the streets on Mumbai; It is a perfect marriage of Indian and Chinese cuisine with fried crispy noodles substituting puffed rice in the Bhel with some other variations thrown in.

This is a simple recipe to follow and I am certain it is a snack you'll want to make over and over! Here is what you will need (ingredients to serve 2-3)

• 1 slab of raw vegetarian hakka noodles (100-150 grams)
• Oil to fry
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Green Bell Pepper thinly sliced
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Cabbage shredded
• 1/2 cup Carrots shredded
• 2.5 Tblsp Tomato ketchup
• 1.5 Tblsp red Chilli sauce (or Sriracha sauce)
• 1.5 Tblsp Vinegar
• 1.5 Tblsp Soy sauce
• 0.5 Tsp Salt
• 3-4 springs of Spring Onion

For the noodles, you can use any store bought noodles pack that you would use for lo-mein. Soak the noodles in cold water for 30 to 45 minutes. Noodles will be one slab at first and that is fine - they will be easier to maneuver after the soak.  In the meantime, slice the vegetables as shown below.

You can prepare the sauce as well - in a bowl, add the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar and soy sauce together and mix well. That's it - keep this aside.

At this time, you can begin frying the noodles. Drain all the water from the noodles and work with your fingers to untangle them as much as possible. I have found that this helps the frying process. Even though the noodles are wet, you should not have to worry about oil splatters. Drop the noodles into oil at med-high heat and fry for a good 3-4 minutes. If you take them out any earlier, the noddles come out soggy.This can be a little tricky since the noodles won't brown either. Test this out with a small batch first until you have a hang of it.

In a pan, heat 2 Tblsp of oil. Add crushed garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat. You will want the vegetables to get cooked but not too soggy. If you feel the vegetables are burning due to lack of oil, cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for 30 seconds.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the sauce and mix well. Add the salt - go  easy on the salt since the sauce has a high salt context already. Add some spring onion (keep some for garnishing) and finally, add the crisp noodles. Toss the mixture well and garnish with green onions.

That's it - Enjoy!