Pav Bhaji

The way to man’s heart is through his stomach and that is precisely why I prepare this dish very often. Very popular among Mumbaites, this dish is also a hit with my husband. Growing up in Mumbai, he loved eating dishes like Pav Bhaji, vada pav, bhel etc. Though I am personally not a big fan of this dish, I enjoy it when well made. One of the tricks to making good Pav Bhaji is getting the (masala Pav Bhaji Powder) from Mumbai(ask your friends/relatives who live in Mumbai or are making a visit to the city). I learnt this particular dish from my mother- in-law. She is very good at preparing it, but thanks to her I get one of the best Pav Bhaji Masalas from India. So lets see how this goes…..

Ingredients:

A pack of Pav (Indian Bun)- available at most Indian grocery stores ( breakfast rolls can also be used as a substitute in absence of Pav)

3-4 medium sized potatoes (boiled and mashed)

2-3 tsp cooking oil

2-3 Tomatoes finely chopped

1 big onion finely chopped

2-3 green chilies finely chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp coriander powder

1-2 tsp Pav bhaji Masala( available at most Indian stores)

1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

little coriander leaves for flavor

salt to taste

( can add veggies like carrots, peas and green bell pepper to add more nutritious value to the dish)

Method:

For the Bhaji(Gravy):

Boil the potatoes and mash them well. In another pan, heat some oil. Then add the onions first and sauté them till they turn golden , now add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of the paste disappears. Now add the tomatoes, green chilies and fry again for some time, till the tomato cooks well and a puree like consistency is formed. You can add some salt at this stage. It will help in cooking the tomatoes much faster. Next Add all the dry spice powder and add some water and cook. Now add the mashed potatoes and try to mash the gravy as you stir, the potatoes and tomatoes should be mashed well by now and should form a think pureed gravy. Add more bhaji masala if needed at this stage. Once it is almost done add some butter and simmer for sometime till the butter melts and blends well with the gravy. Now turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and Coriander leaves and mix.

Pav( Indian Bun):

Take a flat bottomed pan and heat it. Cut the Pav in half, starting from the white sides of the pav any which way you like. Now smear some butter on the pan(or you could just use a few drops of oil) and toast the pav on both the sides. Serve hot pav with some Hot bhaji(gravy/dip).

for some extra flavor sprinkle some finely cut onion and a few drops of lemon juice on top of the Bhaji. Enjoy Mumbai Ishtyle Pav Bhaji!!!!!