Pav Bhaji
Recreating the street food experience at home is one cooking experiment I love to dive into. My first encounter with Pav Bhaji was in Mumbai, my husband’s hometown. It's a delightful street food dish where soft buttered rolls are served with spicy mashed veggies topped with a dollop of butter, garnished with fresh minced onion, coriander, and lemon wedges on the side.
Nowadays, I prepare Pav Bhaji for a flavorsome and hearty meal at home for my loved ones. And I hope that you can do the same with this recipe!
PAV BHAJI
Adapted from Indian Healthy Recipes
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min
INGREDIENTS
2 large starchy potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
100g cauliflower, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 small carrot, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup green peas
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 capsicum, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala powder
1 tablespoon butter
8 dinner rolls (Pav), sliced into halves
GARNISH
1 lime, sliced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons coriander leaves
2 tablespoons butter
Cook cauliflower, potato and carrots in a steamer until soft and tender - about 8 to 20 minutes.
In a medium pot, add oil to a pan and saute onions until translucent. Add green chilli, capsicums, peas and saute for 3-4 minutes.
Add turmeric & Kashmiri chilli powder, as well as pav bhaji masala powder and saute to bloom the spices - about 2 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato passata and salt. Allow to cook until tomatoes become mushy.
In a separate bowl, mash the steamed vegetables. Stir in mashed vegetables to the pot in batches, adding water if needed to adjust consistency. The bhaji should be a slightly flowy, spoonable consistency that holds when served on bread. Keep warm on a low heat while toasting bread.
In a skillet, add butter and grill dinner rolls until golden brown.
Serve with garnishes.
