A very popular Indian street food (vegetable curry (bhaaji),eaten with pav (bread) )
You know what one of my Biggest pet peeves is? Pav bhaji made with carrots and cauliflower (not to mention I was unfortunate to have been forced to eat a version with eggplants). This one here is if you want the real tasty mumbai-street-style pav bhaji. Spicy, buttery, flavorful and just yummy. If your aim is to make any spicy curry and eat it with bread then go ahead and add mushrooms as well if you wish!
You need:
For bhaji:
Everest pav bhaji masala
Everest pav bhaji masala
For final touch (optional, tastes good without this as well):
For garnish:
Heat butter and oil mixture in a large non-stuck pan. Add ginger garlic paste to it and stir followed by the capsicum. After a couple of minutes add the tomatoes and salt. Cover the pan and let cook on low flame for about 15-20 minutes (I once took a bath while it cooked!). At the end it should have left oil and look completely cooked and almost uniform in color. At this point remove lid and stir in more salt, chilli powder, masalas and cook until gives of a nice aroma. Add more Ginger garlic paste at this point if you think it needs some more.
For the finishing touch which is optional:
For the finishing touch which is optional:
Take butter in a fry pan and add ginger garlic paste, spices, chilli powder, Hing and kasuri methi add a little of the prepared bhaji at a time and add water if necessary for desired consistency.
Garnish with chopped onions, cilantro and butter. Serve a lime wedge on the side.
So here's to all the real pav-bhaji lovers.*NOTE: As you may wonder, it's not a typo but there's no cooked onion in the bhaji. Only in the garnish. And yes there's more peas than potatoes, you heard me right. Please just trust me and try it ;)
You know what one of my Biggest pet peeves is? Pav bhaji made with carrots and cauliflower (not to mention I was unfortunate to have been forced to eat a version with eggplants). This one here is if you want the real tasty mumbai-street-style pav bhaji. Spicy, buttery, flavorful and just yummy. If your aim is to make any spicy curry and eat it with bread then go ahead and add mushrooms as well if you wish!
You need:
For bhaji:
Everest pav bhaji masala
Everest pav bhaji masala
For final touch (optional, tastes good without this as well):
For garnish:
Heat butter and oil mixture in a large non-stuck pan. Add ginger garlic paste to it and stir followed by the capsicum. After a couple of minutes add the tomatoes and salt. Cover the pan and let cook on low flame for about 15-20 minutes (I once took a bath while it cooked!). At the end it should have left oil and look completely cooked and almost uniform in color. At this point remove lid and stir in more salt, chilli powder, masalas and cook until gives of a nice aroma. Add more Ginger garlic paste at this point if you think it needs some more.
For the finishing touch which is optional:
For the finishing touch which is optional:
Take butter in a fry pan and add ginger garlic paste, spices, chilli powder, Hing and kasuri methi add a little of the prepared bhaji at a time and add water if necessary for desired consistency.
Garnish with chopped onions, cilantro and butter. Serve a lime wedge on the side.
A cup of dry green peas (vatana)- soaked overnight and pressure cooked until soft. OR 2 cups frozen green peas thawed and cooked and mashed
3 tablespoons Ginger garlic paste (peeled garlic and deskinned ginger pieces ground together 1:1 by weight, I plan to write a basic cooking requirements post soon)
1 large potato- boiled, peeled and mashed
4-5 tomatoes finely chopped
1 small capsicum finely chopped
+ any ONE of these:
a. red garam masala+kanda lasoon masala
b. Maratha style chutney/red masala/red chilli powder
c. or just kanda-lasun masala and a little more pav bhaji masala
d. Or else substitute everest pav bhaji masala altogether with a little more Mother's recipe pav bhaji masala
Red chilli powder
Salt
Salted butter and/or oil (the more butter you add, of course the better it tastes!! Have you seen them add half a brick of butter for 1 or 2 servings at the restaurants??! Gosh Ill never get there, but with less fat, its good enough :) )
Butter
Garam masala- a pinch
Pav bhaji masala- a pinch
Red chilli powder- a pinch
Hing (asafetida)- a dab
Kasuri methi- few leaves, crushed
A cube of butter
Finely chopped red onions
Lime wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro
Add in the mashed peas, add water as needed (this tends to get very dry) and add the mashed potatoes. Add salt and chilli powder. Cook until everything is nice and homogenous. (pictures from start to finish). Mash if necessary. Bhaji is ready!! this can be stored and served wih the finishing touch when reheating or just like that.
*note** I will come back with the Pav recipe after I have perfected it. Mine turned out alright (much better than the kinda pav you get here). But want it to taste like the indian bakery pav! Will share once I am there! For now u can toast or lightly warm pav or any kinda bread (ciabatta tastes really well with the bhaji) with butter and spices if you like :)
Is red masala the same as malvani masala??
ReplyDeleteIts very similar! Malvani masala works perfectly well!! :)
DeleteI've seen Sardar's (Bombay) put cauliflower in his pav bhaji. Don't hate on the cauliflower!
ReplyDeleteWell, when I mentioned the carrots and cauliflower I was generally referring to pav bhaji made at home using odd vegetables, in an attempt to emulate street-style pav bhaji! This recipe isnt a recipe they use in restaurants anyway! I have never eaten at Sardars, but if its good, then they know how to use the cauliflower, most home cooks don't, at least not the ones I have eaten at :)
Delete