Mumbai Street Food Pav Bhaji

We're back with an exciting and super delicious Pav Bhaji recipe to make your weekend perfect!

A world-famous fast food dish, or perhaps the king of street food from the western state of Maharashtra, the recipe is an amalgamation of vegetables seasoned with a unique blend of spices known as pav bhaji masala and served with a soft bread roll also known as pav.

For Bhaji:

3 medium potatoes (cleaned, peeled and coarsely chopped)
4-5 medium cauliflower florets
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup of peas
2 tablespoons of oil
1 medium onion
1 large tomato
2/3 cups green bell pepper/bell pepper
1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon or to taste of salt
Pav Bhaji Masala
1 tablespoon of butter
Chili powder


Decorate:

Chopped onions
Cilantro / coriander leaves
Lime / lemon juice

Method:

Pressure cook potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, and peas with turmeric powder and a pinch of salt. Add water to the vegetables until they are slightly submerged. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil and add the ginger and garlic paste and the chopped onions. Adding about 1/4 teaspoon of salt helps the onions cook faster. Once the onions are cooked, add the tomatoes and let them cook over medium heat until the onions and tomatoes are thoroughly cooked and have turned into a paste. Add the finely chopped bell pepper.

If you like your pav bhaji spicy, go ahead and add the chili powder now. Store-bought masala has chili powder.
Once the pressure is released, mash all the vegetables with a potato masher while they're hot. Don't discard the water/broth.

Once the onion and tomato sauce is ready, add 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of pav bhaji masala, 1 tablespoon of butter, and the mashed vegetables. Mix everything well. A potato masher is very useful for blending everything together. Use the water used to cook the vegetables to thin the masala to your preferred consistency. Check the salt and adjust. Note: The bhaji tends to thicken considerably due to the potatoes. Add boiling water to give it the right consistency.

For the Pav (Thick Bimbo Bread)

Heat a frying pan and add a generous amount of butter. Place the pav on top until it turns light brown on both sides.

The way it is served:

The Pav is served with the bhaji which is topped with chopped onions, fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lime/lemon and a little butter which quickly melts into the bhaji.