PAV BHAJI

Pav Bhaji, a famous Mumbai street food, joins the  Inseparable Combo category. You cannot think of Pav without Bhaji or bhaji without pav. In the olden days, the dough for Pav used to be kneaded with feet by the workers, to speed up work("pav" in hindi means feet), and there is another meaning for this also. "Pav" in marathi means 1/4 measure. You always get Pav buns as a set of 4, then you cut them into quarters.
Pav and Bhaji were mainly for the textile workers replacing rice and dhal, and , whatever vegetable available was thrown into this bhaji, spiced up with some masalas, mashed with a dosa ladle with the typical sound, and pav buns were arranged in circles around the bhaji.
This bhaji, which becomes more flavourful and aromatic with the Pav Bhaji Masala,(I used store bought only)  has been made healthy here, avoiding too many potatoes.

Ingredients

Pav buns - 2 packets, consisting of 8 pieces, which have to be halved while toasting

Low fat Amul butter for toasting as required(Regular Amul salted butter can be used too)

Olive oil spray

Chilli flakes to top up some buns with

For Bhaji

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Carrot - 1

Potato - 1

Medium sized Cauliflower - 1

Fresh peas - 1/2 cup

Green bell pepper - 1

Small red bell pepper - 1

Onions - 2 + 1 for topping, while serving

Tomato - 3, pureed

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Pav bhaji masala - 3 tbsps

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder / dhania powder - 1 tsp

Low fat Amul butter - 1 tbsp

Lemon juice - 3 tsps

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Lemon wedges for serving

For seasoning

Cooking oil - 3 tbsps

Jeera - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Recipe Cuisine: North Indian; Category: Snack/Lunch/Dinner

Prep time: 20 mts; Cooking time: 20 mts; 

Serves 4

All vegetables chopped into cubes and put inside pressure pan, with 1 cup water, with 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

                                                     Pressure cooked for 3 whistles

Tomatoes pureed

Seasoning done in Pressure pan

Onions added and sauteed

Both bell peppers thrown in

Ginger garlic paste added

Chilli, dhania and jeera powders added

Tomato puree added, and......

I pressure cooked this mixture for 1 whistle, so that the tomato puree will lose its raw smell and all flavours of the powders will mix well. Bell peppers , retaining their crunchy texture, will get cooked too. More than anything, this fastens my work!   It donned the look of  a very nice textured  gravy now

Then add the cooked vegetables, which have been mashed well.

Add salt and Pav bhaji masala too

Finally, add the Amul low fat butter and after switching off, add the lemon juice too. All along the flames have been kept on low.

The untoasted pav buns with the bhaji.....am I trying to imitate the road side vendors???

Heat a non stick pan, add some butter along with olive oil spray, and start toasting the buns till they become golden. (Adding Olive oil spray is to reduce  the quantity of butter)

                                      If you want the buns to be spicy, you can sprinkle some chilli flakes too.

   Serve the hot Pav buns, with the aromatic  Bhaji,  topped with finely chopped onions, fresh coriander leaves and a lemon wedge.

A closer look of the bhaji

                                                       
                                                                         Notes
     * Pav bhaji masala also has powdered chillies mixed in it, so take care while adding chilli powder.
*If you do not mind, cauli flower can be replaced by potatoes too, or the quantity of potatoes can be increased too
*Pav buns can be toasted in oven also.

Categories: Chat items, Inseparable Combos, Mumbai street food, Pressure cooker recipes