Pav Bhaji is a spicy mix vegetable curry served with buttered and toasted bread rolls. One of the most popular street foods in Mumbai, there are many restaurants and food stalls all over famous just for their Pav Bhaji. When I was working and during college days I probably visited all of them and I've loved every dish I had. And yet I firmly believe that nothing tastes as good as home made pav bhaji and I still think my mom's is the best. It was one of the meals my brother and I would so look forward to! She always made a huge batch on Saturdays that we would relish through the weekend.
I make pav bhaji about once a month and have started making pav at home too. This recipe is mostly adapted from Vaishali's
Holy Cow and it's one I really like and I love the flavor of the bread when using some whole wheat flour instead of all white.
Whole Wheat Pav
Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp active dried yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbs oil
Method:
Mix 1/2 cups of water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and keep aside for about 10 minutes until the mixture turns frothy. Sieve the flours together and add the to the yeast mixture. Add the remaining water slowly as needed while kneading the mixture until you have a smooth but slightly sticky dough. Add the oil and knead for another couple of minutes.
Transfer the dough into a big greased bowl and roll to coat all over with oil. Cover with a kitchen cloth and keep aside for about 2 hours in a warm place until the dough has risen to almost double.
Punch the dough and knead lightly. Divide into 9 portions and shape into balls.
Place in a greased pan in rows, close together but not touching.
Cover with the kitchen cloth and place in a warm place for them to rise. They will join at the ends and touch each other forming a slab.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check if done.
Take the pan out of the oven and brush the tops with some melted butter. Return the pan to the oven for 5 more minutes so the tops get browned.
Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
To serve with the bhaji, split each pav into half, spread some butter and toast until golden. Serve hot.
Bhaji
Ingredients:
1 big potato, about 350 gms
half cauliflower, about 250 gms
1 small carrot
1/2 cup green peas
3 big tomatoes, blanched and peeled
6 whole dry red chilies, I used half kashmiri chilies, for their color, or to taste
1 big onion, finely chopped
1 small capsicum, finely chopped
1 tbs ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 1/2 - 2tbs pav bhaji masala
salt to taste
2 tbs butter
Method:
Cook potato and all the other vegetables and mash them all together into a coarse mixture.
Grid the tomatoes and chilies into a smooth puree.
Heat 1 tbs oil in a big pan and saute the onions and capsicum and until the onions are golden brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute.
Add the turmeric, garam masala and pav bhaji powders and fry for a few seconds.
Stir in the tomato mixture and cook until the water evaporates and the oil separates.
Add the vegetable mixture and salt and mix well. Add some water to adjust the consistency.
Bring to a boil. cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.
Uncover and check the seasonings. Stir in the butter and remove from heat.
Serve hot with toasted pav and some lemon wedges, chopped onion and cilantro on the side.
