Chaat Mela #3 - Pav Bhaji

My taste and likes for dishes keeps changing. Kind of fickle minded about dishes that I really like. Yesterday I would have said some dish as my most favorite, but today I would call another as the best and tomorrow it would be something entirely different. Chaaa.. isn't that human tendency and right to like different things each day!! :) After all life gives million choices atleast when it comes to food and why not fall for all of them someday or the other!!!

Out of the million choices that we are given, Pav-bhaji recently stole my heart and I'm totally in love with it :) Its definitely not a new invention or a recent one either but its just that I have grown up only now to like spicy and tangy food :P

Hot Chips in Pondy bazaar is one place where Pav-bhaji is at its best :) The chef there starts making it only at 5PM and the sound of him mashing the vegetables with two knives on the skillet would just ring the bell in my tummy everytime I pass by that place. Totally irresistible taste and I care a damn about the amount of butter he uses. After all its pure indulgence and no once can stop me from melting for it :)

Yummmmmmmm. My home made version is quite similar to the one I fell for and its me who made it, so there is no choice than loving it :P

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 4
Carrot - 3
Peas - 1/2 cup
Beans - 100 gms
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 4
Capsicum(Bell pepper) - 1
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic - 6 flakes
Green chillies - 2
Chilly powder - for taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Pav bhaji masala powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - for taste
Butter/oil - 50 gms

Method:

Dice carrot and beans into small cubes. Pressure cook the diced carrot, beans, potatoes and peas.

Peel the cooked potatoes and mash them.

Chop onions, capsicum and tomatoes finely.

Grind green chillies, ginger and garlic together into a paste.

Take a shallow pan and add the butter, once it melts season with cumin seeds. Now add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. Add the ground paste and fry for few mins. Mix finely chopped tomatoes and fry until they form a gravy.

Now add the cooked vegetables, mashed potatoes, diced capsicum along with chilly powder, pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Add enough water to make gravy and mix well. Allow it to boil for few mins.

Pav bhaji masala is ready.

To Serve:

Cut the pav buns horizontally. Apply butter generously on top and inside the slit and roast on hot skillet until slightly brown.

Serve it with bhaji, finely chopped onions and a slice of lime :)

Enjoy making and happy eating :)

Tips:

You can also add cooked cauliflower to the bhaji.

You can use a masher or a laddle to mash the bhaji finely while it is getting cooked. I skipped this step since I like my bhaji a little chunky.

Pav-bhaji masala powder is readily available in store under many brands like Everest etc. But if you dont find one, you can replace it with gharam masala.

You can use this bhaji as a side dish for roti.

Written by: Nithya
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