Pav Bhaji (Mixed vegetable curry with buns)

Indian street food is love at first bite. The best way to enjoy the street food is to stand in those crowded streets and relish the delicacies. Tangy and spicy, just thinking about it makes my mouth water! There is a plethora of flavors that will hit you with every bite of the amazing varieties of street foods in India.

Pav bhaji is one of my favorite Indian street foods. I love bhaji with lots and lots of veggies in it. And the best part is, sometimes you can put the leftover veggie curries in it too! It all comes together and nobody will notice 😉 The pav bhaji masala (easily available at grocery stores) is a very flavorful spice which gives it the authentic taste. Coming to Pav, it is a bun which is cut in half and roasted in butter, lots of butter! Whether you use salted or unsalted butter, it is a very important ingredient in making Pav Bhaji. The melted buttery taste of bhaji with soft pav is oh so yumm!

It is mostly enjoyed with a side of chopped onions and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Ingredients:

Butter(Salted/unsalted)- 1/2 cup

Potato-4 (Boiled and peeled)

Carrot- 2 (Boiled)

Cauliflower- 6-8 florets (Boiled)

Bell pepper- 1 cup (roughly chopped) (Boiled)

Peas- 1/2 cup (Boiled)

Onion- 1 cup (finely chopped)

Tomato- 2 cups(finely chopped)

Green chilli- 2 (finely chopped)

Ginger paste- 2 tsp

Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Red chilli powder- 2 tsp

Turmeric powder- 2 tsp

Coriander powder- 2.5 tsp

Pav Bhaji Masala- 1 tbsp

Paneer (cottage cheese)- 1/2 cup (diced)(optional)

Coriander- 1 tbsp

Lemon juice- 2 tsp

Water- 1 cup

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a deep frying pan and add chilli, ginger & garlic paste.

2. Add onions and saute for 2 min.

3. Add tomato and cook on medium heat until the mixture releases butter and turns soft and mushy.

4. Add dry spices- salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and 1/2 tbsp pav bhaji masala and cook for a min.

5. Now add boiled potatoes and all the boiled vegetables to the onion-tomato masala.

6. Add water and mash everything with a potato masher

7. Let it cook for 5 min then taste and check salt. If needed, add more at this point. Stir occasionally.

8. Add diced paneer and lemon juice.

9. Add the remaining pav bbhaji masala, half tbsp of butter and coriander and stir everything together. Cover and cook for 5-7 min.

10. Cut Pav in half and roast with butter on a skillet until golden brown from both sides.

11. Serve hot with a side of chopped raw onions and some lemon juice.

Enjoy this meal as snacks or main course with a cup of piping hot tea and I am sure you will have a lovely day :)