Quick & Easy Pav Bhaji Recipe

I love street food and believe that it's the direct expression of most real emotions and culinary traditions of a country. India too is part of this great food culture, with stalls everywhere, so attractive and persistently fragrant.

If anyone asks an Indian what street food is his favorite, his most frequent response will be Bhelpuri, Panipuri and Pav Bhaji. Let us introduce you to Pav Bhaji, the king of Mumbai street food. Pav means bread and Bhaji means vegetable.

It seems that this specialty was born as lunch for the workers of a textile mill in Mumbai, convenient and easy to eat during their short break. Today it has overcome its humble beginnings and can be found on the menus in most restaurants across the country, because it is a very easy dish to cook and serve.

The bhaji is a preparation of mixed greens with onions, tomatoes, potatoes and basic spices, very hot and red/orange coloured. The vegetables are cooked and then mashed to give the consistency of a thick gravy, mashed type. It is usually served with chopped raw onion and fresh cilantro, a dash of lime juice and a generous dollop of butter, accompanied by the typical pav. To handle the spiciness of the dish, the trick is to eat a little raw onion in advance, so to low the impact of the overwhelming hot feeling in your mouth (but perhaps it would be sufficient to use less chili).

A local custom says that you have not eaten the real pav bhaji until you have it on the beach, where the beach is Juhu Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai, where street vendors prepare bhaji on the great iron skillet called Tava. The speed and agility of the vendors as they crush and mix vegetables are amazing.

The pav (often called pao or pau in honour of the Portuguese inheritance) are sweet soft rolls baked in a row. Then they take a couple, cut in half and crash into the melted butter and serve with vegetable sauce.

In Marathi pav means a quarter, and the name probably derives from the custom of serving pav bhaji accompanied by 4 breads together.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):

Pav

250 g allpurpose flour
130/150 g warm milk
1 tbs extravirgin olive oil or softened butter
1 tbs honey or sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast or 5 g fresh yeast
melted butter for brushing

Bhaji

2 medium sized potatoes
1 small cauliflower, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 cup peas
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
3 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida
½ tsp lemon juice


Oil to taste
Butter to taste
Salt to taste

PREPARATION (APPROXIMATELY 40-50 MINUTES):

Pav

Dissolve the fresh yeast in milk.

In a bowl pour flour and sugar and begin to knead, adding the milk little by little, oil (or butter) and salt at last.

It should be a very soft dough. Shape into a ball and let it rest in a greased bowl, covered, until doubled.

Then transfer the dough onto the working surface and divide into halves, then into quarters and finally into eighths.

Roll each piece in a little ball and place to rest in a rectangular mold (lined with parchment paper) slightly spaced, covered with a damp cloth for about 30/40 minutes. Bake at 200° for 10-13 minutes, it should not darken much.

Once removed from the oven brush with melted butter and let cool on a rack.

Bhaji

1) In a pressure cooker, cook potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots with a little water, salt and turmeric. Mix well and cook for a minute, removing the pressure after two.

2) Preheat the oil and butter in a non-stick pan. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for a few minutes, until the delicious aroma spreads through the kitchen.

3) Now add the chilli powder, asafoetida, onions and ginger-garlic paste. Mix well and cook until the oil starts to separate from the ingredients.

4) Add the tomato. If the consistency is not creamy, add a drizzle of fresh tomato puree. Cook well, again, until the oil separates from the Pav Bhaji.

5) Add the Pav Bhaji Masala and Garam Masala. Mix well and cook for another minute.

6) Add the vegetables and mash them gently with a fork.

7) Adjust the salt, chilli and various masalas, tasting. Add the lemon juice and cook for another 5 minutes.

How to serve pav bhaji

Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Slice two pieces of the pav sideways and place both, cut sides down, on the melted butter and allow the pav to absorb the butter and brown slightly. Place the pav on a plate, add a few tablespoons of bhaji aside (even inside the pav) and serve with the remaining chopped onion, a few drops of fresh lime juice and a spoonful of melted butter.

TIPS:

1. If the pressure cooker is not your thing, just boil the vegetables in plenty of salted water. 2. If you want to impress, grate a little onion, add a pinch of coriander and a curl of butter on the serving bowls, when serving. Cholesterol permitting, of course!