I am very excited today, as this is my first post for a blog event. Though, I am sharing some of the traditional Palakkad Iyer recipes through my blog, I would like to contribute other recipes also which I have learnt from here and there. So here comes my first post on something which is not native to Palakkad – Pav Bhaji.
This Indian street food widely popular in West India has gained appreciation all over India. It is one of my favorite too. Whenever we visit a chaat bhandar, my daughter's pick would be Pav Bhaji. She loves the buttered pavs very much. The bhaji is usually a little spicy and so I decided to try my hand at making this at home, customized to my daughter's taste buds. She really adores them. Pav means bread and Bhaji translates to vegetables. This combination of mashed veggies with pav is quite filling and can be consumed as a light evening meal. Here is the recipe for the not so spicy Pav Bhaji:
Ingredients (Serves: 2-3)
For the Bhaji
1. Potatoes – 2 Medium sized
2. Carrots – 2
3. Green Peas – ½ Cup
4. Onions – 2 Big
5. Tomatoes – 2 Big
6. Capsicum - 1
7. Garlic – 2 or 3 pods
8. Turmeric Powder – a pinch
9. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
10. Pav Bhaji Masala – 1 tsp
11. Butter – 2 tbsp
12. Coriander for garnishing
For the Pav
1. Pav Bun – as required
2. Butter for toasting
Method
Cook potatoes, carrots and peas in a pressure cooker (You can add cauliflower also). Finely chop onions, garlic, capsicum and tomatoes.
Heat a Kadai, add a tbsp of butter. Saute chopped onions, when the onions turn translucent, add garlic and saute for 2 mins. Next add the capsicum and sauté for another 2 mins. After that add the chopped tomatoes and fry. Now add a pinch of turmeric powder, Chilly powder, and Pav Bhaji Masala. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy and oil leaves the sides of the Kadai. Now, mash the cooked vegetables and add it to the onion tomato masala. Add salt to taste. Add some water and adjust consistency. The bhaji should be of semi solid consistency. Simmer for a few minutes. Serve garnished with chopped onions, coriander lemon wedges and a blob of butter.
To serve the pav
Heat a tava, slice the pav lengthwise almost till the end and toast it with butter on both sides.
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