Pav Bhaji

This is one of Mumbai's Popular Street food. Its a spicy and tangy blend of vegetables served with Pav (small squares of white bread).

Ingredients:

1) 3 cups chopped potatoes

2) 3 cups chopped cauliflower

3) 1/2 cup green peas

4) 1/2 cup carrots chopped

5) 1/2 cup capsicum

6) 1/2 cup canned beetroot or boiled beetroot (This is my secret ingredient)

7) 2 cups chopped tomatoes

8) 5-6 green chillies

9) 2 cups chopped onions ( 1 cup for the puree and 1 for the garnishing)

10) 3-4 cloves of garlic

11) 2 tablespoons fresh ginger

12) 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

13) 1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder

14) 2 tablespoons Pav Bhaji Masala

15) 4 tablespoons butter ( 1 stick)

16) 1 tablespoon oil

17) 1 tablespoon lemon concentrate or fresh lemon juice

18) Lemon wedges for the garnish

19) Freshly chopped Cilantro for the garnish

20) 16-20 burger buns or Pavs if you can get it. Tastes divine with the Pav but you could substitute it with the buns.

Preparation:

1) Pressure cook the Potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrot and capsicum till they are soft. Do not discard the excess water.

2) While the vegetables are boiling make a puree of onion/garlic/ginger and another puree of tomatoes/green chillies.

3)Heat the oil in a pan and then add the butter. Now to this add the onion/garlic/ginger puree and saute till golden brown. Next add the tomatoes/green chillies puree and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4) Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, Pav Bhaji Masala and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes

5) Next mash all the boiled vegetables using a potato masher and add to the pan. Add the left over water from boiling the vegetables too.

6) Now add the canned beetroot or the boiled beetroot. Let it cook for about 4-5 minutes till they are soft enough to be mashed. This will give a beautiful red color to the Bhaji and at the same time make it more nutritious.

7) Cook for another 4-5 minutes and add lemon concentrate/lemon juice. Your Bhaji is ready to be served.

For the Pav:

Heat a Large Tava and roast each side of the Pav in butter.

Serving :

Serve this delicious Bhaji with roasted buttered Pav on the side. Garnish the Bhaji with freshly chopped onions and Cilantro with Lemon wedges on the side. This recipe serves 6.

I'm sending this recipe for the Specialty Food event hosted by Simple Indian Food-An Easy Cooking Blog. This is my very first time I'm participating in an event. Very excited.

http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2009/11/wyfspecialty-food-event-announcement.html