Pav bhaji
Mumbai's street-food classic made at home: potatoes, cauliflower and peas mashed into a buttery, spicy tomato bhaji with pav bhaji masala, eaten with butter-toasted pav, chopped onion and a squeeze of lemon. A weekend family favourite all over India. Jain homes use raw banana instead of potato and leave out the onion and garlic.
- 55 minTime
- 50 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 21 gprotein per portion
- 750kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 400 gPotato
- 200 gCauliflower
- 100 gGreen peas, fresh or frozen
- ≈ 300 mlWater
- 2Onions, finely chopped
- 1Capsicum, green, finely chopped
- 4Tomatoes, finely chopped
- 4 tbspCoriander leaves, chopped
- 4 tbspButter, for the bhaji
- 1 tbspGinger-garlic paste
- 2 tspKashmiri chilli powder
- 1 mlTurmeric
- 1 tbspPav bhaji masala
- to tasteSalt
- 2Lemons (nimbu)
On the side
- 12Pav
- 3 tbspButter, for the pav
- 1Onion, finely chopped, to serve
Method
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks, and cut the cauliflower into florets. Put them in the pressure cooker with the peas, the water and a little salt.
- Pressure-cook on medium for 3 whistles, about 12 minutes, and let the pressure drop by itself.
- Finely chop all the onions (keep one aside for serving), the capsicum, tomatoes and coriander leaves.
- Melt the butter for the bhaji in a large kadai or on a tawa over a medium heat. Fry the onions until soft and light golden, about 5 minutes, then add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute.
- Add the capsicum and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, pav bhaji masala and salt and cook, mashing with a potato masher, until the tomatoes break down and the butter separates, 6–8 minutes.
- Mash the cooked vegetables in their water, tip them into the kadai and mash everything together until smooth, adding a splash of hot water for a thick but soft bhaji.
- Simmer the bhaji on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring and mashing now and then.
- Slit the pavs in half sideways, leaving them joined at one edge. Melt a little of the butter for the pav on a tawa and toast the pavs cut side down, in batches, until golden and crisp.
- Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the bhaji, stir in most of the coriander leaves and cut the other lemon into wedges. Serve the bhaji hot with the pavs, chopped onion and lemon wedges.
