Pav bhaji

Cooked and mashed on a flat griddle, with the pav soaked in butter on the same iron.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (butter).

Ingredients

• 600 g potatoes, boiled
• 200 g cauliflower, chopped small
• 150 g green peas
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 onions, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste
• 3 tablespoons pav bhaji masala
• 2 teaspoons chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 200 g butter
• 12 pav, soft square buns
• a handful of coriander leaves
• 2 limes, in wedges

Method

1. IT IS COOKED AND MASHED ON A FLAT GRIDDLE, WITH THE PAV SOAKED IN BUTTER ON THE SAME IRON. Its article gives both halves of that: the curry is USUALLY COOKED ON A FLAT GRIDDLE (CALLED TAWA) WITH A LOT OF BUTTER AND SERVED HOT, and THE PAV IS SLIGHTLY ROASTED OVER THE HOT TAWA WITH LOT OF MOLTEN BUTTER ALMOST SOAKING THE BREAD. A flat iron, not a saucepan: the wide surface lets the mixture dry and catch while it is mashed, which is where the flavour comes from.
2. SO USE THE WIDEST PAN YOU OWN AND DO NOT CROWD IT. A flat griddle if you have one. In a saucepan the vegetables stew instead of frying and the dish comes out watery.
3. THE VEGETABLES ARE LISTED AND THEY ARE NOT A FREE CHOICE. VEGETABLES IN THE THICK CURRY COMMONLY INCLUDE POTATOES, ONIONS, CHILI PEPPERS, GREEN PEAS, BELL PEPPERS, AND TOMATOES. The bell pepper is the one people leave out and it should not be: it is most of what makes a pav bhaji taste like one.
4. COOK THE HARD VEGETABLES SEPARATELY AND KEEP THE WATER OUT. Cauliflower and peas boiled and drained hard, potatoes boiled and crushed. Everything should arrive at the griddle already cooked.
5. ONIONS, THEN GINGER AND GARLIC, THEN TOMATOES COOKED RIGHT DOWN. Fifteen minutes until the tomato has gone from pieces to paste and the butter separates at the edge.
6. THE MASALA GOES IN WITH THE TOMATO, AND GENEROUSLY. Three tablespoons for six people. It is a blend built for this one dish and there is no point being shy with it.
7. THEN EVERYTHING ELSE, AND THE MASHING. A potato masher, straight down into the griddle, for five or six minutes while it cooks. The article's word for the result is A SPICED MIXTURE OF MASHED VEGETABLES IN A THICK GRAVY -- not a puree. Lumps are correct.
8. SPLIT THE PAV, BUTTER THEM, AND PRESS THEM ON THE SAME IRON UNTIL THEY ARE GOLD. Then more butter on the bhaji at the table: its article finishes the dish GARNISHED WITH CORIANDER AND SERVED WITH A LUMP OF BUTTER. It also records where the dish came in -- AS A FAST LUNCHTIME DISH FOR TEXTILE MILL WORKERS IN MUMBAI.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes