Pav Bhaji

I have not yet met anybody who doesn't enjoy Pav Bhaji. This famous Indian street food is a hot, tasty blend of vegetables served on buttered bread rolls. I love it even more because it's a delicious way to use up odds and ends, and it's so simple to cook!

Recipe (serves 4):
1 cup cauliflower florets (approx. ½ medium cauliflower)
½ cup green beans, roughly chopped
1 large orange bell pepper, de-seeded and roughly chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
½ tsp salt
½ cup boiling water
1 thumb fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large onion, peeled and halved
 
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp rye
1 tsp jeeru
1” stick taj
2 laving
3 limbra

1 tsp dhana jeeru
1 tsp hardar
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pav bhaji masala
Juice of ½ lime

Method:

1. Place the vegetables, ½  tsp salt and ½ cup boiling water into a pressure cooker
   Seal and cook on a high heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until the whistle rings once
   Turn off and leave aside for the steam to escape naturally
2. Add the ginger, garlic and one half of the large onion to a blender and blitz until there are no large chunks
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan on a high heat
   Add the rye and wait for it to sputter
4. Add the jeeru, taj, laving, limbra and stir for 10 seconds
5. Add the onion mix, stir and let cook for 2-3 minutes
6. Add the chopped tomatoes, hardar, dhana jeeru, sugar and salt and mix well
7. Carefully open the pressure cooker and mash the vegetables using a handheld potato masher
8. Add the mashed vegetables to the tomato base and stir
9. Add the pav bhaji masala and lime juice, mix well
10. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes
11. Take the remaining ½ onion and slice it very finely
    Place in a bowl and mix with a squeeze of lime juice
    ​Season with salt and red chilli powder (optional)
12. Garnish the bhaji with coriander (optional)
13. Serve with hot buttered rolls and the onion kachumba (salad)

- Tips:

• You can use any vegetables you like. I'd say aim for about 3 cups of veg - using potato and cauliflower creates a really nice base but the rest can be whatever you like!
• The vegetables really don’t need to be chopped carefully, so just roughly chunk them up
• If you prefer a smooth bhaji, then you can use a hand-blender once the veg are cooked to create a smoother texture. I roughly mash the veg, add half to the pan and then mash the remaining half a little more before adding to the pan. This creates a bit of variation in the texture of the bhaji which I enjoy
• If you do not have any pav bhaji masala then don't worry. You can add cayenne pepper, amchur (dried mango powder), garam masala, salt in varying proportions to taste. If you don't have amchur or garam masala then just keep it simple with salt, chilli powder and lemon - it will still taste delicious!
• Traditionally the pav (bread rolls) are cut in half and fried in butter. When I made this, I didn't have any bread rolls but did have panini's, on which I spread (vegan) butter and baked in the oven at 180c for 8 minutes. They were still soft on the inside but had a delicious crunch on the outside - just perfect for pav bhaji. The bottom line in - you can use any bread you like!
• For extra crunch sprinkle some Bombay Mix, or peanuts on top before eating

​Enjoy! If you have tried this recipe then please feel free to comment below and let me know how it went. If you have any questions then please ask and I'll do my best to answer!

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