Pav bhaji is a feeling and needs no description! Bringing to you the street style pav bhaji (Mumbai folks, read just-like your fav sardar pav bhaji and Indore folks, read it as sarafa-style!) with crispy home-made pav and its sibling masala pav that we like to have with our bhaji!

Fun-dom: Pav bhaji is no less than a feast and hence our choice of styling as well.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized mashed boiled potato
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 2 tomato pureed
• 3-4 finely minced garlic
• 5-6 green onion
• 1 finely chopped green capsicum
• 3-4 small carrots
• 1/2 cup peas
• 200 gm cauliflower
• 1/2 beetroot
• 3-4 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp mango powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Salt, to taste
• Butter
• 1/2 big lemon juice

Procedure for bhaji:

1. In a cooker, boil carrot, cauliflower, pea and beetroot (pre-boil beetroot if it’s hard) for 4-5 whistles. Drain the excess water and let it cool
2. In a pan heat 4 tbsp butter, add garlic, when garlic start turning brown, add onion and roast for some time. Now add capsicum and saute them. Add tomato puree along with other boiled veggies and give a good mix
3. Add the mashed potatoes and using a masher, mash all the veggies. The more you mash, the more flavours will get blended and more flavours you will taste and enjoy
4. Once the veggies are mashed well, add the dry ingredients and mix well. Let the bhaji cook on sim for a few minutes. Adjust spices as per taste buds
5. Add lemon juice and 1/2 cup of water and stir the bhaji. Add 3 tbsp of butter it and mix well
6. Cover the pan and let the bhaji cook on sim for 5-8 minutes
7. And the bhaji is ready to serve hot with crispy pav!

Toasting the pav:

1. Heat the pan and spread some butter on it
2. Cut the pav into half and place it on the pan. No need to press the pav. Let it toast on medium flame
3. Spread some butter on the top of pav before flipping and then flip it to toast the other side
4. Serve hot with bhaji
5. To make masala pav, on the add add 1 tbsp of butter, add a pinch of cumin seeds and 1 tsp of pav bhaji masala. Let the masala roast and then repeat the steps 1-4

Serving suggestions:

Serve bhaji with cut lemon and finely chopped onion and tomato, topped with butter and fresh coriander.

Point to note:

• Mashing is the most important part of the process for a good street style pav bhaji. Remember at your fav pav bhaji corner, how they keep the bhaji simmering for hours  on a large skillet and when you get served, how many times it get mashed. The more you mash, the more flavours you will get. Mash and cook it on low flame covered with a lid
• Use of beetroot is for giving the red colour to bhaji naturally as well as for texture. Tomato puree also enhances the colour. You can also use baba or degi or kashmiri red chilli powder but avoid using any artificial colours for giving redness to your bhaji
• You can make cheese pav bhaji by adding lots of shredded parmesan or cheddar cheese in bhaji while serving and while it is still hot