Pav Bhaji. Pav Bhaji was at one time an accompaniment with other chat items and clubbed with streetfood dinner evenings. The pav bhaji stalls were then limited to some specific areas where the streetfood vendors gathered each evening and left by the end of the night.
Now, this one time factory worker’s food has gone mainstream and you have most medium-sized casual dining restaurants serving Pav Bhaji in the evening in Pune. It is said that Pav Bhaji was conceived in Mumbai in the 50s and was a quick lunch for the textile mill workers. But there is much more to the history of pav bhaji than just this recent trend.
From what I remember, it is traditionally cooked on a large, hot skillet (Tava) with raw vegetables and cooked potatoes. So this was always Khada Pav Bhaji as there were always some chinks of veggies that escaped the big spatula. The chopped veggies are cooked on high heat and then mashed and spiced with the special Pav Bhaji blend.
While I love the traditional version as it keeps all the vegetable juices in the dish, it takes a lot of time too. Pav bhaji has now become more of a fallback recipe when there is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. All you need is a few different veggies, potatoes and the Pav Bhaji Masala.
Here’s how you can make a quick, flavorful dish on a Sunday evening to beat the Monday blues.
Pav Bhaji Ingredients
3 Medium Potatoes
1/2 of a medium Cabbage
1 Green Capscicum
2 Carrots
1 Cup tomato, chopped
1/2 cup Tomato Puree
2 Tbsp Everest Pav Bhaji Masala
1 Tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
Salt to Taste
Lemon wedges
Onions, Finely chopped, for garnish
300 gm Salted butter
Pav Bhaji Method
1. Combine all the veggies except tomatoes and pressure cook them. For roughly ten minutes.
2. Drain the water from the veggies and keep it aside.
3. Peel the potatoes and mash all the veggies with a masher or fork
4. In a wok, heat two Tbsp of butter and add the chopped tomatoes
5. Cook the tomatoes until they are like a rough paste.
6. Add the mashed veggies and the ginger-garlic pate. Mix well on medium heat
7. Add the tomato puree and Everest Pav Bhaji Masala and let it simmer
8. Use the drained water from the veggies to maintain the bhaji consistency. You can use the remaining water as a veggie stock for your soup or other recipes.
For the Pav
1. Heat a skillet on medium flame and slit the Pav into halfs
2. Add butter to the skillet and place the Pav face down
3. Apply butter on the top surface and turn them around
Serve the Pav Bhaji with raw onion, lemon wedges, and some more butter!
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