From the likes of vada pav, misal pav or dabeli, to the quintessential pav bhaji, Maharashtrian cuisine is all about it. Pav bhaji, though, is the pride and joy of Mumbai’s street food scene. A host of vegetables mashed together and cooked in masalas and butter, bhaji is definitely one wholesome meal you can’t resist.
Be it vada pav or pav bhaji, Mumbaikars have the best snacks to choose from. Considering how filling a plate of pav bhaji is, it could be eaten as a midday snack or even a full meal. A lot of places in Mumbai offer pav bhaji, from hole-in-the-wall eateries to larger restaurants. It’s a meal that’s a favourite with many people in the city, and tourists tend to go looking for it too.
It is made from different vegetables like potatoes, pumpkin, peas and fresh coriander leaves, and potent Indian spices. It is no wonder that Pav bhaji is generally considered unhealthy. However, with the right ingredients, one can certainly make it healthier than regular. The generous use of butter and spices is what truly gives the street food its authentic flavours. But this doesn’t mean that one has to stay away from their favourite street food just because it’s unhealthy. There are a lot of ways to make this unhealthy street food extremely healthy as well.
The dish has a long history, a
Read MoreTake the potatoes and rinse them. After rinsing them, remove the mud skin of these potatoes.
Cut them in half and cook them in a pressure cooker till they turn soft and mushy.
Get some tomatoes and capsicum and chop them into small pieces.
Take a pan and put ghee and cumin seeds in it. Heat the pan on a low flame.
Once the seeds start to splutter, add fine capsicum pieces to it. Stir them for approximately 2 minutes.
Then add green peas and mix again. Now include tomatoes as well and stir. Let it cook for approximately 5 minutes. Serve pav bhaji for dinner or snacks.
Yes, you can. It will take longer to boil the potatoes and peas in a regular pan. Make sure the veggies are really mushy so they can be mashed with ease and give the bhaji a smooth texture.
The Prestige Platina Popular Stainless Steel Fry Pan is a heavy-bottomed pan that heats evenly and keeps the bhaji from burning or sticking. A Prestige Omega Die-Cast Non-Stick Pan works well for toasting pav and bhaji too.
The key is to use a high-quality pav bhaji masala, mash the vegetables constantly, and cook them slowly in butter. Spices blossom more when cooked in a heavy pan.
Absolutely. Bhaji keeps nicely in the fridge for one to two days. Add a little butter and a splash of water and reheat. For optimal results, toast fresh pavs right before serving.
Of course. Carrots, cauliflower, beets, or pumpkin can be included in addition to potatoes, tomatoes, peas, and capsicum. To ensure that everything combines seamlessly into the bhaji, just make sure everything is cooked until soft.
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