Pav Bhaji is an extremely popular snack served across India. Pav Bhaji is a medley of mashed veggies cooked in spicy tomato gravy and served with fresh bread. Pav Bhaji is a wholesome snack that can also be served as dinner.

Home-made Pav Bhaji is healthier compared to the ones you eat at restaurants. Home-made Pav Bhaji can be made healthy with the use of less butter and inclusion of varied veggies. This article has the step-by-step method to make pav bhaji at home.

Ingredients

2-3 medium sized potatoes
1 brinjal1 capsicum
½ cup green peas
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 onions finely chopped
1 green onion finely chopped
1 spoon fresh ginger-garlic paste
1 spoon red chili powder
2 spoons pav bhaji masala
4-5 spoons butter
1 cup fresh tomato puree
1 green chili finely chopped
2 cups water
Salt to taste
Finely chopped cilantro
Fresh lemon juice
Pav (A variety of bread) for serving

Method

To make pav bhaji we will first prepare the bhaji. For this take, the potatoes and chop them into medium sized pieces. Also, chop the brinjal, cauliflower florets and capsicum to medium sized pieces. Boil these veggies till they turn soft. You can also pressure cook them. Also, cook the green peas along with the veggies.

Next, take butter in a pan and add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions till they turn translucent. Next add the chopped green onions and the fresh ginger-garlic paste and sauté these with the onions for 2 minutes. After this, add the chopped green chilies, red chili powder and the pav bhaji masala. Sauté the spices very well with the onions for 1-2 minutes. Pav Bhaji masala is readily available at most Indian grocery stores and is a must for this recipe.

Once the spices get sautéed with the onions, add the fresh tomato puree. Let the tomato puree cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so that the gravy does not stick to the bottom of the pan. The gravy will leave the sides of the pan once done. Season the gravy with salt. We have not added salt to the cooked veggies and hence add a little more salt.

Once the gravy is cooked, add the boiled veggies. Add 2 cups water and let the veggies simmer in the gravy for a while. Mash the chunky veggies with a potato masher so that the bhaji becomes mushy and homogenous. You can make the bhaji healthier by adding veggies such as carrot, French beans, etc.Remove the bhaji from the stove and garnish with a dollop of butter and chopped cilantro leaves.

To ready the pav, melt butter in a pan and heat the pav bread in the melted butter till they turn slightly brown. You can also sprinkle some pav bhaji masala on the pav bread for added spice and better taste.To serve pav bhaji, place the warm pav in a plate and serve the prepared bhaji on the side. Top the bhaji with chopped onions and fresh lemon juice for additional flavor.
Photo Credit: Online-indian-receipe.blogspot.com