Pav Bhaji

(Pav) Bhaji

Today my most beloved client gave me an impromptu lesson on making (Pav) Bahji. She even sent me on my way with a little ziploc of pav bhaji masala straight from a jar in her pantry. She's so sweet!

Ingredients:

I omitted the cauliflower and peas that are usually in bhaji (K's preference), and added baby eggplant in place.

2 baby eggplants, chopped

1 large onion (or 2 small), chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 carrot, sliced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 small red potato, chopped

1 small green chili pepper, sliced

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 heaping tsps pav bhaji masala

1 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

cilantro for garnish

Method:

Saute onion and olive oil in small pan until onions are browned and thoroughly cooked.

Stir in garlic-ginger paste with the onions, and remove from heat.

Pour mixture into large pot.

Stir in vegetables and water.

Bring to a boil, and then immediately turn down heat and cover pot to let simmer on medium for 5 minutes.

Stir, recover pot, and then lower to med-low heat to simmer 5 more minutes.

Stir in pav bhaji masala and ground red pepper.

Let simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add a little more water. Keep an eye on the mixture.

Stir in salt, cover and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve bhaji with pav. Garnish with cilantro. We skipped pickle with this dish. 'Didn't need it! Actually we added just a little more masala and salt which I think took care of the need for pickle. :-)

Enjoy!

Note: This bhaji is slightly on the chunky side. We might try making it more pureed next time - K wants to try it that way. I personally like the chunkiness of this one, but we'll see how it goes next time to run the veggies through a food processor.

UPDATE: I've made this recipe two more times since my post, and it is much better to dice and slice everything as tiny as possible, and saute all of the veggies along with the onions! The flavor changes when the masala can absorb throughout the veggies, and the finer puree is easier for dipping paratha.