Pav Bhaji - Mumbai street food

    Living in Mumbai, if I don't post a recipe on Mumbai street food, you can call it an injustice I do to the city. Hence I gathered the right mood to cook Pav Bhaji for dinner yesterday. It is my weekend routine to buy and stock fresh vegetables to carry on the routine for the next full week. So I had all vegetables fresh and handy to gear and cook this mumbai street delicacy, which also bets on good nutrition and blend of veggies.

Ingredients:

Bhaji:
   
        Chopped Vegetables: Carrot, potato, beans, green peas, cauli flower. - 3 cups
        Tomato - 4 medium sized, pureed in food processor/mixer
        Onion  -  2 large sized, chopped in food processor
        Spices: Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, Cumin powder, Corriander powder, Pav bhaji masala
        Salt to taste
        Sesame oil for tadka
        Coriander leaves
        Crushed Ginger - 1 Spoonful
        Crushed Garlic - 1 Spoonful
        Crushed Green chillies - 1 Spoonful
        Cumin seeds for tadka

Pav: 

           Store bought Pav - Ensure you get fresh ones made that day
           Salted butter for toasting pav
           Lemon

        Note: Pav Bhaji masala is readily available in any indian stores. And Pav can also be bought from the stores. Always go for small sachet ( for 5Rs) when you buy masalas unless you are sure you will frequently use those masalas.

Way to Go:

•  Pressure cook all vegetable in a 2 ltr pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles. Drain the water and keep the water aside. Mash the cooked vegetables in a way that they are half mashed up. That is semi-mashed kind of. Keep this veggie mix aside.
•  Heat oil in a pan and once hot crackle cumin seeds.
•  And quickly add crushed garlic, ginger and green chillies and saute them
•  Once done, add the chopped onion and cook in low-medium flame till pale brown.
•  Add the tomato puree and cook till raw smell goes off. You can also add a handful of green peas at this stage.
• Now add all the spices given in the ingredients and add salt to taste. Cook for 3 to 5 mts till spices blend well.
•  Now add the mashed vegetables and cook for few more mts until you get the desired slightly thick consistency perfect for a gravy. 
•  You can add water to adjust the consistency if it gets too thick. But cook for extra mts to get the right blend.
•  Taste it and adjust the spices and salt and cook for few more mts if needed.
•  Finally Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serving:

•  Butter toast the Pav on both sides.
•  Serve hot with Bhaji and a small sliced lemon on platter.  People can squeeze lemon to their bhaji to add extra taste to it.