Pav Bhaji/Spicy Mixed Vegetables
Spicy mixed vegetables cooked down in butter and served with warm, soft rolls.
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
- 2 medium red onions chopped in chunks
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 green bell peppers cut into pieces (optional)
- 1 cup water
- salt to taste
- 7-8 dry red chilies
- 5 medium garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp pav bhaji masala store-bought or homemade (check out our recipe below)
- ½ cup salted butter or olive oil
Garnish
- 1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- ½ cup onions diced
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
- We recommend using a large pressure cooker to cook the vegetables faster. You can also use a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
- Place all the vegetables (potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peas, cauliflower, bell peppers) in a pressure cooker along with water and about 2 tbsp salt. Close the lid and place the pressure cooker on high heat. Once the pressure builds, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and wait till the pressure releases completely. If using a large pot, cook for 45-50 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through.
- While the vegetables are cooking, blend the chili and garlic with a little water until it’s a paste.
- Open the pressure cooker and make sure all the vegetables, especially the potatoes are cooked. If you find large chunks, mash them with the back of a spoon.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. Add the butter or oil. Add the chili-garlic paste once the butter is hot and sauté it until the paste is fragrant (the chili and garlic should smell slightly toasted) and stops smelling raw – about two minutes. Then add the pav bhaji masala and continue to sauté for another two minutes.
- Add all the vegetables to the pan and mix them well until all the spices are combined well with the vegetables. Add salt per taste and continue to cook for another five minutes.
- To serve, garnish the pav bhaji with cilantro, lemon, and chopped onions. Serve hot with buttered pav/bread.
Notes
Pav Bhaji Masala
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients:
4 cloves
3 inches cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp fennel seeds
½ tsp nutmeg powder
3 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp red chili powder
3 tsp black salt or rock salt or regular salt
1 tbsp amchur powder
In a medium saute pan, dry roast all the spices except chili powder, salt, and amchur powder for two to three minutes or until the spices become fragrant. The heat should be set at medium-low to prevent the spices from burning. Let the spices cool and then grind them in a coffee or spice grinder along with the chili powder, salt, and amchur powder. Store in a dry glass container.