Last week I made Pav Bhaji as I fancied something different for our Sunday lunch. To those of you who dont know what this dish is, allow me to introduce you to one of India’s most popular fast foods.
The dish hails from Maharashtra but is popular in most cities in India. It is in essence, bread (pav) served with vegetables (bhaji). The bhaji is a potato/peas/cauliflour curry cooked on a huge tava in a tomato based sauce and served with pav (bread) that is slightly toasted on the same tava. The street vendor will be standing by the tava with bowls of vegetables and pavs buttered up (a bit too much). The vegetables are sauted and mashed and the masalas added to create this heavenly mouthwatering dish.
There are various theories on the origins of this dish however, its popularity is such that it has gone from being a simple street food to being on the menu in most 5 star restaurants in and around India.
Recipes for this popular dish vary greatly but most use common ingredients such as tomatoes, potatoes, peas and onions.
Paw Bhaji :
1 medium onion 1/2 cauliflower
1 small egg plant
1 small potato
1 tab sp butter
1/4 cup peas
2 ripe tomatoes
2/3 green chilli
1/2 tea sp garlic paste
1/2 tea sp ginger paste
1 tea sp salt
1/2 tea sp turmeric powder
1 tea sp paw bhaji masala
1 tea sp lemon juice
1/2 tea sp kasoori methi ( fungreek leaves)
hand full cilentros
Heat butter in the pan.Add choped onians stir until onians turns little golden. Add garlic & ginger paste stir and add tomato cubes.Keep frying untill the tomatoes cooked and add all the boiled veg and all the above masala.mash with the smasher mix well.Add a small cube of butter on top and garnish with cilentro.
The bhaji is best served in the traditional style with buttered tava (griddle) toasted pav
jikoni 
We were treated to this dish today by a kind and generous coworker. I can’t wait to cook it myself this weekend. Lovely dish!