Pav Bhaji

                                                          Pav Bhaji

    Popular snack among the youth next to pani puri. It can be had as breakfast or as evening snacks. It is very easy to make. It is a fast food dish from Maharastra, consisting of thick vegetable curry (Marathi: Bhaji) fried and served with a soft bread (Konkani: Pav). The dish originated in 1805's as a fast lunch time dish for textile mill workers in Bombay ( Present day Mumbai). Later it becomes so popular that it was served in restaurants. Pav bhaji has many variations like cheese pav bhaji, mushroom, Jain pav bhaji without onions and garlic and with plantains instead of potatoes.
    I made the usual popular one served in restaurants.

Cuisine: Maharashtrain
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
Potato: 1/4 kg or 3 big ones
Beans: 10 to 12 numbers
Carrot: 1 big or 2 medium sized
Green Peas: 1/2 cup or 2 table spoons
Onion: 2 big ones
Capsicum: 1no
Tomato: 2 nos
Green chilli: 2 nos
Cauliflower: 1/4 of the flower of medium size
Ginger Garlic paste: 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Oil: 2 tea spoons
Butter: 2 table spoons (Optional)
Garam masala: 1 table spoon
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Lemon: 1 no
Pav Bun: 8 to 10 nos

Method:
1. Pressure cook skin peeled potatoes, carrot, beans, cauliflower, green peas, capsicum, tomatoes to mashy consistency. Chop one onion and green chillis and keep it aside.
2. When the pressure settles down, transfer it to a wide bowl and mash it using potato masher.
3. Place a pan or kadai or even 3 litre pressure cooker on the stove over medium flame. Add oil and half of the butter.
4. When it hot add the chopped onions and saute it for few minutes till it becomes translucent, add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
5. Now add the mashed vegetables, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste and mix well.
6. When the curry is boiling, add slit green chillies, remaining butter and cook well till the oil floats. Put off the flame.
7. Finely chop the remaining onion and cut the lemon into wedges and keep it aside.
8. Place a tawa on the stove over high flame, cut the pav bun into half's and smear butter over and place the butter smeared side over the tawa and cook till it become golden colour. Similarly do for the other pav buns.
9. Take the bun out and serve it hot along with hot bhaji with chopped onions and lemon wedges.

Note:
1. If you are worried about calories in butter, you may add oil instead. But butter enhances the taste.