Pav Bhaji

"Pav Bhaji" is a fast food dish native to Maharashtrians and is popular in most metropolitan areas in India, particularly in the Maharashtrian city of Mumbai & Pune.

"Pav" in marathi means bread or bun. "Bhaji" means dish of vegetables. Pav bhaji consists of the bhaji (a potato-based curry) garnished with freshly chopped onions, capsicum and grated carrot.

Traditional way of preparing this dish is with a Tawa. They take two tawa spatulas and make tak-tak sound and smash the potatoes. That gives the real texture of this dish and the taste as well.

Hotel "Bhats Paradise" in West Tambaram has one of the best Pav Bhaji's in Chennai. Right from my childhood, I used to have Pav Bhaji there. During my college days, we used to have our treat there with our seniors.

I prepared this on my breakfast today. Here goes the recipe which is very simple to prepare and tastes great.

Ingredients
Pav - 4
Butter - 2 tsp
Chopped Garlic - 1
Green chillies - 1 (finely chopped)
Potatoes - 4 (boiled, smashed)
Peas - a small cup
Capsicum - inside light green pulp
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 (finely chopped)
Pav Bhaji masala - 1 1/2 or 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Water - as required
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - as required

To Garnish
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Capsicum - few pieces (thinly chopped lengthwise)
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Lime slices - 2

Procedure
1. Heat butter & oil in a wide pan
2. Add chopped garlic pieces and green chillies
3. Add the onions, little salt and saute till it turns transparent
4. Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell is off
5. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute till it leaves out oil
6. Pav Bhaji masala and turmeric powder is to be added now
7. Sprinkle little water and add the remaining salt
8. Add smashed potatoes and make a tak-tak sound with your spatula that you use
9. Cook it covered in slow flame and do this tak-tak with your spatula again
9. Once it leaves out enough oil, add capsicum pulp and peas
10.Cook it covered for few minutes in low flame
11.Add little water in between for it to cook
12.Add the lime juice and little butter and switch off the stove
13.Heat butter in a tawa and roast the Pav
14.Garnish Bhaji with finely chopped onion, grated carrot, capsicum and sliced lime

15.Now the Pav is ready to be served with Bhaji