Pav bhaji - Maharashtrian style

Pav bhaji is a fast food dish from Maharashtra, India. Pav means a soft bread roll and bhaji means a thick vegetable curry prepared in butter on a flat griddle tava. Most famous street food in India.

The dish originated in the 1850s as a fast lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Mumbai. Nowadays many restaurants are serving this recipe in India and abroad. This is easy to make and can be a complete meal. You can have this either as evening time snacks or night dinner. Most of the chat shops prepare different varieties of pav bhaji, but we are going to see the basic recipe.

 Ingredients

• Finely chopped onion - 2 nos 
  
• Finely chopped tomato - 1 no 
• Green chilly - 1 no 
• Chopped ginger - 2 tsp 
• Chopped garlic - 2 tsp 
• Boiled and mashed potato (big) - 1 
• Chopped vegetables (carrots and capsicum) - 1 cup 
• (You can also add cauliflower, peas,  and beans all together make one cup) 
• Coriander leaves - for garnishing 
• Lemon - 1 no 
• Pav bhaji masala - 2 tsp 
• Salt - for taste 
• Pav - 6 nos 
• Butter - 2 tsp 

For Bhaji 

1. Heat some butter on a flat pan or normal pan. 
2. Add chopped garlic, ginger and green chilly 
3. Add onions and cook till the onions are brown.
   
4. When the onions are cooked well add the tomatoes and cook well for 10-15 mins. 
5. Add  pav bhaji masala and salt 
6. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for 2-3 mins
   
7. Add the mashed potato and mash them well
8. Add a little water if you find the mixture thick. Mix it well again. Add coriander leaves to  the mixture.
   

For Pav 

Slit the pav, apply butter and warm them in the pan.

Serving 

Serving the pav bhaji is more important than your cooking. Places the pav on the plate, pour in the bhaji beside with a tsp of butter and chopped onions over the bhaji. Cut a slice of lemon and place it on the side, squeeze on the bhaji when you eat. Serve hot. Enjoy !!