Vegetable Platter

Sesame Chikki | Til Chikki | Til Patti | Sesame Brittle

Mumbai Street Food: Pav Bhaji

I remember the first time I ate Pav Bhaji as a 9 year old at Juhu Beach. We were new to a big city like Mumbai. Bangalore was not as big in the 90s .. I was mesmerised by everything Mumbai (then Bombay) had to offer. The sky scrapers, maddening crowd, Local Trains, BEST Buses & of course Mumbai Street Food. It was so so different from what I had eaten before in Bangalore.

Even after years of moving out of Bombay, my love for its Street Food continues

We've always been making Pav Bhaji at home for the longest time. After all, its a very easy recipe to follow. Though our homemade Pav Bhaji would turn up pretty good, it wasn't quite close to the ones that Pav Bhaji wale Bhaiyya made. We relished it nevertheless

After we moved out of Bombay, We've eaten Pav Bhaji at so many places & in so many cities but Nowhere in the world will you get Bombay style Pav Bhaji other than good old Bombay

In Search of that Perfect Recipe

When I was new to blogging, I stumbled upon Nupur's, One Hot Stove. Nupur is a veteran in food blogging & her blog used to be quite popular years ago especially for her Mumbai Style Authentic Pav Bhaji Recipe. Nupur's recipe is more than a decade old, I think it was published way back in 2005

I decided to give it a try as the recipe had so many rave reviews. What did i have to lose? So, I reluctantly skipped the onions & the end result was indeed very different.

After a dozen trials & improvisations, this is a recipe that is very very close to the street style pav bhaji

You Will Need:

1 small head of Cauliflower
3 - 4 Medium sized potatoes
2 small or 1 large Green Capsicum - finely chopped
2 medium sized Carrots
Everest Pav Bhaji Masala
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
Everest Garam Masala
Everest Kitchen King Masala
1 tbsp chopped Garlic
1 small can of tomato paste (about 170g)
Salt to Taste
4 tbsp Butter + more for toasting Pav
1 Red Onion - finely chopped
A small bunch of chopped fresh coriander
A handful of boiled green peas - fresh/frozen -- OPTIONAL
Lime wedges

How To:

Cut Cauliflower into florets. Peel & dice the potatoes & the carrots & pressure cook for 3 whistles. Allow it to cool & set aside

Once the boiled vegetables are cool enough to handle, mash them well using a Pav Bhaji masher or using the back of a spatula.

In a heavy bottomed Sauce pan, add a tbsp of oil, add chopped garlic & finely chopped capsicum. Sauté for a 3-4 minutes until the capsicum is slightly soft.

Add the mashed vegetables slowly & add some salt.

Now add all the masalas mentioned one by one. Add tomato paste

It would be difficult to measure the exact measurement off all the masalas. I'd say, start with a little bit of all the masalas & keep adding more until you find the right balance between the masala & the slight tang from the tomatoes & salt

Also add the butter at this stage & let it simmer on low flame for about 20-25 minutes until the flavours blends well & the bhaji thickens up. As the Bhaji begins to thicken, it will spurt so remember to close the saucepan with a lid when you are not stirring it

Turn off the flame & let the bhaji sit for a while for the flavours to develop .. The longer it sits, the better it tastes

NOTE:

You many not need all of the tomato paste mentioned here. Add a little at a time until you find the right balance. If you've added way too much tomatoes & the Bhaji has turned out very tangy. Boil & couple of carrots, mash them & add to the bhaji. The sweetness of the carrots will balance out the sourness from the tomatoes

How To Serve:

Cut the Pav, horizontally into halves. On a hot pan, add a small blob of butter & lightly toast both sides of pav.

Transfer Bhaji into a serving bowl, garnish with finely chopped red onions, boiled peas & fresh coriander. Add a wedge of lime on the side & serve with toasted Pav

How to Get that Fiery Red Color:

There are 3 ways to get that red coloured Bhaji without adding food colour

-- Adding store-bought tomato Paste. Store-bought tomato paste is always darker in colour as compared to homemade ones. I mostly use this in addition to Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder to get that colour

-- Instead of adding Kashmiri Red chilli powder, you can soak, 4-5 dry red chilies in water & grind it to a fine paste along with chopped garlic & then sauté it in oil

-- Use 2 tbsp Beetroot juice while the bhaji is simmering

No Onions in the Bhaji? Something Amiss?

Onions tend to lend a sweet taste to the bhaji, which is why we avoid adding them in the bhaji.

Green Peas?

Green Peas are not added in the authentic Mumbai Style Pav Bhaji. But I love Green Peas so I've recently started garnishing my bhaji with green peas at the time of serving. But No green Peas while the Bhaji is mashed up & simmering away

Why so much Butter?

It is a known fact that fat always adds to taste. No wonder we love deep fried goodies isn't it? You need the butter to get that authentic taste. Trust me :)

More NOTES:

Once the vegetables are pressure cooked, reserve a bit of water before mashing the vegetables & add it as & when needed.

If you feel your Bhaji is too thin, you can always thicken it with a bit of corn flour

A few recipes also add a bit of Maharastrian Goda Masala in the Bhaji, I haven't tried it

Always make Bhaji ahead of time to allow flavours to develop

Now Go ahead & try this recipe & let me know how did it turn out for you

No comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Breakfast Dishes

Instant Huli Avalakki

3 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Tea Time Snacks

Murukku with Oats

These Murukkus are very similar to the Benne Murukku recipe here. The only difference is that I replaced half the quantity roasted Gram with Instant oats.

When it comes to deep frying, I don't consider Oats to be a healthier alternative to othet grains but I did want to try how these Murukkus will turn out with the addition of Oats. The result was quite good. Roasted oats did add a nice nutty flavour to the Murukkus

I made these almost a month ago for Krishna Janmashtami & I made yet another batch for Ganesh Chaturthi & they disappeared quite quickly

Kedar loves these kind of Munchies & since its his Birthday next week, I wanted to share a couple of his favourites

You Will Need:

1 cup Rice Flour
1/4 cup Instant Oats
1/4 cup Roasted Gram/Chuntney Dal
2 tsp softened butter
2 tsp hot oil
A pinch of Hing
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
Salt as per taste
Oil to deep fry

How To:

Grind roasted gram into a fine powder. In a pan, dry roast Instant oats for about 2-3 minutes. let it cool and later grind into a fine powder

In a wide bowl, add all the ingredients except the 2 tsp oil

Now, Add water little at a time to make a stiff non sticky dough. Cover with a damp muslin cloth and set aside.  In a deep frying pan, heat oil. when the oil is hot, take out 2 teaspoons of oil & add it to the mixture & knead. 

Grease the Murukku press with oil. Attach the Single Star Murukku Mould. Take a little bit of the mixture & fill it inside the Murukku press, Check if the oil is hot enough for frying by dropping a bit of the dough in the pan, if the dough rises immediately then the oil is hot enough, If you feel that the oil is overheated, turn off the heat for a couple of minutes & reheat 

Once the Murukku Press is filled with the mixture, press it directly over the hot oil, in a circular manner. Do not over crowd the pan. Fry them over medium flame. Flip them at regular intervals for even frying, When the bubbles & the frying sound die down, the Murukkus would have turned golden in colour.

Remove with a slotted spoon & drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Allow them to cool completely & store in an air tight jar. They stay crisp & fresh upto a week

2 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Biryani

Leftover Makeover: Biryani using Leftover Vegetable Kurma

No comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Breakfast Dishes

Tomato Onion Chutney

Having grown up in a South Indian household, Chutney was a staple breakfast accompaniment. Mum generally made 2 kinds of breakfast chutneys, one was the regular green chutney with coconut & coriander & green chilies & the other one was a red chutney made with onions & dry red chilies which we mostly are with Akki Rotti ( BTW, Its been eons since I ate this one. Need it make it soon )

I am not a big fan of eating Idli/Dosa with chutney pudi , though it is an option for lazy days & my Son loves Dose + Chutney Pudi. A good Coconut based Chutney is important for me atleast

There are other chutneys that mum makes like the Ridge Gourd chutney & Radish Chutney ( I love this one ) which is mostly eaten with hot steamed rice.

We rarely make a tomato based chutney ( God only knows why ) This Tomato Onion chutney is a recent addition to my list & it is a good one. It goes really well with crispy dosas or Akki Rottis but I still prefer my regular Green Chutney with Idlis.

You Will Need:

1 large Onion
1 large Ripe Tomato or 2 small Tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
5 Dry Red Chilies
1 tsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Urad Dal
2 sprigs of Mint
2 tsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
Salt as per taste

How To:

Roughly chop the onion & Tomato & set aside.

In a small pan, heat Half tsp of oil, Roast Red chilies, Urad Dal & Chana dal on medium flame until slightly aromatic & the pulses turn slightly golden. Set aside to cool

In the Same pan, heat a tsp of oil & add the chopped Onions & Tomatoes & fry until they get cooked. Set aside to cool

In a mixer grinder, add fried onions & Tomatoes along with the roasted chilies & pulses. Add some salt & grind. Add about 1/4 a cup or less water & grind into a chutney like consistency. Add mint leaves & give it a final whizz

Transfer into a bowl & temper with mustard seeds & Asafoetida

Serve with Hot Crispy Dosas or Idlis or Akki Rotti/Ragi Rotti

NOTE:

You can skip adding Mint but I love that tiny hint of freshness it lends

You may add a couple of cloves of garlic while fryimg onions & tomatoes

I didn't add any Tamarind pulp because the tomatoes add a sour tinge. But if you feel that the tomatoes are not sour enough, add a teaspoon of tamarind extract while grinding

For a coconut free version, Increase the quantity of Urad & Chana Dal by half a teaspoon & skip adding coconut. Being a true blue South Indian, The Husband feels that any Chutney without Coconut isn't chutney at all & I completely agree with him here.
But you don't have to be like us. You can make the coconut free version & still like it :)

1 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Chickpea Recipes

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

If not for the notification on Facebook, I would have easily forgotten that it was is my Blog's Birthday on the 10th:) Until a few years I would keep track of the Blog's anniversary then the baby happened & I got so busy with the hustle bustle that I conveniently put Vegetable Platter on the back burner. But Blogging has always been a passion & after so many years I still love clicking food pictures & writing about food.

I have been terribly guilty of neglecting my Blog Baby but I want to get back real soon.

I have a very simple recipe for Hummus today. We've all eaten the regular hummus but my current favourite is the one flavoured with sun dried Tomatoes.

Sun dried tomatoes add great flavour & a lovely hue to the dip.

They are incredibly easy to make so go ahead & make some on your own instead of buying a jar

You Will Need:

1 cup chickpeas - cooked or canned
3-4 cloves of Garlic
2 tbsp Tahini Paste ( I used store bought )
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil + another tbsp more to be poured on top
8 sun dried tomatoes (soaked in olive oil)
Fresh basil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp or more salt

How To:

If not using canned chickpeas, soak about Half a cup of dried chickpeas in water for 6 hours or overnight. Pressure cook with a teaspoon of salt. Drain & reserve the liquid & set aside

In a blender, add all the ingredients except basil & pulse for a minute. scrape down the sides. Add a little bit of reserved liquid & pulse for another couple of minutes.

Add Basil & pulse until just minced. Add a bit of the reserved water if you want to thin down the hummus a bit.

Scoop into a serving bowl. Garnish with some more chilli flakes, olive oil & fresh basil.

Serve with Pita chips, fresh vegetables or slather them on crisp toasted bread.

NOTE:

Its not easy to find Tahini paste in India, but they are so easy to make. You can make fresh Tahini paste by toasting about 2 tbsp of white sesame seeds on low flame & then upon cooling, pulse them in a blender with about 3 tbsp of olive oil & it's done

2 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Drinks

Mango Lassi

1 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Drinks

Watermelon Orange Cooler

2 comments

, by Deepthi Shankar

Lunch Box Recipes

Carrot & Raw Mango Rice

Summer has started way too early here & it definitely is not my favourite season. It is hotter than the previous year & we are gulping down tons of tender coconuts & watermelon already

One this about summer that I like are the Raw Mangoes. They have already hit the market & I am already in the process of making this year's first batch of Mango pickle .. Yaay !!

I had about 30 minutes to make something for lunch this afternoon, I wasn't in the greatest of moods to cook something elaborate in this heat. So, I made this really quick Carrot & Raw Mango Rice

I made this totally on a whim & I am very happy with the way it turned out. The sweet carrots paired up quite well with the sour raw mangoes & the addition of mint did add a bit of freshness.

This is a very mildly flavoured rice dish. Quite apt for summer. Makes a great lunch box option too. When Raw Mangoes are not in session, you can use Lime Juice or even grated Gooseberrys or Amla when in season

You can pep it up with a hit of Garam Masala & Coriander powder. I wanted to keep it low on spice & trust me, it tasted very good. Quite different from the regular Raw Mango Rice we make

You Will Need:

2 cups cooked Rice
1 large carrot - grated
Half of a large Raw Mango - Grated
1/4th cup of fresh Green Peas
A handful of fresh mint - chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
5 Green chilies - chopped
Salt as per taste
2 tbsp Cooking Oil

How To:

Cook Rice in a Pressure cooker & once cool, spread it onto a wide bowl & allow it to cool. I used Sona Masoori Rice. You can use Basmati too

Boil Fresh Green peas in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain & set aside. Peel Raw Mango & grate them

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil & splutter mustard & cumin seeds. Add Urad Dal & sauté for 30 seconds. Add the green chilies & sauté for 20 seconds. Add grated carrots & sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next, add grated raw mango & sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add cooked rice, Boiled Green Peas & Salt. Give it a good mix & let it stand on low heat for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat & allow it to cool & little. Add chopped mint & mix gently & serve

NOTE:

Add chopped mint after the rice cools down slightly as adding it when the Rice is still hot makes them turn almost blackish & I wanted to retain the fresh green colour

Instead of Raw Mangoes, You can also use lime juice or Indian Gooseberry/Amla when in season