Homemade Pav and Bhaji

Homemade Pav and Bhaji

You know where you can get the best Pav Bhaji? On the roadside stalls!!

Yes they might not be the posh outlets but their food has a very real, earthy tone. Living in Nasik for two years, my husband and I would try and sample from all the myriad stalls serving Pav Bhaji. It was fun siting on wooden benches with steaming hot plates in our hands.

Form Nasik to Leh is a long journey and I don’t just mean as the crow flies. At this altitude fresh food is not available almost 7 months in the year. So what do you do when you simply have to have Pav bhaji? You make it! Even the Pav!!! And it really is not that difficult once you start making the pavs.

So here is my homemade Pav with bhaji!!

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp yeast

½ cup water

½ cup milk

3 tbsp milk (additional)

3 tbsp butter

Sift together flour and salt.

Heat the water and sugar to lukewarm and add the yeast. Cover and keep aside to froth.

Heat the milk and butter till the butter melts.

Add the butter-milk mix to yeast mix.

Slowly add this mix to the flour and knead. If you feel the dough is too dry add the 3 tbsp milk but not at one go. Keep adding 1 tsp at a time. You might not need the whole 3 tbsp.

Knead for 10 minutes. The dough must feel silky. Try out the windowpane method to see if you have kneaded enough. Take a small ball of the dough and slowly start stretching. If the stretched dough seems transparent against the window light then it means you have done a good job kneading.

Apply oil all over the dough and place in a  large bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and keep in a warm place. Since I live in a cold clime I have to take extra special care of my dough. I wrap the whole bowl in a thick towel and place it near the heater. The towel keeps it insulated from the atmospheric cold.

Leave the dough to double. It will take about 2-3 hours.

Once the dough has doubled you can start on the pavs. First dust your working surface/kitchen slab with some flour so that the dough does not stick. Punch down the dough a bit. Make 12 balls.

Grease a baking pan with oil. Place the balls in the pan leaving gaps in between. 

Cover and keep again in a warm place again for ½ to 1 hour. The balls will double in size. Apply some milk wash as this will give a glaze to the pavs.

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius. Bake the pavs for 25-30 minutes.

Bhaji

Ingredients

1 cup chopped French beans

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped cauliflower

3 potatoes, boiled and mashed

2 onions, chopped

1” ginger, chopped

1 capsicum, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

½ cup green coriander, chopped

½ lemon

2 tbsp pav bhaji masala

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

3 tbsp butter

Heat some oil. Add the chopped ginger and chopped onions. Saute till the onion turns translucent.

 Add chopped tomatoes. Add the veggies and saute. Cover and cook on low heat till the veggies are cooked. 

Add all the masalas and check the salt. 

Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. 

Now add a cup of water. Bring to a boil. 

Using a flat spatula try to mash up the bhaji. 

Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add juice of ½ lemon and chopped coriander.