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Pav Bhaji is one of my favorite foods and that is probably no secret. Pav Bhaji is also one food that probably everyone (including bachelors) prepares well.
That is probably because you cannot go much wrong with Pav Bhaji. There are so many vegetables and masalas that go into it, that somehow its hard to get Pav Bhaji wrong. Plus all the toppings that we put on it later (onions, cilantro, butter) hide any blemishes that may be there.
Though the basic ingredients are same (Potato, Onions, Tomatoes, Peas) , everyone has some unique items which they put into Pav Bhaji. 2 days back Dimple prepared a Pav Bhaji that per me must be one of the best ones that she has made till now. So she will contribute to this post as well.
What are the special ingredients that you put into Pav Bhaji to make it special?
Thanks for compliment!!
I did 3 additional things to usual routine. Two of the additions are tips from a friend & Cousin. One experiment of my own. Since PB is Prashant’s favorite, we usually make big batch. In this big batch, along with tomato puree added approx. 3 slices of grated boiled Beet for extra red color. Soaked Kashmiri Chili in water & added paste for color & spice. Also semi-pureed/grated all boiled Vegg (Capsicum, Carrot, Peas etc.) for consistent texture.
I add Kasmiri some chilli paste in begnning and at end heat some oil seperately add remaining chilli paste/garlic chutney/some pav bhaji masala to hot oil and add this seasoning to pav bhaji and immediately cover the pot to capture the fragrance.
And make pav bhaji in Amul Butter……….
I don’t use fresh tomatoes in bhaji but have always used canned tomotaoes and/or paste. I think it gives better result in terms of tartness and color.
To save time, I sometimes make the entire bhaji in pressure cooker and when done I use portable hand blender to get the reqired consistency. This way I don’t have to worry about cutting it evenly. Big chunks of vege work just fine:)
Although I never tried but I think red bell pepper can be substituted for green one to get red color.
For the toppings, we use small cut tomatoes in addition to the popular onions also. Also cilantro, butter, and grated amul cheese taste nice as toppings.
Good tips, ameeta. 🙂
Do use Beetroot and red bell pepper in small quantities. Also i cook as Ameeta – pressure cook everything together and use blender in the end. Lemon definitely changes the taste 🙂
I make Pav Bhaji once in two week since all three of us like that. Use canned tomato puree instead of fresh tomatoes, chopped onions and green bell pepper, boiled and then mashed potatoes and peas. Need good amount of fresh garlic and pav bhaji masala. Get hot red color out of tomatoe puree.
Recently I tried matki Pav bhaji. I had eaten at somebody’s house. the prepartion is same as regular pav bhaji.I sauted green bell pepper and tomatoes and pav bhaji masala and I added sprouted matki instead of all the vegetables like cauliflower peas etc. The non jains can add onion and garlic to ad flavor. So instaed of all the vegetables u add sprouts.
Prashant, statements like “Pav Bhaji is also one food that probably everyone (including bachelors) prepares well.” put a lot of hardships on untalented people like myself. Please act more responsibly.
I use canned tomato sauce(90%) and fresh tomatoes(10%). In addition I use a combination of Sanjeev Kapoor’s pav bhaji masala and everest pav bhaji masala. SK’s masala is not spicy but gives a good color and flavor especially if using only fresh tomatoes.
Thanks for the Sanjeev Kapoor tip Kalpa. Will get some from India and try it out.
Of course there is nothing like Bombay Pav Bhaji. Never figured out how they make it in restaurants and why it cannot be duplicated in homes or restaurants here.
That was one thing I seem to have some memory of being able to cook before marraige 🙂 Will try it out while I am in Singapore!
These tips are amazing, I am definitely going to try them!
I have always used Everest Pav Bhaji masala, and am looking forward to trying it in combination with the Sanjeev Kapoor PB masala!