Bhaaji

Bhaji is a semi solid mixed vegetables dish which is extremely popular in North India. It is served with baked pav roasted with butter.

Pav bhaaji is one of the most popular and easily available street food. It’s popularity is evergreen in any season – be it summer, winter or rainy. Best part is that it doesn’t cost you much and you are completely satisfied with your meal.
Preparing bhaaji in your kitchen is not at all a complex process. In fact, if your kids are too fussy about eating different vegetables, prepare bhaaji with all veggies of your choice and see the magic!!! Kids are going to love it and you will be satisfied to find their empty plates!! “What more a mother can ask for”!

Whenever I prepare bhaaji, I always end up preparing a lot. So, next day I serve it in breakfast with plain paratha. Along with cooking bhaaji, if you are interested in baking homebaked fresh buns you can check the recipe in my blog for …Pull apart buns

We can use peas, bottle gourd, green capsicum, carrots, yellow pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. I didn’t have all these vegetables so I prepared whatever was available, but you can add all vegetables or can just skip some. But just try to keep peas, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, onions and tomatoes as basic veggies and skip or add the rest of them as per your choice.

Ingredients :

Chopped cabbage       150 gm
Chopped carrots         250 gm
Chopped tomatoes      2 big size
Grean peas                    100 gm
Chopped onions            3 medium size
Potatoes                          6 medium size
Chopped capsicum        1 big size
Chopped green chillies  4-5
Grated ginger                   1 tsp
Lemon                                1
Green coriander leaves   1/8 cup
Salt                                       1 tsp
Turmeric powder              1 tsp
Red chilli powder               1 tsp
Pav bhaaji masala             3-4 tbsp
Garam masala                    1tbsp
Cooking oil                          3 tbsp
Butter                                   3 tbsp

Process :

Wash all vegetables nicely. Pour 1 cup water in the cooker and add chopped cabbage, carrots, green peas, salt and turmeric powder. Put on the lid along with pressure and boil these vegetables until they are very soft. Vegetables are chopped and we have added salt also, so boiling wouldn’t take long time.

While your vegetables are boiling, heat oil in a big heavy bottomed pan and crackle cumin seeds, rai and asafoetida. Add chopped onions and saute them until they are light brown in colour. Add chopped tomatoes, grated ginger, green chillies, turmeric and red chilli powder and pav bhaaji masala. Mix everything together and let it cook on sim heat.

By now vegetables will be boiled – take them out in a vessel along with water.

In the same cooker boil potatoes.

When boiled veggies are hot, mash them with vegetable masher or with the help of a broad laddle.

In a seprate pan heat some oil and fry capsicum and keep them separately.

Peel boiled potatoes when they are warm and mash them.

By now onion tomato gravy would be ready. Add mashed vegetables, fried capsicum and mashed potatoes, mix everything nicely, add 1+1/2 cups of water and salt as per your taste.

Let it cook on slow to medium heat. Slow cooking enhances the flavor of spices. If you feel bhaaji is still thick, add some more water. Bhaaji has semi solid consistency, so add water as per your observation. Once bhaaji is ready, add 3-4 tbsp butter and garam masala. Mix it together and sprinkle finely chopped green coriander leaves.

Serve along with baked paav and add butter, finely chopped onion and sprinkle some lemon juice and finely chopped onion!!