Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a popular street food in India. Pav means bun and bhaji is curry made with different vegetables.  The bhaji is a blend of different vegetables in an onion and tomato based gravy spiced with the aromatic pav bhaji masala.
It is easy to prepare and is nutritious too as it consists of number of vegetables. It is traditionally made with butter and is topped with butter before serving. To make it healthy I cook with oil and just top with little butter before serving. Sometimes I avoid that too.

Ingredients:

Potatoes(cut in cubes): 1 large
Peas: 1/2 cup
Carrots(chopped): 2
Beans(cut in pieces): 1/2 cup
Bell Pepper(cut in small pieces): 1
Onions: 1 large
Tomatoes: 2 medium-sized
Oil: 2 tbsp
Dried fenugreek leaves(Kasuri Methi): 1 tbsp
Pav Bhaji masala: 2 tbsp(available in Indian grocery stores)
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
Lime Juice: 1 tsp
Green chillies(cut in small pieces): 2
Buns

Procedure:

Boil the potatoes, carrots and beans in a pressure cooker and set them aside.
Add oil to a pan and when the oil is heated add the onions, turmeric powder and  green chillies,sprinkle some salt over the onions and cook them until they become soft.
Now add the ginger garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid and cook for few minutes until the tomatoes become very soft. Add 1/2 cup of water to the tomatoes of required.
When the tomatoes are completely cooked, add the dried fenugreek leaves and the pav bhaji masala and mix well. Remove the carrots, beans and potatoes from the pressure cooker and save the water.
Now add the pressure cooked potatoes, carrots, beans to the onion tomato mixture and mash them with a potato masher.
Add the frozen green peas and mix them gently. Add  the pressure cooker water to the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add the red chilli powder. Add the lime juice and mix. Adjust the salt.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with slightly toasted buns.
Toast the buns on a pan with little butter or oil.
Add chopped onions over the bhaji before serving.

Note: If using fresh green peas add the to the pan after the onions are cooked and before adding the tomatoes. They take little more time to cook then the frozen peas.
Tip: Curry can be made in excess and can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
If you do not have pav bhaji masala, a tsp of cumin powder, a tsp of coriander powder and 1/2 tsp of garam masala can be used instead.