Pav Bhaji

Today I am making something which mom used to make a lot back in the day. It is called Pav Bhaji and is made with a number of different vegetables and is eaten with a bun. This evolved somewhere in the the mid 1900s and I think its the king of all vegan and vegetarian recipes.

FYI - Butter is an ingredient in this recipe and its optional. - FOR VEGANS

It has many different types but I will make the most common one which is also called the Mumbai Street Food Pav Bhaji.

Took a lot of time to prep everything for this one and I am so tired (which I already am from my sorry existence) see for yourself in the pictures below

First of all you will need the Pav Bhaji masala which is not easily found in the markets but you can easily make it at home.

Ingredients for Pav Bhaji Masala:

7 whole red dry chili

4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp cumin seeds

1/4 tbsp black pepper

1/2 inch cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

4-5 black cardamom

2 tbsp dry mango powder


1 tbsp fennel seeds

Just grind all the above ingredients and Pav Bhaji Masala is ready.

Ingredients for Pav Bhaji:

2 medium potatoes boiled and mashed

2 medium onions finely chopped

4 medium tomatoes finely chopped

1/2 cup peas boiled and mashed

1/2 cauliflower boiled and mashed

1 green capsicum finely chopped

2-4 lemon's juice

2 tablespoon Pv Bhaji Masala

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

salt as per taste

3 green chilies sliced

2-3 tablespoon coriander finely chopped

3 tablespoon tomato puree

3-4 tablespoons of butter

water 1 cup

Heat 4 tablespoon oil in a non stick pan.

We start of with frying the onions till they are translucent.

Add ginger and garlic paste to it and fry for a minute.

Then add green chilies to it and again fry for a minute or two.

Add the chopped tomatoes now. Add the Pav Bhaji Masala in it. Stir and let it cook on low heat for 3-5 minutes.

After 3-5 minutes we start adding the other vegetables.

Start of by adding mashed peas and mashed cauliflower. Mix it well.

Then we add mashed potatoes and again we mix it well with the rest of the stuff.

Add 1 cup of water and let it cook for 3-5 minutes more.

Add tomato puree 3 tablespoon tomato puree.

Add salt.

Mix it well.

Now its time to add the capsicum and mix it with the whole thing.

Add the chopped coriander.

Squeeze the lemon juice and last but DEFINITELY not the least add butter. AGAIN vegans can totally skip this and add more oil.

Cook it until the butter is mixed properly in it and you can smell the buttery aroma.

Pav Bhaji is ready to serve.

Could not find any Pav here but I used small bakery buns instead of it and let tell you guys this is the most delicious veg recipe you will ever taste.

Ladies and gentlemen, bleed green, eat green and make some noise for Pav Bhaji.

Thai Tamarind Shrimp

I've never been to Thailand but I've been to Bangkok and apparently people in Bangkok eat a lot of Thai food.

I'm joking.

I've never been to Thailand and obviously I've never been to Bangkok but I've eaten and made a lot of Thai Food.

Very different from Japanese and Chinese. More tangy, spicy and more flavorful at times.

One of my favorite way of making Thai food is the Pad Thai method.

By using this method I have previously made Thai Tamarind Fish but it's time to try our shrimps with this.

Ingredients:

14 large shrimps

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

1.5 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoon tamarind paste

1/2 onion diced

4 garlic cloves

2 dried red chilies

2 tablespoon of coriander leaves

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

First of all we will make a paste of garlic, onions, coriander and red chili by using a chopper.

Now put 2 tablespoon of oil in a non stick pan and fry the paste for a 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken broth to it and bring it to a boil.

Lower the heat now and add sweet-chili, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, salt, pepper and concentrated tamarind paste.

Mix and stir it well.

Now add the shrimps and let them cook for 2-3 minutes or until pink.

After the shrimps is done cooking. You can either take it off and serve it right away or cook it on high heat to adjust the thickness of the sauce. Thai Tamarind Shrimp is ready to serve.

I know you women get butterflies whenever you think about tamarind. This recipe is dedicated to the win of Pakistan Women's Cricket Team. Ladies and gentlemen, Thai Tamarind Shrimps.

Coconut Shrimp Curry

I guess today was a warm day for sea food but as its my favorite nothing can stop me from having it no matter whatever the weather is.

Hell I even have coffee after sea food and I still get to live.

Today's recipe has SHRIMP in it and it is very easy but you need to be careful with it and not overcook it.

Today's recipe is Coconut Shrimp Curry. It's a Thai influenced Indian dish as far as I have guessed from the ingredients.

Very different in taste as I have never tasted anything like this ever. My brother said that he loved it and he doesn't even loves me. So, it must be nice.

INGREDIENTS:

12-14 large shrimps peeled and devained

1 400 ml can of coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon salt and more for the gravy

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (1/4 for shrimps and 1/4 for the gravy)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

half an onion finely chopped

1 small tomato diced

1 inch garlic finely minced

1 green chili finely minced

1/2 cup of boiled peas (optional)

4-6 garlic cloves finely minced

coriander and green onions for garnishing

We start off with marinating the shrimps with salt, turmeric and lemon juice. Set them aside.

Now we chop the onions finely.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they are soft and translucent.

Meanwhile the onions are cooking. We mince the ginger, garlic and green chili together.

Add the minced garlic, ginger and chili to the onions and fry it till everything is fragrant.

Now it is time to add the coconut milk to the pan.

Bring the curry to a boil and lower the heat to simmer.

Add turmeric, salt, black pepper and lemon's juice.

Mix it well.

Now its time to add the diced tomato and peas. Give it a good stir to mix.

Now add the shrimps and cook them for 2-3 minutes and take the gravy off the heat.

REMEMBER DO NOT COOK THE SHRIMPS FOR MORE THAN 2-3 MINUTES OR THE WILL GET HARD AND CHEWY.

Coconut Shrimp Curry is ready to serve now.

Ladies and gentlemen, from the makers of Chef Shamsher we proudly present you Coconut Shrimp Curry.