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.

Chicken Cashew Curry

My love for dry fruits is far more superior than any form of love in this material world.

I can eat dry fruits all year long without asking for anything else.

I can sleep with dry fruits, I can have a nice conversation with them, they are good listeners and some of them are also good/essential for nice health.

I can slay anyone who gets in between me and my dry fruit.

One of my favorite dry fruits is the Cashew Nut. YES, this is another cashew nut recipe and the last of it because I am all out of them.

This is called Chicken Cashew Curry and this is a combination of Indian and Mughal cuisine but who the hell cares for the heritage of we are just here to eat.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup of cashews for paste and some more for garnishing

3 tablespoons of yogurt

1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste

1.5 onion diced

1 green chili

half a bunch of coriander chopped (more for the recipe and some for garnishing)

2 lemons juice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt per taste (a teaspoon for marination and for gravy according to taste)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon paprika (optional BUT PLEASE DON'T SKIP IT)

2 tablespoon white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

3 green cardamoms

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 tablespoons of yogurt

2-3 tablespoon cream (optional BUT PLEASE DON'T SKIP IT)

3 tablespoon butter

Let's get down to businesses

First you have to put chicken in a bowl and marinate it by putting 1 teaspoon salt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and lemon juice.

Set it aside for 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates lets get done with some other stuff.

First of all you need to take out your blender and wash it properly, who knows how dirty you are and Aysha Mumtaz might pay you a visit to seal your home kitchen.

Blend together fennel seeds, diced onions and green chili. Put just a little bit of water to make a smooth paste. DON'T USE MUCH WATER OKAY?

Take this out in a bowl.

Now don't worry about cleaning this just add yogurt and cashew nuts also a some water and blend them together to make your second paste.

Now after 30 minutes put 3 tablespoons of butter in a non stick pan with a DASH of oil and start frying the onion paste with cinnamon, cardamom pods, coriander powder and garam masala on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes.

Please do not do this step in a hurry because this is the base of your gravy and the most important part of this recipe.

Now add the tomato paste and fry it for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken now, turn the heat on medium high and fry the chicken until it is partially cooked.

Then add the yogurt and cashew paste with some water to make the gravy less thicker. 

Season it with salt, paprika, sugar and simmer it until the chicken and the gravy is fully cooked.

Last but not the least, just simmer in some cream and add chopped coriander. Cashew Chicken is ready to serve.

The problem with desi cuisines is that they are very hard to present at least for a guy like me. So, just like this time I tried my best.

Ladies and gentlemen, take our your plates for Cashew Chicken Curry.