The delicious healthy Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji is a delicious combination of thick vegetables which are mashed together and served with Pav also known as buns.
‘Pav’ means buns and ‘Bhaji' means vegetable dish, and are eaten together. Pav Bhaji is the most comforting and hearty meal and is worth enjoying any time of the day. This dish is much loved in the Maharashtra region of India.
It is extremely flavorful dish and is served in almost all the restaurants and food joints, streets, canteens across the country. It’s the most famous street food in India.
Well, I’m making the healthy version of Pav Bhaji. It taste exactly like the street version which includes lots of vegetables rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
It’s an all time favorite staple at our home. Make this bhaji with whatever veggies that are available in the season. Since mine is healthy version, and I wanted green veggies for my Bhaji, thankfully it was available in the season.
To make the healthy version of Pav Bhaji, I added all the green veggies like cauliflower, lauki (bottle gourd), tinda (ridge gourd), torai (apple gourd), brinjal, green beans. Carrots and beetroot for color and potatoes for taste.
It is highly nutritious because green veggies contains lots of iron and protein. It's a wonderfully delicious and nutritious dish. It's rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
Making healthy Pav Bhaji is also a great idea for kids since they run away from green veggies. Your kids will definitely have a smiley face after tasting this and than gobble it up for sure.
Pressure cook all the veggies, mash them with a masher. Sauté onions in a pan and prepare the tomatoes puree, add all the green veggies, mix and a dollop of butter on the top with some fresh chopped onions and lemon juice to make the Bhaji delicious and serve along with pav or buns. Cut the buns from between and toast it on pan with butter from both the sides.
You can also add Kashmiri Lal mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala to give a nice red color. But I substituted it with cumin powder or homemade Masala powder.
The Pav are toasted in butter and are eaten along with Bhaji. The taste, aroma, flavors are super delicious so do give it a try.
You can pin this recipe if you like it.
HEALTHY PAV BHAJI | How To Make Healthy Pav Bhaji
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6 People
Author: The Food Root
For cooking Bhaaji
2 cups of water
1/2 size Lauki (bottle gourd)
3 medium size Tinda (ridge gourd)
3-4 medium size Torai (apple gourd)
1/2 cup French beans
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup Green peas
1 Beetroot (optional)
1 small Brinjal
4 medium size Carrots
For Tempering
2 tbsp - clarified butter
2 tbsp - butter
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tbsp - crushed cumin seeds
1 inch long - ginger, grated
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 medium size onions
4-5 medium size tomatoes
1 Capsicum
3 green chillies, chopped
2 medium size onions - chopped
4 medium size tomatoes - chopped
1/2 tbsp - Red chili powder
1/2 tbsp - Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp - Coriander powder
1/2 tbsp - Mango powder
1 1/2 - Salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves
For Serving
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 lemon wedges
For the Buns
8-10 Pav (Buns)
4-5 Butter
Method
1. Chop all the veggies : Rinse, peel and chop all the veggies like potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, apple gourd, brinjal, green beans, beetroot and add them in the pressure cooker.
2. Pressure cook all the veggies : Add 2 cups of water. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles on medium flame.
3. Mash the Bhaji : Switch off the flame and remove it. Wait for the pressure to release completely before opening the cooker. Next, open the lid and mash the bhaaji with wooden or aloo masher. Do not make a smooth paste, coarsely mash it.
4. Sauté onions and garlic in a pan : Heat 2 big tbsp of clarified butter or oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Add cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida powder. After it crackles, add finely chopped garlic cloves, add grated ginger and fry them for 40-50 seconds. Next, add chopped onions and stir it. Keep stirring and adjusting the flame so that onions cook slightly golden brown.
5. Prepare the tomato puree tempering : Add chopped tomatoes and sauté it for around on 7-8 minutes on low-medium flame. Next, add the spices - Red chili powder, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder, Mango powder and Salt to taste. Stir it well. Let the mixture cook, till the oil separates.
6. Add the cooked bhaaji in the pan : Now add the cooked bhaji in the pan. Add hot water if needed to adjust the consistency. Stir it for another 8-10 minutes on low/medium flame. Add garam masala and mix it well. Add 1/2 cup of green peas. Add 2 tbsp of butter and mix it well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and remove it.
7. For the Pav : Slit the Pav or buns horizontally with knife on low flame. Heat butter on the frying pan and place the Pav, toast it for 1 or 2 mins from both sides until it’s slightly crisp.
8. Serve and Garnish : Now, transfer the bhaji to a serving bowl and serve the Bhaji. Since it is so much healthier just top it with butter on Bhaji. Serve bhaji with Pav or Buns and enjoy it with onions, lemons.
Notes
You can also add Kashmiri Lal mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala to give a nice red color.
You can also add Garam Masala and Red Chilli Powder which is normally available in all the super markets instead of Kashmiri Lal Mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala.
