Maggi Pakoda | Instant Noodle Fritters with Step by Step Photo Instructions

Maggi Pakoda recipe with step by step video instructions. Maggi Pakodas are deep fried fritters made using Maggi instant noodles, chickpea flour (besan) and a few spices. Maggi Pakoda are instant noodles fritters and any instant noodles can be used. Maggi Pakoda are perfect for snacking on a rainy evening. They go famously with a hot cup of chai.

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Every time it rains, I want something hot and spicy (and mostly fried). What I crave when it rains, I crave more when we are out on a long drive during rains. For all those health food eaters out there, this post is most definitely not for you, unless of course you occasionally binge on some DELICIOUS fried food. This is one of those one-time INDULGENCE recipes that just makes you wish it rains every day.

On a different note, has an idea gotten stuck in your head and grown into a tree until you can no longer resist it? Something like “Inception”? On one of these long-drive-in-rain, I imagined what would a “Maggi Pakoda” taste like. And after that, nothing tasted good enough on that drive. I wanted MAGGI PAKODA, that’s it! And I thought I was being very inventive and all with my idea of Maggi pakoda until I heard it has already been around in Delhi for a long time. Those Delhi-ites definitely know their fried food.

Maggi is an instant noodle brand from Nestle. And since it was the first instant noodle brand in the Indian market and remained the sole one for many many years, instant noodles are synonymous with Maggi for most of us. So when I say Maggi, you can think of ANY instant noodles. Any noodles you like.

The first time I went to Rohtang Pass in the Himalayas to see snow, I was pleasantly surprised to find little shacks selling Maggi at that altitude. Absolutely loved eating Maggi while our teeth chattered with the chill in the air. The next time I went to Rohtang, I was actually looking forward to eating Maggi up there. Maggi, Chai, and the mountains felt like heaven.

How many of you out there have had hot hot Maggi when you’ve gone to a cold cold place? Let me know your story.

These pakodas have that warmth of noodles and the crispiness of the pakodas all combined in one. Perfect for rainy evenings. You can use any instant noodles, Chinese flavored, Thai flavored, Chicken flavored, as I said anything. Just cook the noodles as usual, add the chickpea flour or besan, mix and deep fry.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

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Video Recipe

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Maggi Pakoda or Instant Noodle Fritters

Maggi Pakodas are deep fried fritters made using Maggi instant noodles, chickpea flour (besan) and a few spices. Maggi Pakoda are instant noodles fritters and any instant noodles can be used. Maggi Pakoda are perfect for snacking on a rainy evening.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     10 mins
Cook time:     30 mins
Yield:                12 pakodas

Author:                Anupama

Ingredients:

1 packets Maggi Instant Noodles
3 Tbsp Chickpea Flour or Besan
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Garam MAsala (if not using the tastemaker)
2 Tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1-2 tsp Chaat Masala (Optional)
Water as required
Salt to taste
Oil  to deep fry

Method:

1. Boil 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and add 1 tsp of Oil to it.
2. Add the instant noodles to the water and cook until the noodles are done. Do not add the taste maker to it.
3. Once the noodles are cooked, drain the water and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Mix in the taste maker or 1 tsp Garam Masala, red chilli pwoder, salt and coriander leaves.
5. Add the chickpea flour or besan and mix until combined.
6. Add more salt and chilli powder if required.
7. Heat Oil in a deep pan for frying.
8. Divide the noodles into small portions.
9. Once the oil is hot, carefully dump the portions in the oil.
10. Fry on medium to high heat. Flip the pakodas once the lower side is partially set. Keep stirring the pakodas until all sides are browned and cooked. Remove from heat once the pakodas are crisp and golden brown.
11. Sprinkle chaat masala (optional).
12. Serve hot with ketchup.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Cucumber Pakoda

Veg Cutlet

Masala Vada

Read more ...

Double Beans Masala

Have you ever left a thing for so long that you totally forget about it and then one sudden day it suddenly pop's back into your mind and then just won't let go? Long long question there. I'm usually like that around washed clothes. I absolutely dislike folding laundry and will procrastinate it until I can.

This Double Beans Masala recipe is exactly like that "IT" for me. I made it looong back in March. I made it, I clicked photos and I noted down the recipe diligently and I left it in drafts for 2 whole months. I cooked something else, and blogged about them and somehow this Double Beans Masala just sat there sadly in the "Drafts" folder of Blogger.

Today, I finally decided it's high time I empty out my drafts. I need to get those 15 recipes out to the world.

I'm not sure if these beans are really double beans. I googled "Pink double beans" and what ended up in the image results looked exactly like what I had. So I guess it is just a variety of double beans.

This Double Beans Masala recipe is very versatile. It is basically beans cooked in a masala gravy. You can adapt it to any beans you have available - use chickpeas, pinto beans, black eyed peas, it will end up being just as delicious.

The beans are just one part of the curry, the masala gravy is the other. This is a very standard Indian masala gravy made with the basic - onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and some spices. Just puree the onions and tomatoes, fry them up and allow it to cook on low flame. Add the spices and VOILA, your masala gravy is ready. Add anything you like to it - beans, peas, paneer, tofu

The Kitchen King masala is a magic spice blend available in the market. It is my absolute FAVORITE spice blend or masala powder for the time being. I use it in anything and everything. I was never a big fan of Garam Masala and am soooo happy to have found this Kitchen King masala. I highly recommend it, but if you cannot find it, add Garam Masala, it goes just as well.

This curry taste best with any kind of bread - chapati, roti, naan or just plain old white bread. But you can have it with rice as well. Just add more water to loosen it.

Double Beans Masala

Double Beans Masala is a semi dry curry made using fresh double beans, basic Indian spices and fresh tomatoes. Vegan and Gluten free.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:         Indian
Prep Time:    15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:             Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh Double Beans
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1-2 Garlic cloves
1/2" piece of Ginger
1/2 tsp of Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp of Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp of Kitchen King Masala or Garam Masala
3 tsp of Oil
Water
Salt to taste
A handful of fresh Coriander leaves

Method:

Pressure cook the double beans with 1 cup of water and 1/2 tsp of salt until it is done. It takes only 1-2 whistles or around 5 minutes. Overcooking will make the double beans mushy.
Grind together the onion, tomato, ginger and garlic into a fine puree. Add a little water if needed.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
Once they brown, add the onion-tomato puree and fry on low heat for 8-10 minutes.
Add all the spices and double beans and mix well.
Add salt.
Add water to achieve the desired consistency.
Allow the beans to cook with the masala for 3-5 minutes on low heat.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

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Rajma Chawal or Red Kidney Beans Masala with Rice

Rajma Chawal is red kidney beans cooked in a masala made from onion, tomato and some spices served over a bed of white rice.

Haaapy Wednesday....

I'm not entirely sure about my feelings for Wednesday, the optimist in me says the week is half done and the cynic in me says there are still TWO days left to go... Either way, it calls for a treat, don't you think so?

I've had a hectic time going on. It was pretty much work work work until Sunday where I worked for a full day on the blog.Yes, an ENTIRE day. Raj just did his stuff and I did mine. Sis cooked up lunch and we just ate Masala Puri - a local street food for dinner. I redesigned a lot of stuff around on the blog on Sunday. Tried different templates, but finally decided HTML isn't my cup of tea. Too much effort, so reverted back to my old template and just updated the layout. The awesomely beautiful weather totally helped the non-working-yet-working Sunday I had. Such heavy lashing rains and melodious songs on YouTube. Have I mentioned, I absolutely LOVE rains.

And then back to the work work work grind from Monday. So it is finally mid week and I deserved my treat I believe. Something delicious, yet quick to make. When I'm stressed out, I always make rice. On other days, I'm not usually a big fan of rice. I stick to rotis (wholewheat flatbread). But I think it is that starchy comfort I seek in rice when I'm all drained out. And what goes well with Rice - RAJMA...   Rajma Chawal in simple English words is Beans and Rice. Beans and Rice, now that's a world famous combo.

I highly recommend using Basmati rice here. The long grains and the fragrance of Basmati makes any simple dish also seem special. But I was out of Basmati. So I had to make do with regular short grain rice. But I highly highly recommend Basmati. Did I mention that already?

Have you ever fried onions and garlic in oil? Or at least been around when someone else was frying it? Doesn't it just smell AMAZING? That aroma always makes me hungry, even after I've just had a big meal. Well, this Rajma Chawal is a treat for the nose too with the frying-of-onion-and-garlic. It is the perfect appetite builder. So I am not responsible for munching on those banana chips while cooking, it was the onions.

I've pretty much used the same recipe in the past to make black bean soup. Just replace the red kidney beans with the black ones and you are done. So if you want to skip the rice, although I suggest you try this famous marriage of flavors, you can have the Rajma just as a regular spiced soup with some crusty bread to mop it up.

Rajma Chawal or Red Kidney Beans Masala with Rice

Red kidney beans cooked in a masala made from onion, tomato and some spices served over a bed of white rice.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:         North Indian
Prep Time:    20 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:             Serves 2

Ingredients:

Rajma:

2 cups cooked Red Kidney Beans or Rajma (see note if using dried beans)

2 Tomatoes

1 large Onion

1-2 cloves Garlic

1/2" piece of Ginger

2 tsp Cumin Powder or Jeera powder

1 tsp of Coriander Powder or Dhania Powder

1/2 tsp of Garam Masala

1 tsp of Cumin seeds or Jeera

1 tsp Sugar or Jaggery powder

1 tbsp of Kasuri Methi (Optional)

4 tsp of Oil

Salt to taste

Water

A handful of coriander leaves for garnish

Chawal:

1 cup of Rice (preferably Basmati)

2 cups of Water

Method:

Chawal:

Wash the rice twice with sufficient water.
In a deep pan, bring 2 cups of water to boil.
Once it comes to a rolling boil, add the washed rice and cover and cook until the rice is done.
Drain out any excess water.
Alternatively, pressure cook the rice for around 2-3 whistles or 8-10 minutes after the pressure builds up to cut the rice cooking time into half.

Rajma:

Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
Grind together the onion, ginger and garlic and add to the pan.
Fry the onion paste until it turns slightly brown or for about 3-4 minutes.
Grind the tomato into a puree.
Add the tomato puree to the pan and mix well. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
Now add all the spice powders and 1 cup water and allow it to simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes. If you used dried beans and cooked it yourself, then instead of plain water, you can use the water in which the beans were cooked in.
Add the cooked beans, salt and sugar or jaggery and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the kasuri methi and mix well. 
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Note

If using dried red kidney beans or rajma like me, then soak 1 cup of dried beans for 8-10 hours.

Drain out the water.

In a pressure cooker or a deep pan, add the soaked beans and add enough water to cover the beans and a little more. 

Add salt and cover and cook until the beans are done but not mushy.

I cooked in the pressure cooker, so after the first whistle, I lowered the heat and allowed it to cook for 15 minutes.

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Rose Lassi

Rose are red... Violets are blue... and then something something something...

Well, all I care about right now are roses. Hubby dearest got me a couple of long stemmed dark pink Roses yesterday. Ain't I the lucky one?

Whoever discovered that Roses were edible contributed a lot to this recipe of mine. I love roses. Especially in food. I love Rose biscuits. I'm always ready to share a plate of butter Gulkand with fruits and ice cream. I am a die hard fan of Falooda. Cold rose milk with fluffed up basil seeds and a big scoop of Vanilla ice-cream - PERFECT! Well, that's a recipe for another day. Watch out, it may be coming soon, this summer.

But today is not that day. Today is the day to celebrate the Rose Lassi.

Many many years ago, when I was in college, my Mom and I spent a summer just having home made Lassi. We always had yogurt (curd) at home being South Indians. At 7 pm, after a hard days work, while my mom rested, I'd bring out the blender - chuck in some yogurt, sugar and ice and make us glasses of Lassi. We'd enjoy sipping it slowly while relaxing on cane chair in the sultry summer of coastal Goa. I remembered her fondly when I made this Rose Lassi.

Lassi is awesome on it own, without any fruit or flavouring. But the rose syrup takes the humble Lassi to a fantastically new level. And it is just as easy to make as the original Lassi.

To make Rose Lassi, all you need are 4 ingredients - Yogurt, Rose Syrup, Sugar and Water or Ice cubes. If you like it really thick like the Punjabis, skip the water. It is creamy, it is Rose-y, it is definitely a WINNER.  

Rose Lassi

Rose Lassi is a rose flavoured yogurt based summer drink popular in North India.

Recipe Type:  Drink
Cuisine:          North Indian
Prep Time:     0 minutes
Cook time:     10 minutes
Yield:              3-4 Glasses

Ingredients:

2.5 cups thick Yogurt (Curd or Dahi)
4 Tbsp Rose Syrup
4-5 tsp of Sugar
1 cup Water
Ice cubes
Finely chopped Pistachios or Almonds for garnish (Optional)

Method:

Blend together yogurt, rose syrup, sugar and ice cubes. I started with 2 Tbsp of rose syrup and 3 tsp of sugar. I increased it later according to my liking. I suggest starting with less and then increasing according to how sweet you want it to be. Don't forget the rose syrup is sweet too.
Add water if it feels too thick.
Garnish with finely chopped dry fruits.

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Tinda Masala

I missed blogging last week. I am ready with my excuse - I was in Hyderabad on office work. I was put up in a hotel for an entire week and had to eat all my meals there. Hyderabad is definitely the chilli and I also think spice capital of India. I had my eyes watering and complaining that the food is too hot, while the Hyderabadis were surprised at my low spice tolerance. And I thought I ate spicy food!!!

By the time I returned home, all I wanted were the boring simple home food. Some cabbage or beans, may be? I was like that for a week. Finally as the weekend neared, I dared to go near some of the SPICES when I found these lovely TINDA in the market. 

Tinda is known as apple gourd. It is native to the Indian sub continent. It resembles a guava or a green apple but is neither sweet nor does it have the texture of either of the 2 fruits. The closest in taste and texture is the bottlegourd or the lauki. It is basically a vegetable with a very mild taste and it tends to take on the flavour of what it is cooked with. I've added spices to the Tinda Masala , but in very little quantity. 

Tinda Masala is a very simple recipe and can be even prepared by a novice in the kitchen. It is VEGAN and GLUTEN-FREE...

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1) Chop the Tinda into chunks and chop the tomatoes roughtly.
2) Heat oil in a kadhai / pan and add the cumin seeds.

3) Once the cumin seeds brown, add finely chopped tomato and fry for 1-2 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
4) Now add the Tinda and cover and cook on low heat. Add a little water if you feel the tinda will stick to the bottom of the pan.
5) When the tinda is almost done, add all the spices and salt. Cover and cook until the tinda is cooked through.

6) Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

Tinda Masala

Tinda Masala is a dry curry made using tinda or apple gourd, tomatoes and spices. Vegan and Gluten Free.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              Serves 2

Ingredients:

250 gms of Tinda
1 large Tomato
3-4 tsp of Oil
1 tsp of Cumin seeds / Jeera
1/2 tsp of Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp of Red chilli Powder
1 tsp of Coriander Powder
1/4 tsp of Garam Masala or Kitchen King Masala
A handful of fresh Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

You can peel them or leave it as is. Remove the seedy pulp if the seeds are too large, else, you can let it be. Then, dice the Tinda into big chunks.
Heat oil in a kadhai / pan and add the cumin seeds.
Once the cumin seeds brown, add finely chopped tomato and fry for 1-2 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
Now add the Tinda and cover and cook on low heat. Add a little water if you feel the tinda will stick to the bottom of the pan.
When the tinda is almost done, add all the spices and salt. Cover and cook until the tinda is cooked through.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

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Vegetable Jalfrezi Recipe | How to make vegetable jalfrezi | Mix vegetable curry [Video]

Vegetable Jalfrezi recipe with step by step photo and video instructions. Vegetable Jalfrezi is a mixed vegetable curry with a tomato based gravy. Vegetable Jalfrezi is gluten free and can be made to fit a vegan or plant based diet with simple replacements. 

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Guests coming over and you wanna impress them? Or are you just bored of your usual dinner fare? Jalfrezi can be your answer. Try it !

I saw this lovely photo of Jalfrezi in a magazine, it had me salivating. That one photo was my inspiration to try my hand at Jalfrezi. Jalfrezi has made its presence felt worldwide. It was voted to be UK’s most popular Indian curry a few years ago. And who would believe making it was so easy. 

The only effort needed is actually in cutting the vegetables, but you can totally skip it by buying already cut veggies from the supermarket or using your food processor. And you can relax doing your crossword or watching your favorite show on TV, while it simmers slowly. All it needs is like a check around 5-10 mins. Open the pan, peek, stir, close and back to what ever you were doing. Lovely, isn't it?

The best part is, you can add any vegetables you fancy or use up all your leftover vegetables at the end of the week to make it. I would however recommend adding baby corn as I felt it gives it an added crunch. To make it vegan, replace the paneer with Tofu or totally skip it, you won't be missing out on anything.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Vegetable Jalfrezi

Vegetable Jalfrezi is a popular Indian mix vegetable curry with a tomato based gravy. Vegetable Jalfrezi is gluten free and vegetarian. It can be made vegan by either skipping the Paneer or swapping it out for Tofu.

Recipe Type:  Curry
Cuisine:          North Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              3-4

Ingredients:

1 large Onion
3 Tomatoes
0.5 cup Cauliflower florets
0.5 cup Broccoli florets
1 Carrot
8-10 Green Beans
8-10 Baby corn
0.5 Capsicum (or a mix of colored Capsicums/Peppers)
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
50 gms Paneer or Tofu
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1.5 cups Water
3 Tbsp + 2 tsp Vegetable Oil
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1 tsp Kitchen King Masala or Garam Masala
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Sugar or Jaggery (Optional but recommended)
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadhai. Cut the paneer into batons and fry them lightly until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and keep aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the kadhai and add the cumin seeds.
3. Add the finely chopped onions and saute until golden brown.
4. Add in the ginger garlic paste and saute until fragrant.
5. Puree the tomatoes and add in the kadhai.
6. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the oil separates.
7. Add in the ketchup and mix well.
8. Now the vegetables like cauliflower, carrot and beans which take a little longer to cook. 
9. Add water.
10. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables are almost done.
11. Now add the remaining vegetables like baby corn, broccoli, capsicum.
12. Add the turmeric powder, kitchen king masala, red chilli powder and salt.
13. Cook until the vegetables are done and the curry has the desired consistency. If it is too thin, you can cook it a little longer.
14. Add the paneer to the gravy.
15. Add sugar/jaggery to suit your taste.
16. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Step by Step Recipe with Photos:

1) Cut all vegetables except the onion and tomato into baton sized pieces. Cut the paneer /tofu similarly Chop the onion finely. Puree the tomato. 

2) Heat oil in a large pan and add the cumin seeds.

3) Once they brown slightly, add the onions and saute until they are translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste and mix well.

4) Add the tomato puree. 

5) Add ketchup.

6)  Cook on low heat until the oil separates. Approximately 8-10 minutes.

7) Now the vegetables like cauliflower, carrot and beans which take a little longer to cook. 

8) Add water. Cook on medium high heat until the vegetables are almost done.

9) Now add the remaining vegetables like baby corn, broccoli, capsicum.

Add the turmeric powder, kitchen king masala, red chilli powder and salt.

Cook until the vegetables are done and the curry has the desired consistency. If it is too thin, you can cook it a little longer.

10) In the meanwhile, heat 1 tsp of oil in a non stick pan. When the oil is hot, add the paneer / tofu.

11) Fry until the paneer is slightly brown.

12) Add the paneer to the gravy. Add sugar/jaggery to suit your taste.

13) Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

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Palak Mooli | Spinach with Radish

I’d heard of Aloo Palak and Aloo Methi, but never of Palak Mooli. Over lunch, one Rajasthani colleague mentioned that they make palak mooli. I generally make mooli sabzi with its own greens, but never with any other greens. The greens mellow down the spiciness of the mooli. But finding fresh mooli with its own greens is quite a task in Bangalore. The only people who sell it are the ones with the carts. If you buy mooli from supermarkets, then they definitely won’t have the greens. This sabzi works well then. I immediately picked up mooli and palak the next day and decided to give it a try. I must say I like this more than the Aloo Palak…

Palak Mooli | Spinach with Radish

A Rajasthani dry curry made with white radish and spinach

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:          Indian / Rajasthani
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              2 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Mooli / White Radish / Daikon(longer than 6 inches, else, you may need 2 small ones)
2 Cups Palak / Spinach
1 Onion
1 Tomato
3 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2 cloves Garlic
1/2" piece Ginger
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1-2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Amchur powder(Optional)
Salt

Method:

• Chop the onion finely.
• Crush the garlic and ginger and chop finely ( or grate them )
• Wash the palak leaves and chop them finely.
• Peel and cut the mooli. I slit the mooli lengthwise twice and then cut into slices.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds.
• Once they splutter, add the cumin seeds.
• Once the cumin seeds brown, add the onion, ginger and garlic.
• Fry until the onions are slightly browned.
• Chop the tomato and add to the oil.
• Fry for 1-2 mins until the tomatoes have softened.
• Add the mooli and the palak.
• Add the turmeric powder and red chilli powder, mix well.
• Cover and cook until the mooli is done.
• Add salt and amchur powder.
• Mix well.
• Serve hot with rotis.

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Bombay Pav Bhaji

The reason I call this the Bombay Pav Bhaji is because I eat and make 2 kinds of Pav bhajis and it gets confusing about which one I'm talking about. The other one being the Goan Pav bhaji ( recipe will be posted soon). The Bombay pav bhaji is the red coloured pav bhaji most commonly eaten across India in restaurants or small chaat carts / gaadis . As a kid, eating out meant small snacks in the evenings, as restaurant culture had not yet caught on as it has today. We would go on my dad's Bajaj scooter to our favorite chaat cart/ gaadi in the market to eat Pav bhaji. With very low tolerance for spices, I was generally stuck eating just butter pav. But as I grew up, the spice tolerance also grew and I was able to enjoy this spicy red bhaji with the greasy yet amazingly tasty butter pav. I'm sure a lot of us have similar memories of the 1990s. Till date, whenever I go home, I make it a point to go to the same gaadi and eat the same pav bhaji. I don't know his secret recipe that makes it so yummy, but I do make it my way at home... The recipe that follows is the way I make it at home...

Bombay Pav Bhaji

A popular Bombay street food consisting of spicy mix vegetable mash and bread rolls/pav.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

3 medium Potato
1 cup chopped Tomato
3/4 cup chopped Onion
1/2 cup chopped Capsicum
1/4 cup chopped Carrot
1/2 cup Cauliflower (broken into small florets or chopped)
1/4 cup Green peas
3-4 cloves or 1 Tbsp paste of Garlic
1" piece or 1 Tbsp paste of Ginger
2 Tbsp Pav bhaji masala (In case you don't have this available, use Garam masala - 1/2 tsp, Coriander powder - 1 tsp, Amchur/ Dry mango powder - 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp)
A pinch of Garam masala
2 Tbsp Butter
Red chilli powder - To taste
Salt - To taste
A handful of Coriander leaves
Lemon wedges

Method:

• Boil and peel the potatoes
• Boil the carrot, cauliflower, peas and capsicum.
• Grind the ginger-garlic into a fine paste.
• Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a kadhai or pan
• Add the onions and fry until golden brown.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until fragrant.
• Add the tomatoes and fry until soft and cooked.
• Add all the remaining vegetables and mash them.
• Add all the spices and salt.
• Add a little water to achieve the desired consistency
• Boil for 5-6 mins
• Add 1 tbsp of butter on top
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves
• Serve hot with some lemon wedges, chopped onion and buttered Pav

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