Pav bhaji

This is a something anybody could indulge into, for lunch, for dinner, for breakfast or even for a snack. Formerly known as Mumbai's poor man's food, pav bhaji has turned into a popular preparation from street side vendors to the most sophisticated and posh restaurants around the world, from a long time!

Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 25 min
Difficulty level: medium
Serves: 5 to 6 people

Ingredients:

Potatoes - boiled and mashed: 4 (medium)
Onions - finely chopped: 2 (medium)
Green peas - shelled: 1/2 cup
Green chilies - chopped: 3-4 (small)
Green peppers: 1 (large sized)
Tomato (paste or chopped): 4 heaped tblsp
Cauliflower - finely chopped or grated: 1/4 (small)
Ginger paste: 2 tblsp
Garlic paste: 2 tblsp
Oil - 4 tblsp
Pav bhaji masala: 1 1/2 tblsp
Salt: to taste
Butter - 4 tblsp
Fresh coriander - finely chopped: 1/4 cup
Lemon - cut into wedges: 1 (medium)
Pav/buns: 8 - 12

Procedure:

For bhaji:
Peel potatoes and cut them into half. Pressure cook them until soft. Mash and keep aside. Boil green peas in salt water until soft; if using frozen peas, cook in the microwave oven for 3 min with a couple tea spoons of water. Mash and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add 3/4th the quantity of onions (saving the rest for garnishing) and cook until golden brown. Mix in the green chilies, ginger and garlic pastes. Cook for half a minute and then add half the quantity of tomato to it. Cook for 3-4 min until the oil separates from the mixture. Add cauliflower, green peppers, mashed peas and potato, and 3-4 cups of water for a semi liquid consistency (thinner than paste-like). Bring to boil; cook on medium heat, pressing with the back of spoon until the vegetables are properly cooked and semi-mashed. Add salt, pav bhaji masala and the remaining tomato. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tlbsp butter and turn off heat.

For pav:
Heat a tawa (saucepan) and smear a blob of butter; slice pav horizontally and roast it, flipping once and press a few times until crisp and golden brown. 

Serve hot along with garnishing - chopped coriander, onions and lemon (cut into wedges).