Pao bhajji

I grew up in Mumbai loving this street food; we would drive down late at night past Haji Ali to Sardar's for a loaded buttery plate of this dish. It is my favourite street food. I recently got to have this again from Sardar's; it is rich, flavorful, and soul-satisfying.

Pao bhaji was initially made for the around-the-clock mill workers in the early 19th century. It was a cheap dish that could be made fast and quickly became a favourite in the city. Today, motorbikes and scooters park next to BMWs and Mercedes, each waiting for their order loaded with butter to be called out in turn in front of Sardar's—more on the history of Sardar's and the dish here.

I have been making this dish for a few years and have adapted the recipe to include more vegetables, the standard being potatoes, tomatoes, and cauliflower, to enhance the flavors. I also reduce the amount of potatoes for health reasons and use cauliflower stems, which give the same creamy texture.

The dish stays true to its core: bright, spicy, and delicious. The buttered, toasted pao is the perfect vehicle for the bhaji, and lime juice and cilantro freshen it up.

Rasika is a beautiful cookbook of contemporary Indian flavours. The chef has taken a variety of fabulous recipes and presented them in a modern setting, like this raita. I recommend this book to those who want something different on their table.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the vegetable base:

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cubed

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cubed

1 small head cauliflower, 3 cups, diced with stems

15 green beans

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt, to taste

1 bay leaf

4 green cardamom pods

2 whole cloves

1 1-inch cinnamon stick

3 cups water

For the bhaji:

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 onions, finely diced

3-4 green chillies, finely minced

2 teaspoons ginger paste

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

3-4 teaspoons pao bhaji masala, commercial variety

4 tomatoes, finely diced

1/2 cup peas, frozen ok

Salt, to taste

Juice of 1 lime

4 tablespoons cilantro, minced finely

Pao bread:

Pao bread, halved

Butter

To serve:

Lime wedges

Scallions, fine slices

Cilantro, minced

Butter

Pao bread

Sev noodles

Add all the ingredients for the vegetable base to a pressure cooker or Instapot and cook for 20 minutes till the vegetables are very soft and mushy. Remove all spices, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, and cloves. You can now choose to purée the mix in the cooking liquid for a smooth pao bhaji, or I prefer to mash it by hand with a potato masher for a chunkier version. Set aside.

NOTE: I use the cooking liquid as the flavours of the vegetables are in the stock.

Heat the butter in a large pot that will hold all the ingredients, and add the cumin seeds. They will crackle in 10 seconds. Add the onions and green chilies and fry on low heat until they are golden and very soft.

Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute till the aromas are released. Add the pao bhaji masala and cook for 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes till the tomatoes are completely broken down and you have a thick sauce with the butter floating to the top. Add the peas and the mashed vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes on a medium flame. The bhaji will be reduced to a thick curry and adjusted to your preferred consistency. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust for salt and spice, if not spicy enough add extra pao bhajji masala or chili powder to your liking. if adding more pao bhaji masala, simmer for an additional 5 minutes to cook the spices and integrate them.

Add the lime juice and cilantro and mix in. Taste and adjust for tartness.

Make the pao bread by cutting the bun in half, adding a dollop of butter to each side, and heating it on a frying pan or tawa until crisp and toasted. Serve immediately.

Serve hot with all the accompaniments and buttered pao.