Pav Bhaji

Ingredients

• 500g potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 150g cauliflower florets
• 100g green peas
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 5 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 120g salted butter
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1.5 tsp salt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• 12 pav rolls
• 1 small onion, finely chopped, to serve

Before you cook

• Cube the potatoes, carrot and cauliflower to roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
• Finely chop the onions, tomatoes and green pepper.
• Chop the coriander and set aside a small onion, finely chopped, for the table.

Steps

1. Boil the potatoes, cauliflower, carrot and peas in salted water for 15 minutes until everything is completely soft.
2. Drain the vegetables but keep 250ml of the cooking water.
3. Mash the drained vegetables coarsely and set the bowl aside.
4. Melt 60g butter with the oil in a large flat-bottomed pan over medium heat.
5. Add the chopped onions and fry for 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges.
6. Stir in the ginger garlic paste and green pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, pressing them down with the back of a masher until they break into a thick pulp.
8. Sprinkle in the pav bhaji masala, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and fry for 1 minute.
9. Add the mashed vegetables and the reserved cooking water and stir everything together.
10. Mash the bhaji directly in the pan for 5 minutes over low heat until it is thick, glossy and almost smooth.
11. Squeeze in the lemon juice, stir through half the coriander, and check the salt.
12. Slice the pav rolls almost through and melt the remaining butter on a wide griddle with a pinch of pav bhaji masala.
13. Press the cut faces of the rolls into the red butter and toast for 1 minute until crisp and stained orange.
14. Serve the bhaji in bowls with a knob of butter on top, the raw onion and remaining coriander scattered over, and the hot pav alongside.