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Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is a popular Indian dish made with plenty of vegetables and served with fluffy buttery bread (pav). It is pretty much as flavorful as veggies can get and so comforting! If you're trying to get more veggies in, ditch your salad for a night and try this instead.
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 small potatoes
  • ½ large cauliflower
  • 1 carrot
  • ½ cup peas
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (5 garlic cloves, 2 inches of ginger)
  • 3 medium tomatoes (processed into a paste)
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 3 tsp pav bhaji masala *see note
  • 1.5 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp kashmiri lal *optional, mainly for color
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • lemon juice to taste

Instructions
 

  • Boil the potatoes, cauliflower, carrot, and peas any way you'd like. I use my pressure cooker because it's quick. When the vegetables are soft, don't drain the water and mash the vegetables with a potato masher.
  • Heat 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp avocado oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. The longer the better, so I’d recommend continuing to cook for a few minutes after they turn translucent, for a total of 6-8 minutes. 
  • Add the ginger garlic paste and continue stirring for a couple of minutes. Now add the bell pepper and let it cook well, for at least 6-7 minutes. 
  • Add the tomato paste and let the juices fully evaporate. This could take up to 10 minutes depending on the content of the tomatoes you used for the paste.
  • Add the spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the spices release their oils.
  • Add the mashed veggies and continue to mash with a potato masher as they cook so the consistency is as smooth as possible. Mix in a little water at a time, using about 1 cup of water total. Continue to cook until it comes together. This should take about 10 minutes.
  • Add more salt and lemon juice to taste.

Notes

Pav bhaji masala: Having pav bhaji masala on hand makes this much easier, but you can make your own if you'd like. Just google "pav bhaji masala" and pick a recipe you like! If you'd like to buy pav bhaji masala, you can easily find it at any Indian grocery store or online.