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Huh.... Wot a piece of satisfaction... when We can make our own bread.. For me , baking a bread was just like a dream... and never knew it could be made so easily......
Yup.. I baked  Pav(bread of  Pav bhaji & I learnt it from Vah Chef  .Isnt it lovely... Till date I have only picked up Wartburtons dinner rolls in London or used to go to a baker in India... and pick it..
Remember a friend making fun of me... during school days.. saying.. Sandy.. you making pav Bhaji...   just impossible.. You wud pick a packet of Pav from the market..  , buy a packet of ready made bhaji too and serve them together taking all the credit....  Just recollected this funny incident when I baked my pav at home.



INGREDIENTS:

All Purpose Flour(Maida)	3.5Cups
Dry Yeast	3.5gm
Butter	3.5 table spoon
Sugar	1/2 tsp
Salt	3/4 tsp
Water	2 Cups

This measurement will yield 11 Pav's .

PROPORTION FOR PAV PREPARATION IS:

1 Cup AllPurpose Flour : 1 gm Yeast : 1 table Spoon Butter


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium size bowl , add sugar & to it add the dry yeast. Stir it well. Now add 1/2 cup of  warm water & stir them well. Remember do not add hot water . It will kill the yeast rather than making it active.
2. Lets add about 1 3/4 cup water altogether to this yeast mix. It is said flour will need about 55% roughly for making a soft dough.
3. In a clear large flat bowl , add the flour, required salt  & yeast water slowly and knead it well. Knead the dough for a little more time than the chapathi dough.  The dough might be sticky ,but with the addition of butter we will get a nice soft dough. Punch  & knead a couple of times again so that the air molecules dont get retained .

4. Cover the dough with a cling film or a Plastic sheet in a way that the vessel is sealed well. keep aside this dough for 1 hour.  After an hour the dough is sure to rise .

5. Knead the dough about 2 or 3 times again & now make medium sized balls and place them on a greased baking sheet dusted with a little bit of all purpose flour.PS: Apply a little bit of vegetable oil or butter on your palm while making the balls . There is a tendancy to stick a bit.

6. Place the dough balls nearly touching with each other. Now again wrap the dough balls with a plastic sheet and keep it aside for about 30 min.  You will find the dough balls have a taken a bit of a flat shape. Using a kitchen paper towel , give the dough balls a bit of milk wash .This will help the bread to get a little brownish on the top.
7. Preheat the oven at 190 C  & now bake the bough balls for 30 minutes. Hot Pav (Bread ) which is soft & fluffy(with a rebounce effect) is ready for your Pav Bhaji or Vada Pav..

8. For recipe of Mumbai's original Pav Bhaji click here. & for making Vada's click here.

Try them &let me know how you like it !!!

 Pav Bhaji... a toungue tickling & mouth watering dish that any Mumbai wala cant resist. Specially the ones made in Juhu Beach...& the ones by the road side telawala(cart guys). They have got a magic ingredient that draws anyone & everyone to their stand.
I am totally fascinated & bowled over by a Restaurant named Garnish in Matunga. A must visit place for all Pav Bhaji lovers be it Jain style or Cheesy Pav Bhaji.... or the regular one... My total inspiration for Pav Bhaji is Garnish. Still hoping to go back to Mumbai someday.. and have it there:)
I have made my own PAV. It was bingo in my very first attempt. Check it out here.




INGREDIENTS:

Sunflower oil	2 Tsp
Chopped garlic	3 cloves(optional)
finely chopped green chillies	1-2 Nos( depending upon hotness
Medium sized onions	2 Nos chopped finely
Freshly grated ginger	1 Tsp
Medium size Tomato	4 Nos diced finely
Cauliflower florets	1/2 cup
Green Pepper	1 Nos chopped finely
Green Peas	Handful
Carrot	1/2 Cup
Potato	3-4 Nos boiled & mashed

Powders & Garnishing:

Pav Bhaji masala	2-3 Tsp( I have used an Everest one)
Turmeric Powder	3/4 Tsp
Chilli Powder	1/2 Tsp
Salted Butter	50 gm
Salt	To Taste
Lemon Juice	3-4 Tsp
Coriander Leaves	1/4 cup

For Serving:

Sliced Lemon	4 pieces
Dinner Rolls(Pav)	8
Salted Butter	10gm
Finely chopped onions	1/4 cup
Sliced Lemon	4 pieces
Cheese	Optional

Directions :

• Cook cauliflower , peas ,carrots , green pepper together in a pressure cooker and keep it aside.
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan .Add garlic & green chillies and saute for 30-40 seconds. Now add ginger & onions and saute until it turns light brown. Add a pinch of salt while frying onions. It will help to evaporate the water & fry quickly.
• Add the diced tomatoes to it and cook on medium heat for three to four minutes, stirring continuously or till oil separates from the masala.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder , 1 tsp pav bhajji powder to the mixture.
• Now add the cooked vegetables & mashed potatoes to this mixture along with 1-1.5 glasses of water.Using a potato smasher , press the vegetables a few times till all of them are completely smashed.Bring it to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Add the rest of the pav bhaji masala and salt now.
• Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes and stir continously.
• Garnish the bhajji with chopped onions and lemon juice.

For Serving :

• Heat some butter in a tawa. Slice pav horizontally into two and pan fry in butter for half a minute, pressing two or three times or till pav is crisp and light brown.
• Garnish the bhaji with chopped coriander leaves, a little of butter and serve hot with pav accompanied with remaining chopped onion and lemon wedges.

PS:

• Cheese lovers can grate some cheese on the bhaji and call it cheese pav bhaji.
• Jains can also make this pav bhaji.. without using onions.. and believe me.. its really yummy... too.. I have tried it ..and its fab

The month of June & July has been an overdose of fun, chitchatting, travelling and celebration time with family visiting us. I had so many of my learnings/ pictures to share that I skipped this post last month.
I promise you a double dose from both the month's - May and June.

This series has been soo popular and well received, I barely wanted to skip the post , even if I am late. 
Street Food can never go overboard at-least for me !! Pictures of Pav bhaji in my blog are already good enough for Food Gawker or other food porn sites.  Still I never get overboard , restyling and re shooting them :) Here's my take on them !!





Ragda Pattice is yet another favorite street food . Most friends and family who have visited home , have had it atleast once :) There is always a request for more retakes !!



Vegetable Bean Burger is one of my favourite !! I had a tough time shooting them... All my pictures are ready, still the recipe has not made it to the post.. Hope in month's time, the recipe and pictures make it to a post .




Royal Gala Apples 
This set of pictures were quite special to me . The basket in the image was gifted to me by my daughter's teacher.. She knew I was looking for one of these kinds... Isnt that kind of her ?