Pav Bhaji

Chop the tomato, carrot, peas, capsicum, potatoes, and cauliflower. Use capsicum, potato, and cauliflower as the base vegetables.

Add vegetables to a pot with just enough water to cover them. Add less salt as pav bhaji masala and butter contain salt.

Add butter to the cooking vegetables. Butter is essential to pav bhaji and helps vegetables soak in flavor.

Cook the vegetables until overcooked and pulpy. This ensures a mashy texture, which is key to authentic pav bhaji.

Mash the cooked vegetables thoroughly. The vegetables should be soft and well combined.

Add fresh tomato puree and chopped onion. Maintain some chunkiness in onion and freshness in tomato, and do not overcook.

Add ginger garlic paste after onions and tomatoes. Cook just enough to bring out sweetness without overcooking.

Add chopped capsicum for texture and flavor.

Add red chili powder and turmeric (if desired). Note that pav bhaji masala already contains turmeric.

Add more butter generously. Butter is a monopoly of this dish and must be added liberally.

Add pav bhaji masala in two stages. Some initially and some later to build flavor.

Add water to adjust consistency. The bhaji should be sloppy and not too thick; it must spread easily.

Add dry mango powder and sugar for a balanced tangy and sweet flavor.

Add chopped coriander at the end.

Cook pav bread in two ways: plain buttered and masala buttered. Butter the pav generously.

Serve hot with buttered pav and enjoy the authentic Mumbai street food experience.