Vegetable Tava Pulav with Beetroot

Tava Pulav with Beetroot

Who doesn’t like street food and that to something which is loaded with vegetables? Who doesn’t like Pav-bhaji, tava pulav? At least those who are from Maharashtra? My mouth is watering now just by the thought of it. So here comes a very very easy yet delicious recipe of Tava Pulav which usually we get at the pav-bhaji stand and we order it after we are done with yummy pav-bhaji. I always used to think street food is unhealthy and we shouldn’t consume it, though it never stopped me from having it and relishing it. LOL.

Ingredients:

1. Cooked white rice: 3 Cups
2. Onion: 1 Medium (cut in juliennes or thinly sliced) 
3. Green peas: 1/2 Cup
4. Beetroot: 1 Small (semi-boiled) 
5. Green pepper: 1 Medium (cut in juliennes or thinly sliced) 
6. Tomato: 1 Medium (finely chopped) 
7. Bay leaf: 1 Large
8. Cinnamon stick: 1 Medium
9. Peppercorns: 5-6
10. Clove: 2-3
11. Star-anise flower: 1
12. Cumin seeds: 1 Tbsp.
13. Cumin-coriander powder: 1Tbsp
14. Ginger- Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp.
15. Pav-Bhaji Masala: 2-3 Tbsp. (according to your spice buds)
16. Butter: ½ Stick
17. Coriander/ Cilantro leaves: ½ Cup (finely chopped)
18. Salt: To taste

Procedure: 

1. Take a large pan or wok and put 1/4 stick of butter to it.
2. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, clove and star anise to it. Sauté nicely till the beautiful aroma of this whole Garam masala fills your kitchen. Put cumin seeds and let them splutter.
3. Now add onion and fry it till crispy golden brown. Do not over fry it to black color.
4. While the onion is getting translucent, take a small microwave safe bowl. Peel the beetroot and make cubes of it. Add 4-5 Tbsp. water to it and microwave on high for 4 min. take it out after 2min and stir a little. If you feel beet is sticking to the bowl, add one more tablespoon of water to it and continue in the microwave. Take it out and keep it aside.
5. Once the onion is done, add tomatoes and little salt. Let it cook till tomatoes are mixed nicely and cooked perfectly.
6. Start adding other vegetables to it starting with green peas, green peppers and beetroot. Saute them well.
   
7. Now add ginger-garlic paste. Stir well.
8. Add remaining spices like cumin-coriander powder, pav-bhaji masala and more salt. I use “Everest” pav-bhaji masala. Stir it well. Put ½ cup of water and put a lid on it. Let it cook till all the vegetables and spices are incorporated well in each other.
9. Once the veggies are cooked, add some cilantro to it and stir well.
   
10. Now add rice (cooked) carefully and slowly to this mixture. Stir it well. Do not stir it vigorously otherwise the rice grains will break and the pulav will lose its beautiful look.
11. Add remaining butter and put the lid on again. Taste the rice and if the salt is less, it is the perfect time to add it. Stir it well.
12. Take the lid off. Take the rice out in a serving bowl and garnish it with the remaining coriander leaves. You may want to take out the whole garam masala or you may garnish the dish with same whole garam masala.
    

Presenting to you a very healthy yet yummilicious street food. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Don’t forget to enjoy this yummy and popular street food of India. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

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Vada-pav/ potato pakoda/ Batate vada

Vada-pav/ potato pakoda/ Batate vada

Vada pav is a well-known delicacy in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, India.  It is the most popular form of street food in Mumbai. For many people, including me, it brings back memories of childhood. It makes for a quick comforting snack.

Stuffing for Vada:

Potatoes: 4 medium sized

Onion (optional): 1 small size finely chopped

Jeera powder (Cumin powder): ½ tsp    

Haldi (Turmeric): 1 tbsp
Hing (Asafoetida): ½ tsp 
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 table sp

Coriander (Dhana) –cumin (Jeera) powder: 1 tsp

Salt: to taste

Green chili-coriander paste: to taste (I had put about 1½ table spoon)

Lemon juice: around 1-2 table spoon (according to sourness of the lemon)

Oil: 2-3 table spoon (for tempering)

Mustard seeds (Mohari): 1 tsp

Kadi-patta (Curry leaves): 4-5 cut coarsely. Do not use curry powder as a substitute. It does not do the job.

Oil: For deep frying the vadas. Preferably use vegetable oil, although Canola or Corn Oil can be good substitutes.

Kitchen paper towels for draining the oil post frying the vadas.

Whole green chilies: As a side (Completely optional)

Binding / Cover:

Besan (chick pea flour): 2 medium size cups

Red chili powder: 1 ½ tsp

Haldi (Turmeric): 1 ½ tsp

Jeera (Cumin): 1 ½ tsp

Ajwain (Ova): 1 tsp (optional)

Baking soda: 2 pinches

Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Water: as required to make a semi thick batter

Salt: to taste

Cooked Toor dal: ½ cup (optional)

Procedure: 

Boil all the potatoes in pressure cooker up to 4-5 whistles. Alternatively potatoes can be boiled in the microwave oven. Alternatively they can be boiled on the stove-top.

Take a large bowl, peel and mash them as you would mash it for mashed potatoes. Add onion, cumin powder, haldi, hing, ginger-garlic-green chili-coriander paste, coriander-cumin powder, lemon juice and salt to taste to the mashed potatoes. Mix everything together nicely. I have often found that mixing with the hands is the easiest way of doing this. Check the taste and adjust salt or spice according to your taste. Put a wok or kadhai on the stove top for tempering (tadka). Add Mustard seeds to the hot oil, let it splutter nicely. Add curry leaves and the entire mashed potato mixture. Cook for 5 – 6 minutes in a covered vessel.

Take it off the stove top and spread it on a plate. Allow it to cool down. This is the mixture that forms the filling for the vada.

Potato sabji or bhaji for filling

The next step is to prepare the binding or cover for this mixture. The binding forms a thin layer that holds the mixture in place.

Take besan, red chili powder, haldi, jeera, ajwain, baking soda, salt & cooked toor dal, add water and make a semi thick batter. At this time do not add lemon juice. This batter is going to be the binding for the Vada.

Roll small balls/ tikkis of the potato mixture and set it aside on a plate. Heat oil in a wok for deep frying the vadas. I took vegetable oil, you may take oil of your choice. Check the temperature by dropping a few drops of besan batter, if it floats immediately that means our oil is ready for frying the vadas. Now put lemon juice in the batter and stir nicely. You may see a little bubbles in the batter. This will make vadas really light and fluffy from outside. 

Dip vadas/ tikkis in the batter with the help of a table spoon and fork. Coat it nicely with besan batter and gently, carefully put 4 vadas at a time in the hot oil. Fry till nicely brown from outside. Put it on kitchen paper towel, it will drain away the excess oil from the vadas. Now put 3-4 green chilies in the hot oil and take it out immediately otherwise they may splutter and accidents can happen. Put the hot green chilies in little salt and serve it as Vada-pav's side. 

Serve hot vadas with Pav, green chili or chutney of your choice (usually it is served with dry garlic chutney). 

You may find the recipe for making yummy pav here. 

Don't forget to enjoy....Happy Cooking!!!!!