Runa's Spicy Pav Burger

Mixing Burger and Vegan Pav Bhaji (Indian recipe)

Background:

Pav Bhaji is an Indian street food that began in Mumbai after Indians started using Pav (Portuguese buns - “Pao”) with a spicy and tangy vegetable mix served with condiments. It served as a quick lunch for textile workers.

As I wanted to serve this dish as a more substantive version for dinner, I made the pav bhaji as a burger. This version suits the Western palate more as well as it is served as a burger.

My Love For Pav Bhaji

I can’t remember my first time eating pav bhaji, but I have always loved it. As a Fijian Indian, this dish was not always on the menu in my house. In Mumbai, India though, it is a different story. People walk along Juhu or Chaupati beach and enjoy Pav Bhaji and other street foods available there on a regular basis. Bollywood even made a song about this experience of people relaxing, enjoying the sun and sands, especially around sunset.

The best Pav Bhaji I had was at Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai. This theatre was built by famous Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer in memory of his father Prithvi. It serves as a progressive theatre where the art community find a place to socialise as well. I enjoyed a nice play there when I visited India. I always liked Shashi Kapoor but my respect for him grew after finding out the extra work he took on to be able to continue the tradition of plays in the era of big Bollywood blockbusters.

Ingredients

• 2-3 potatoes

• half head of cauliflower

• 2-3 carrots

• some beans

• half a pack of frozen peas

• Pav Bhaji masala (ready made or see link below)

• 1 tin of diced tomatoes

• 1 onion

• garlic paste

• ginger paste

• coriander

• cucumber

• 2 beefy tomatoes

• cumin seeds

• ajwain or black mustard seeds (optional)

• chillies (optional)

• oil (any vegetable or olive)

• lemons

• buns (2 per person).

Method

• dice potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower

• steam the diced potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower

• cut the onions in strips

• put enough oil in a big saucepan so the bottom of the pan is covered with oil

• add cumin seeds and ajwain/black mustard seeds if using

• when the cumin seeds pop, add the stripped onions

• add 1-2 tsp of garlic and ginger paste (depending on taste) and the chillies if using

• mix all the ingredients and wait till the onions are slightly browned

• add the tin of tomatoes and mix through

• add the pav bhaji masala¹

• add the frozen peas

• once the other vegetables are soft, add them to the tomatoes mixture

• cut an onion into rings or strips, slice tomatoes, cut coriander and cucumber and use these as condiments for the burger

• keep stirring from time to time until most of the juices are evaporated and you can use the mixture to make a patty

• mash the mixture

• add lemon juice

• butter the buns and grill them

• add the pav bhaji mixture to the buns, top with the extra onions, cucumber, tomatoes and coriander and enjoy as a burger

• The leftover mixture can be used in roti wraps the next day or made into patties and frozen to be used later on

• The burgers can be served with coriander or coriander and mint chutney.

Pav Bhaji Masala

The only spice different from most garam masala recipes is amchur (dried mango) powder. Please see this link: https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/homemade-pav-bhaji-masala-powder-recipe/. However, the aim is to make this mixture tangy. If you cannot find amchur, try tamarind or use more lemon juice. This is different from the traditional recipe; but I feel that the keyword here is “tangy”.

1. can add the masala as the last step if there are guests who do not want the spicy version. Take some of the mixture out for them before adding the masala