Tawa pulao

Pulao as street food ? Yes that was my exact reaction when I saw a dish called Tawa pulao on the menu of a stall for the first time in khaugalli (a place in Mumbai famous for street food). One can find Tawa Pulao on the menu of almost every Pav-bhaji stall in Mumbai. Interestingly this dish has almost all the Pav-bhaji ingredients in it. The original recipe involves preparation on a hot flat pan, also called as a tawa and hence the name. We participated in a potluck recently and the theme was Mumbai night. I was the last one to select the menu and decided to make this dish. Spicy tawa pulao can be a one-pot meal. Go ahead and try it if you havent !! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
Rice - 3 cups (cooked)
Peas - 1/4 cup
French beans - 1/4 cup
Carrots - 1/4 cup
Cauliflower - 1/4 small cubes
Potatoes - 1/4 cup peeled, sliced

Tomatoes- 1/4 cup chopped

Onion - 1/2 cup chopped
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Pav-Bhaji masala - 11/2 Tbsp
Lime juice - 1Tbsp
Butter and oil
Salt
Chopped Cilantro and onion wedges for garnishing.

Procedure
1. Cook some rice (3 cups). Cut the vegetables and half-cook all the vegetables except the tomato and onions.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Saute chopped onions and tomatoes. Put ginger-garlic paste and fry it well.
3. Put Pav-bhaji masala, salt, half-cooked vegetables and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Then add rice, butter, salt and lime juice.

5. Garnish the pulao with chopped cilantro and onion wedges.

Kacchi Dabeli

Kacchi Dabeli is a variety of street food dish from Mumbai, Pune and Gujarat. This is a different version of the more popular Vada-pav ,also known as Indian burger in the US. A mix of spicy potato filling, pomegranate, roasted peanuts, chili -garlic red chutney and sweet chutney with sev stuffed in Pav (Bread) is called Dabeli. Dabeli in Gujarati language means 'to be pressed' or 'sandwiched'. Most of the ingredients are ready-made and easily available.
Recently made this specially for my friend who moved to another city. She just loves this...so I wanted to prepare this for her farewell dinner. Here is the recipe.
Pav / Bread 
Chili-garlic chutney OR Kolhapuri thecha - 2 Tbsp diluted in water  OR (soaked chilies 8-10,garlic,chaat masala, chili powder - 2 tsp) - 1 tsp for 1 dabeli
Sweet chutney - 1 1/2 tsp 
For stuffing - Mashed potatoes - 4, Dabeli masala 1 Tbsp, chaat masala - 1/2 tsp, Onion - 1 small   chopped,   Tomato - 1 small chopped, Oil, salt and sugar.Heat oil in a pan and saute chopped onion and tomatoes, dabeli masala, mashed potatoes, salt, sugar and chaat masala.
Garnishing - Sev, pomegranate, cilantro, roasted peanuts (spicy flavored preferred),Grated cheese ( opt.)
Put the stuffing in the casserole and then spread all the garnishing on it. Make a slit in the bread/pav and make a pocket. Put the stuffing in the bread. Put the sweet and spicy chutneys according to your taste.Garnish it with sev, cilanro, peanuts and pomegranate. Heat the pan and roast dabeli  with 1 tsp butter or just microwave it for 10 sec. Enjoy the recipe.

Ragda - patties

Though elsewhere it is called as aaloo tikki chaat , but we Mumbaikars call it ''Ragda patties''. This is one of the most popular street snack items you will relish across Mumbai. The main ingredients are mashed white peas curry and potato patties. The curry is garnished with a spicy n sweet chutney , nylon sev and cilantro. I had never tried this dish before marriage. But my hubby is the biggest fan of all chaat items so I tried my hand at this dish.

For patties - Boiled and mashed potatoes (4-5) , fresh bread crumbs (1 cup), salt, chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste (1 tsp). Mix and knead all the ingredients to form round patties and shallow-fry them.

For Ragda ( white -peas curry) - Boiled and mashed white peas,One small onion chopped, ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder (1tsp), coriander powder (1tsp), Chaat masala ( 1tsp),  sweet chutney (1 Tbsp) and  salt. Heat oil in a pan. Put tempering of jeera or cumin seeds (1 tsp). Fry onions and ginger-garlic paste in the oil. Mix all the above ingredients.

For sweet chutney - Soaked dates (10 -12), soaked tamarind (1 Tbsp), chili powder (1/4 tsp), jeera powder (1/4 tsp),sugar (1 Tbsp). Blend all the ingredients to make sweet chutney.

For Spicy chutney - Mint leaves, cilantro leaves, green chillies, ginger (1/2) inch, black salt, Chaat masala  (1 tsp) and lime juice. Blend all the ingredients to make green chutney.

Garnishing - Chopped cilantro, onions, tomatoes and Nylon sev. sweet chutney, spicy chutney

Mix sweet and spicy chutneys with ragda in a plate. Then place the patties. Garnish with above ingredients. and enjoy !!!

Sago Khichdi

Ingredients -

Sago ( soaked)  -  2 cups
Peanuts ( roasted ) - 2 Tbsp
Potato ( opt.) Boiled & cubed - 1/2 cup
Green chilies  - 4 no.

Cilantro  -
Cumin seeds   -  1 tsp
Curry leaves   -  4-5
Olive oil  OR ghee -  2 tsp
Sugar  -  1 1/2 tsp
Recipe -
1. Soak the sago for at least 6 -8 hrs.
2. Roast the peanuts and crush them. Some people prefer to totally grind  them. But, I don't.
3. Mix the soaked sago and crushed peanuts, sugar and salt in a bowl. It will keep the sago grains separated from each other. and microwave it for 3 minutes.
4. Heat the olive oil or ghee in the pan. I prefer the olive oil.
5. Put the tempering of cumin seeds, chopped chilies, curry leaves, boiled and cubed potatoes.
6. Put the cilantro and garnish it.
7. Serve hot with the curd.
I hardly know someone who doesn't like Sabudana Khichdi. Its a very popular dish. I had some misconception that I can't prepare it without at least 2-3 Tbsps of ghee. But using this microwave option saves many calories that comes from fat and that too without spoiling the texture and consistency of the dish.

Sago is the starch extracted from the trunks of  various tropical palms. It  is the basic food in the southwest pacific where sago meals are used for making various puddings, soups and cookies. To make the sago , the trunks of the palm trees are cut into pieces.The bark is taken off and the inner portion is soaked in water to remove the starch.The pulpy paste that results is dried and used as a sago meal.  When the paste is rubbed through a sieve, it results in the pearl sago.  ( The nutrition and health dictionary - By Percy Russell, Anita Williams )

Valentine's Day special Pav bhaji

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 3
 Bell peppers - 1 big
Onion - 1 big
Cauliflower - 1 cup cooked
Peas -  1/2 cup
Tomato puree - 1  cup
Potatoes -  2 med.
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
paprika - 2 tsp
butter -  2 tsp
Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Pav Bhaji masala - 4 tsp
Hing / asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi       - 1 1/2 tsp
Cilantro              - 1/2 cup chopped
Low fat cheese   - 1 Tbsp ( opt.)
Garlic bread      -


Recipe  -

1. Cook all the vegetables in 2 cups of water in the microwave & mash them but keep 1/4 cup of chopped onion aside.
2. Heat the pan. Put  2 tsp butter in the pan.Add the onion, ginger-garlic paste,1 Tbsp cilantro, Kasuri methi, hing and saute till it becomes brown.
3. Then add red chili powder and pav bhaji masala and salt. and saute for 1 min.
4. Now add all the mashed vegetables. Add the water also in which we cook the vegetables. mash well.
5. Now the yummy pav- bhaji is ready to serve. Garnish it with cilantro and grated low fat cheese.
6. Serve with garlic bread. 

Pav- Bhaji is the most famous dish for most mumbaikars. In hindi pav means Bread and bhaji means a curry and vegetable mix. Sometimes it can be mumbaikar's breakfast, lunch or dinner. Pav bhaji is to Mumbai , what pasta is to Italy or the hamburger is to America !!!
( source - Encyclopedia of India,Pakistan and Bangladesh by Om Gupta )
Everyone has their own recipe of pav-bhaji. This recipe is influenced by Juhu chowpaty pav-bhaji recipe.... I know... nobody can beat that taste of that pav-bhaji ....
Today is the valentine's day and this is my valentine's favorite recipe. So I decided to make this today after long time !!!  I prefer to add cheese in the pav-bhaji  over extra butter as it gives protein + taste. Traditional recipe has lots of butter but there is no source of good quality protein in the dish.Personally I would not consider this as very healthy recipe as it has butter.One can add more butter and make it more tasty...  But one can certainly eat it occasionally to treat themselves. Enjoy the recipe !!!