“Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station where I send my thoughts to far off destinations”

Monday, June 4, 2007

I do believe it’s true
that there are roads left in both of our shoes
if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
so brown eyes I hold you near
cause you’re the only song I want to hear
a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
where soul meets body

It’s raining and will continue raining this whole week. But because of the rain Bhatji and I had a much needed relaxing Sunday. In fact this whole past weekend was relaxing for the both of us. Especially since the 2 weekends before this one was absolute traveling madness. I cant believe that 2 weeks of his 10 week internship are up! Yep time is flying. Bhatji and I went to Bebo Trattoria for a good Italian dinner on Saturday, followed by the movie, Shrek the Third and it was really good :o) Well we liked it because we are 2 big kids at heart. I had originally planned to do something outdoorsy on Sunday but unfortunately when we woke up it was grey and raining. So we decided to do a big brunch at Whitlows on Wilson and then settled onto our cozy futon for an afternoon of Entourage marathon. This past Friday I picked Bhatji up from the train station and took him directly to school. I was soooo happy to see him. I really wanted to make a dish that was super yummy and would remind him of his I decided to make one of his favorite Marathi dishes: Pav Bhaji. I didn’t have any Pav so we had to make do with toasted bread. It was my first time making it and I was a little nervous because there are several steps to making it but it really wasn’t as hard as I expected. The Bhaji turned out fantastic and Bhatji chowed down like he had never before. So I am sharing the Pav Bhaji recipe with you folks :o)
Ingredients:
1 small head of cauliflower or half a head of large cauliflower cut into florets
2 Large potatoes
1 medium onion chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 tbsp pav-bhaji masala (you might need more)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
To Make:
Boil the cauliflower and potatoes in a pressure cooker until they are soft. You can also throw the cauliflower in a big pot of water and boil until soft. You can throw the potatoes in a large microwavable bowl filled with water and heat for about 8-10 mins. One they are boiled and soft. In a big pot heat oil in and add the onion and cook until slightly brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes mix well and cook until the tomatoes are turn into a pulp. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt (and peas if you are using them) and sauté for a few mins. Add the boiled potatoes and cauliflower, pav-bhaji masala and make sure it all mixes well. Add about ½ cup of water and keep mixing and cook for about 8-10 mins. Then take this mixture from the pot and put into a food processor and “grind” or “mix”. Make sure that it is not a complete paste because then it will be too liquidy for the bread. I only mixed for about 30-40 secs. I could still see some solid potato and cauliflower pieces. I took this mixture and put into back into the pot. I added about 1 tsp of pav bhaji masala and ¼ cup of water. Cook on Medium heat for 15 minutes and keep mixing so the masala is blended into the veggies. Keep tasting and adjusting salt, masala until it tastes like its well balanced flavor of the masala and the tomatoes. Serve with Pav.
I didn’t have the typical burger buns so I used the regular wheat bread. I applied butter on both sides of the bread and toasted it on a pan for 2 mins on both sides. Do not use a toaster. When you toast it on the pan you can really taste the butter. I served the Bhaji on top of the bread with some raw red onions and a small dollop of butter for Bhatji; this is the typical way most Marathi folks like their Pav Bhaji. I however like my bhaji on the side with all the toppings and dip my pav into it. Needless to say Bhatji came home from his long class and gobbled down lots and lots of the bhaji. Even I was surprised at how good it turned out! Nothing compared to my mom’s but still a close second :o)


More recipes to come, maybe not a feat like the Pav bhaji since I am alone during the week but small, one pot meals that will get me through the week. So until then, Happy Eating!