Sizzling Pav Bhaji - A Delectable Indian Cuisine

(serves 3) Preparation time: about 35 minutes

Pav bhaji is actually one of the favourite street foods in India, specially in the city of Mumbai. It is usually considered as a snack but can be treated as a complete meal too since it is quite satisfying with heaps of vegetables added to it. It's even included in the list of junk foods because it has loads of butter! But if you want a healthier version of the cuisine skip adding butter to the gravy when serving and have plain bread instead of buttered bread.

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

3 big potatoes,

50 gms. cauliflower (separate the florets),

1 tbsp. sliced french beans (optional),

50 gms. green peas,

1/3 cup very finely chopped capsicum

about 3 tbsps. butter

½ tbsp. oil

salt to taste

Seasoning (Dry masalas)

1 tsp. Kashmiri red chilli paste (optional),

1 ½ tsp. red chilli pdr.,

½ tsp. + 1 pinch turmeric pdr.,

1 ½ or 2 tbsp. pav bhaji masala (adjust as per your taste. If you prefer spicier add more)

1 medium sized onion (finely chopped), 3 big tomatoes (finely chopped)

1 tsp. ginger paste, 1 ½ tsp. garlic paste, 1 green chilli paste, 6-7 curry leaves

Garnishing: 1 finely chopped onion (small), 2 tbsps. chopped coriander, 1 lime, a big dollop of butter

about 6 Pavs (Indian bread) (If you don't have pav use bread instead)

pav bhaji masher or ladle

Method:

1. Boil all the vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, beans, peas but not the capsicum) in some water with a pinch of turmeric and 2 tsps. salt. Mash with a pav bhaji masher or the back of a ladle. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil and 2 tbsps. butter in a pan, add the ginger, garlic and green chilli paste and sauté for a minute.

3. Now add the onions and sauté till they become transparent.

4. Add the capsicum and sauté for a minute.

5. Put the Kashmiri red chilli paste and sauté for ½ a minute.

6. Add the dry masalas (red chilli pdr., turmeric pdr. and pav bhaji masala) and stir to combine.

7. Add curry leaves and tomatoes and sauté to mix everything. Let cook on slow flame for about 10 minutes till the gravy becomes slightly dry and the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from flame. Mash this well with a pav bhaji masher/ a ladle.

8. Now add the boiled vegetables to the above gravy and stir well. Again mash this with the pav bhaji masher/ a ladle in order to mix all the ingredients properly. Add about 1 cup of water to make the consistency appropriate. Add more water if required. Add some salt.

9. Let cook for about 15 to 20 more minutes to combine all the ingredients. Check seasoning.

10. Add some water if the gravy seems thick.

11. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander, chopped onions, a blob of butter and a dash of lime.

12. When serving, slice the pavs (bread) horizontally, apply butter on both sides and heat on a tawa or a non-stick pan for ½ a minute on each side. Serve hot with the pav bhaji gravy.

Get more delicious food recipes at http://www.kadhaee.blogspot.com/

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High Protein Vegetarian Food Items in Indian Cuisine

Most people who are into fitness and weight loss know that neither of the two can be achieved effectively without a high protein diet. Protein is the diet-component that builds and maintains muscle mass, and muscle mass is vital for weight loss and a great physique. Fortunately, there are a lot of protein sources in Indian vegetarian food,in cuisines from all over the country. Here are some of the most significant ones.

Paneer - Cottage Cheese

It will be hard for you to travel to North and Central India and miss paneer. Better known as cottage cheese in the West, paneer is the finest vegetarian delicacy in several states of India. Naturally, since it is a dairy product, it is protein intensive, and depending on what kind of milk it is prepared from, it may also have high fat content. The protein that paneer contains is qualitatively excellent, with the right proportion of all the essential amino acids. A 12-oz serving of paneer contains nearly 14 grams of protein.

Paneer's soft consistency and cheesy taste make it amenable to virtually every cooking style in India, and there are countless dishes in the country made from it. It may be cooked dry, in gravy form, or it may be added as a stuffing in local Indian breads, such as naan and paranthas. People commonly make a sandwich filling out of paneer as well.

Lentils

Lentils, locally known as daal, are a great vegetarian source of protein, and they are commonly cooked in every region of the country. There are many varieties of daal available in India and over a 100 different recipes to cook them. Typically served in curry form, sometimes with the consistency of soup, daal is a common daily dish for almost every class of people in the country.

Apart from their significant protein content, daals are rich in fiber and they are great sources of several vital micronutrients, including magnesium, iron and potassium. They are also cholesterol free. Daal is a perfect food item for someone who wants to lose weight.

Chickpeas and Kidney Beans

Like lentils, these too are from the legume family and have similar nutritional benefits. Red kidney beans are commonly known as rajma and chickpeas as channa, and both feature prominently in the cuisines of North and West India. Amongst most Indian households familiar with both these legumes, channa is considered healthier. However, rajma is the more sought after delicacy, and is a common feature during special occasions.

Bear in mind that rajma and channa are not the easiest dishes to prepare for beginners, since they require some experience with Indian cooking, seasoning and spices.

Nuts

It is widely known that nuts are a great source of proteins in a vegetarian diet. However the way they are generally used in Indian cooking, they would hardly appeal to someone really health conscious. Since almonds, cashews, pistachios and walnuts are very expensive, they are generally used as ingredients in exquisite desserts and rich festive dishes, both of which are loaded with calories!

Gram Flour

Better known as besan in India, gram flour has much higher protein content than whole wheat or refined flour, and it is also lighter in terms of calories. It is a vital ingredient in several Indian main dishes, cereal staples, sweets and snacks, and features significantly in North and West Indian cuisines.

At the end of the day, whichever Indian cuisine it is that interests you, you are bound to find high protein vegetarian dishes that are easy to cook, healthy and great in terms of taste!

You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.

To learn more about Indian Vegetarian cuisine, visit Meera's Kitchen or go to http://www.indiancookingmadeeasy.com/

Original article