Pav Bhaji
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Pav Bhaji |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | Maharashtra |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Snack |
| Main ingredient(s) | Bread, Potato |
Pav bhaji (Marathi: पाव भाजी, also transliterated as pao bhaji and pau bhaji) is a fast food dish native to Maharashtrians and is popular in most metropolitan areas in India, particularly in the Maharashtrian city of Mumbai & Pune.[1] Pav in Marathi means bread, the word Marathi borrowed from portuguese pão (lit., "bread"). Bhaji is a term for a curry and vegetable dish. Pav bhaji consists of the bhaji (a potato-based curry) and the pav, garnished with coriander and chopped onions. Pav is high in carbohydrates and fats (if served with butter), while bhaji, the vegetable-based curry portion, is high in carbohydrates.
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[edit] History
The origin of this dish is traced to the heyday of the textile mills in Mumbai. The mill workers used to have lunch breaks too short for a full meal, and a light lunch was preferred to a heavy one, as the employees had to return to physical labor after lunch. A vendor created this dish using items or parts of other dishes available on the menu. Roti or rice was replaced with pav and the curries that usually go with Indian bread or rice were amalgamated into just one spicy concoction-the 'bhaji'. Initially, it remained the food of the mill-workers. With time the dish found its way into restaurants and spread over Central Mumbai and other parts of the city via the Udipi restaurants. Such is popularity of this dish, that it is common to find it on the menu of most Indian restaurants serving fast food in Asia (especially Singapore, Hong Kong), America, UK (London), Switzerland and elsewhere.
[edit] Preparation
To make bhaji, potatoes are mashed on a flat pan called a tava, and made into a thick gravy after adding diced tomatoes, finely grilled onions, green peas, capsicums (green pepper) and other vegetables like cauliflower and carrots. A special blend of spices simply called the pav bhaji masala similar to garam masala is added to this thick gravy. The gravy is then allowed to simmer on the pan for a few minutes and is served hot in a flat dish with a tablespoon of butter on top [2]
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The pav (bread) is roasted on the same pan with an ample amount of butter and a masala (usually chilli powder and salt). The Bhaji is garnished with diced onion and a slice of lemon and served with the pav.
In restaurants some more varieties are available including Cheese Pav Bhaji with added cheese on top, Paneer Pav Bhaji with added paneer (cottage cheese), Mushroom Pav Bhaji, Khada Pav Bhaji('खडा' vegetables not mashed, but small pieces cooked with masala gravy), and Dryfruit Pav Bhaji with added dryfruits, Jain Pav Bhaji (mostly in Gujarat) replacing the onions with unripe bananas, as Jains do not eat any food which is grown underground.[citation needed]
[edit] Consumption
It is consumed as a snack, between lunch and dinner, particularly by individuals in western India. In this part of India, pav bhaji is available on hand carts popularly known as Pav bhaji chi Gaadi. It is also available in almost all hotels and eateries. In recent years, pav bhaji is also being consumed as a light evening meal, and is also a party favorite.
[edit] In popular culture and media
- Sanjay Dutt played the role of a pav bhaji vendor in the Hindi movie Vaastav.
- In the Telugu film Dubai Seenu, Ravi Teja and his friends opened a pav bhaji stand on the road in Mumbai, India.
