Pav bhaji

Dassana Amit’s pav bhaji serves a buttery mashed-vegetable curry with lightly toasted pav rolls. Her home version includes potato, cauliflower, carrot and peas, with green bell pepper and optional French beans.

The vegetables pressure-cook in measured water until fully tender. Their cooking broth stays with them for the later gravy, rather than being drained away.

Butter carries a cumin tempering, then chopped onion cooks until translucent. Freshly crushed ginger and garlic, green chilli and tomatoes follow; once the tomatoes soften, green bell pepper joins the pan.

Turmeric, Kashmiri chilli and pav bhaji masala season the mixture. The cooked vegetables and their broth are added and mashed directly in the pan, then simmered until the curry reaches the desired consistency.

Separate butter toasts the split bread rolls, with an optional pinch of pav bhaji masala. Amit serves the dish piping hot with a little butter over the bhaji and chopped onion, coriander and lemon alongside, recalling the generous pav bhaji meals she enjoyed at Juhu Beach.