Bread and Buns V

(Contd. from previous posting) 

You can be creative in serving the pAv pieces with bhAji which can be garnished with sprouts of green gram, peas, farSAn*, spices, raw onion, tomato pieces, chopped coriander, a little date syrup etc etc. They call this miSAl pAv in Maharashtra.

                MiSAl PAv                    FarSAn

*FarSAn is is a mixture of chivDA ( south Indian Mixture/chanAchur) prepared from roasted pressed rice, pApDi (prepared from grAm dAl flour and salt with a little ajwain or bishop weeds paste fried in oil like flat cookies), ghATiA, potato chips, corn flakes, bhujia, peanuts, roasted moth beans, dried fruits and spices. It is famous in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is readily available also. It can be taken with pAv (plain or roasted) or without it with tea/coffee or finely chopped onion and tomato pieces -fried green chilli pieces- lime juice, with bhEl pUri/pApDi chAt etc. 

Bhurji pAv is also served where the pAv is served with egg scramble. 

               Bhurji PAv                 VaDA PAv

WaDA pAv is also famous in Mahrashtra where vaDA is prepared as follows: 

Mix 2 cups of Bengal grAm flour with a little water after sieving with 1 tsp salt and make a thick, smooth paste. Keep aside. Make garlic paste from 2 cloves, ginger paste from ¼ inch ginger piece and mix together with 3 green chillies to make all these into smooth paste again. Mix this paste with previously pressure cooked, peeled and mashed potatoes (6 to 8). Add 1½ salt or just the quantity needed after tasting, so as not to make the vaDa very salty, as you had already added salt to the flour paste! Heat a kaDAi and add 2 tbs oil. Add mustard seeds to splutter and then add curry leaves as well as turmeric powder. Sauté for a minute.Add to this the above potato mix and sauté for 5 minutes. Divide this equally into balls of required quantity. Dipping each ball into the gram flour paste after flattening slightly, fry them deep in hot oil under medium flame like crispy bajji (called vaDA in MahArAshtrA).  Drain excess oil through a paper towel or strainer. Slit the pAv vertically into two partly as not to separate and place the vaDA inside before serving hot after spreading one tsp chutney on one portion inside. 

Chutneys: The vaDA pAv is taken with one of these chutneys after rspreading spoonful of any of these inside the slit pAV before placing the vaDA over it. 

Tamarind Chutney: Take 150 gms of seedless tamarind, 50 gms of seedless dates and 100 gms of jaggery and add 1½ cups of water. Cook these on a sauce pan simmering the flame till the contents become soft. Put off the flame and after the contents cool, blend the mixture into thick smooth sauce. Pour this into the sauce pan again. Add to this powdered and roasted cumin/fennel seeds (½ tsp each), ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp red chilli powder. Add a little water and boil to make the sauce thicker before putting off the flame. Cool and chill before serving. 

Mint-Coriander Chutney: Take 150 gms of fresh mint leaves and 150 gms of coriander leaves, clean and blend them with fresh garlic cloves (3), ginger (¼ inch) and 2 thin, long green chillies with salt to taste, 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp lime juice into smooth paste and a little water to bring it to sauce form. Chill and serve. 

Garlic-Groundnut Chutney (LaSUN cum ShEngdAnA Chutney): Take ½ cup of shredded coconut and 50 gms white sesame seeds. Roast each separately for 2 minutes or till a fine smell comes out. Blend these with 10 cloves of garlic, 2 dry red chillies (or green chillies) and salt to taste into a smooth paste. Add to these previously roasted and coarsely ground ground nuts and Mix well. Chill and serve. 

PAv BhAji Masala 

This is readily available in every shop. However, homemade is always better than the one available in the shop as you can make it according to your preference and taste. Here is the recipe:    

Ingredients:           

Red chillies Turmeric powder Dry mango powder (Amchur) Star anise Fennel seeds (Saunf) Garam maSalA powder Asafoetida

25 gms ½ tsp 1 tsp 2 15 gms 1½ tsp *(See below) ½ tsp

Method:

Gently roast all the above under medium flame for 2 minutes except turmeric, mango, garam maSAlA powders, cardamom and asafoetida till they release a fine aroma. Do not char. Blend all and the remaining items in a blender to a fine powder. Store in an airtight containerin a cool place. Lasts for 3 to 4 months. 

Garam maSAlA powder 

This is used also for curries, Alu dAm and various gravies etc that are used for chapAttis and pUris.   

Ingredients:

Fennel seeds Khus Khus (Poppy seeds) Blackstone (Sea Lichen) Cinnamon bark Cloves Cardamom pods Mace (JAti patri) Bay leaves (tEj pattA) Coriander seeds Cumin seeds Black Cumin Seeds ShAh jeera Black pepper dagaDpUl (Star anise) nAg kESar Dry red chilly

100 gms 100 gms 100 gms (KaDal PAsi) 25 gms 10 gms 10 gms 50 gms 15 25 gms 25 gms 25 gms (Kalaunji/caraway seeds) 10 gms 25 gms 25 gms 25 gms (Cassia buds/tadinangu) 100 gms

Method:

Heat a kaDAi (wok) under medium flame and roast each ingredient separately for 2 to 3 minutes or till you get a fine aroma but do not char. Take out and cool. Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods and mix with other ingredients and throw the skin. Blend all to fine powder and sieve. Store in an airtight jar in a cool place. Lasts for about 1 year if stored in an air tight jar in a cool place.

 (To conclude)

Bread and Buns IV

(Contd. from previous posting)

PAv BhAji

PAv means quarter. In West Bengal the quarter pound loaf of bread is known as pAv rOTi! Since the soft bread (bun) used for this is more or less of quarter pound, the name would have been coined. BhAji is a mixed Vegetable curry to be used to eat the pAv! Besides bhAji, you can also use them as starters along with your soups; they make great breakfast bread with some butter and jam. If you ask for the pAv in any bakery, they can supply you four pieces of PAv in one packet. In Maharashtra this is very famous as vaDA pAv, miSAl pAv, or bhurji pAv   and is called lADi pAv (6 pieces in one packet). If you want to make this at home, here is the procedure.

Making PAv:

Ingredients 

All purpose flour (MaidA) Dry active yeast Fresh Milk at room temp. Fresh egg at room temp. Fresh butter at room temp. Caster sugar Table salt

5½ cups 2¼ tsp 1¼ cups 1 (optional) 3 tbs 2 tbs ¾ tsp

Method 

If you get bread flour, then you may use that in place of MaidA and in that case you need just 3 cups only. Sieve the flour to remove lumps and impurities, if any. Warm the milk to lukewarm and add butter to melt. Keep aside. Mix the yeast with lukewarm water and sugar. Stir and keep aside till it becomes frothy. Add the salt and milk cum butter to the yeast solution and stir well. Add the flour evenly to this. Once the consistency is ready to knead stop adding the flour. Knead the mixture into soft and stiff dough till it does not stick to your fingers. Add a little refined oil, mix well and punch the dough well strongly to enable the gluten to develop in the dough. Occasionally, using force drop the dough on the plate surface as if hitting with it and punch till it becomes elastic and soft. Grease a vessel with a little oil and place the dough in it covering with a wet cloth so that it does not dry. Keep it in a humid and warm place till it doubles. Take out after it doubles (say in about 45 to 60 minutes) and knead once again and keep it covered for another 30 minutes.  Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Flatten each lightly in your palm into a small square turning it hemispherical on top. Place them on a baking tray leaving between each about 1½ inch space on all sides. Keep aside again to double. After doubling they will have good round shape on top and also they will touch each other on the sides now. Pre heat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) for about 30 minutes or till it becomes golden brown. Cool them before using.  

PAv from Bakery              Home made PAv

Note: 

1. Instead of using only maidA, you can mix wheat flour (35%) and make this as done by some people. But this may not be as softer as the one prepared with complete maidA. 

2. In order to get soft pAv, never go on adding more flour except a little less for the dough of capAtti. The water content must be more in it but the dough must absorb and double to become thicker. 

3. Unless the yeast is fresh and active the pAv (as well as bread and bun) cannot be softer. To test this, mix a little of it in luke warm water with some sugar. The mixture must become frothy. 

Preparing BhAji: 

Ingredients 

Sharp long green chilli Garlic cloves Butter Refined oil Cumin seeds Finely chopped onions Chopped Capsicum Finely chopped tomatoes Fresh green peas Potato (Big) Carrot dices Simla Chilli chopped Cauliflower florets Coriander leaves PAv BhAji MaSAlA Red chilli powder Table salt PAv (Soft and fresh)

6 8 100 gms 2 tbs 1tsp ¾ cup ½ cup 1½ cup 1½ cup 2 ¾ cup ½ cup 2 cup 2 tbs 2 tbs 2 tsp To taste 8 pieces

Method 

Wash the green chillies, remove the stocks, cut into big pieces and grind in a mixie with garlic cloves, adding a little water into smooth paste. Keep aside. If you prefer, you can replace green chillies with red chillies. 

Pressure cook carrot, cauliflower, green peas and potatoes after washing till two whistles. Mash the peas gently and keep aside. Peel the potatoes and mash medium and keep aside. Heat a little oil in a kaDAi (wok) and add cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the chilli garlic paste and sauté for 1 or 2 minutes simmering the flame. Add onion and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes or till it becomes a slightly pinkish brown, stirring simultaneously. Add capsicum along with Simla chilli and sauté for a minute. Now add the tomatoes and again sauté for 5 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the contents well. Add the salt now along with the pAv bhAji maSAlA, chilli powder, carrot, cauliflower, mashed green peas, potatoes and ½ cup of water. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, simultaneously mashing. Add the coriander after chopping it finely, mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Put off the flame and keep aside. 

Take each pAv, slit vertically on the sides and keep aside. Heat a large pan on medium flame, add 2 tsp butter and roast the slit pAv both sides till they become crisp and light brown. You may use a little more butter if needed. 

Take a plate, place 4 pieces of roasted slit pAv on it, a ladleful of hot bhAji beside the pAv pieces, a piece of lemon and 1 roasted pApaD. Place 1 tsp butter on the bhAji and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot this way and the remaining pieces also on three more plates. (PAv can be taken plain with bhAji without roasting also)

                    BhAji                 PAv BhAji

                                                              (To Conclude)