#2-1 Pav Bhaji

This is the first episode of a new Munchies Podcast series on street foods from around the world. The swhow's theme music is by Jim Fidler. It is called "Welcome to the Street" and is available on the Podcast Music Network.

What, then, is Bhaji? It is basically a dry stir-fried potato dish served on a fried bread roll called Poori or on a yeast bread roll called Pav. The bhaji cook stands on the street with a very large cast-iron wok-style. He fries a variety of potatoes and other chopped veggies. I think of it as an early form of Indian fusion cooking (Potatoes are new world and were introduced before the British arrived), just as French fries in the U.S. are a form of early fusion (Pommes frite are Belgium in origin and became popular in the U.S. after the American soldiers who ate them in Europe returned from World War I. Poutine in Canada started the same way, but took a different turn when interpreted by cheese loving Quebec). Bhaji is loved in India the same way that French Fries are loved in the U.S. The particular combination of potatoes with a buttery-spicy tomato sauce and other chopped vegetables varies from street to street. But the key ingredient is butter. The cook will start by sautéing the boiled potatoes, the vegetables, the spices in a relatively  dry pan. This gives the potatoes in particular a smoky edge. Enormous dollops of butter are added after the potatoes have started to soften. Then, the whole pan is mashed into a sizzling mass. The cook then scoops the mixture onto the bottom slice of the roll which have been generously spread with more butter. After a few sliced onions and a squeeze of lemon juice, the sandwich is topped with crown of the roll, wrapped in paper and handed to the drooling customer.
You can make bhaji at home quite easily and serve it on any type of bread you like. I've had it on pita bread, spooned onto crackers, rolled into roti and flour tortillas and oozing from the sides of a supermarket hamburger bun.
As for the bhaji itself, you have several options. You can make a simplfied version of of the dish with ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard.

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tbsp oil
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp chili powder or red chili paste
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
salt to taste
2 cups tomato puree
1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)...optional
1 tbsp butter
Method:
1. Boil the potatoes till tender and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan and sauté the pepper. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté some more.
3. Add curry powder, chili powder to taste and salt to taste. Sauté for a few seconds.
4. Add tomato puree, peas, boiled potatoes and cauliflower and butter.
5. Keep sautéeing and mashing it together till it is a smooth mixture, adding water as required (you can use a potato masher to help you along). Be aware that the mixture can spurt up as it boils, so keep a lid on it while you are not actively stirring it. Simmer for 20-25 minutes to really get the flavors to meld together.
You have to keep tasting and adjusting salt, masala and tomato till you like the balance between the tomato-ey tang and the heat of the masala. The final mixture should be dry enough so that it won't drip out of the bun.

This won't taste good enough to try on your South Asian friends, but it's close enough for you to get the idea and maybe want to take the next step in bhaji cooking. That next step involves getting to an Indian grocery somehow. If you live in a large city, you're in luck. Just ask around among the South Asian neighbors you meet. If not, you'll have to use the internet. While it isn't the only site available, a good place to start is <http://www.patelbrothersusa.com/index_new.asp>. Once at the grocery, you have several options. South Asian household sometimes rely on "meals ready to eat" packages. Unlike frozen or canned goods (of which you will also plenty in the grocery) , MRE's are prepared foods in sealed packages. They are perfectly safe and you should be able to find one for Bhaji. Be aware, however, the  these MRE's are spiced for the South Asian palate, not the American palate. If you want to make your own Bhaji, buy some Pav Bhaji Masala in a box. It's a premixed spice mixture that will save you some time later.
The difference between the simplifed recipe I just gave you and this next one has to do entirely with the complexity of the flavors. Using premixed spices is always a compromise. Buying ingredients you won't use again for ten years is a waste of money. However, if you are making this more authentic recipe because you want to enjoy that taste, you may find that you will like and want to cook more South Asian dishes. In that case, you'll use up the spices you buy for the Bhaji quite quickly.
Anyway, here's the real deal (serves 3-4 people):

1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp onion seed (kolonji)
4 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
a pinch Asofoetida (hing)
2 tbs chopped onion
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes washed and diced small with the skins on (Get fresh, attractive organic ones. They are the stars of this dish)
1 tsp red chili powder (I like hot paprika or New Mexican chili powder for this, or substitute 1/2 tsp cayenne for more kick)
1 tbs dessicated coconut
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp tomato paste
2 tbs unsalted butter or ghee
1/2 cup natural (unsweetened) yogurt

Have everything ready. This goes very fast. Heat the wok until very hot. Let it smoke fror a good five minutes for that real "street" taste. (Careful you don't set off your smoke alarm) Add the oil and swirl. immediate add the three seeds, the cloves and the Asofoetida. These will burn quickly in the hot wok, so give them only about ten seconds before adding the onion, garlic and ginger. stir vigorously to avoid burning the garlic, no more than 3 minutes. No add everything  else.  I usually add the potatoes first and stir them around a bit to try to get them to color before adding the rest of the stuff. This can take about 5 minutes. Then, I add the turmeric, the chili powder and the tomato paste and stir it until all the potato pieces are covered. This also cooks the the tomato paste a bit and makes it sweeter. Then, I add the butter/ghee and coat each piece of potato until they shine. Finally, I add the yogurt and turn down the heat. It has been on high the whole time. I cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked through (taste a large piece to test) and the mixture is dry. Add a few tablespoons of water if it looks like it will burn before the potatoes are done. Covering it for a few minutes is also allowed. You just want the mixture to not drip when you serve it. I finish the dish with a large pinch of salt (1/2 tsp) and stir it around.
Serve hot on any kind of flat bread or roll you like. Just mound it up into a pile on the bottom and press the crown to hold everything inside.
Second time around (and trust me, there will be a second time) add the cauliflower and peas mentioned in the first recipe, or any other additional vegetables you like. It's all good.