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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Utterly Butterly Delicious Pao Bhaji

Pao Bhajis and "Indian Pizzas" in Mumbai. These Indian 'za's and subs are way tastier than these and these. Probably because this cook grills his tomatoes for a long time before adding the rest of the ingredients, then tops off his Bombay hoaggies and pies with more chopped tomatoes, this time uncooked. Not to mention the fresh bread that is delivered to his stall every morning by the bicycle pao wala. He also said he uses a good pav bhaji masala he gets from his brother. Also, he grills the bread w/ Amul butter. Here is a recipe for Pao Bhaji from a great little cookbook I picked up in Bombay called "Street Foods of India" 1 KG Potatoes, boiled,peeled, diced 1 C Desi Ghee 400 g Tomatoes, diced 120 g Onion, finely chopped 6 Green chiles, chopped fine 1 1/2 T Ginger, minced 1 1/2 t Tumeric powder 1 t Red chile powder 2t Garlic paste 2t Ginger paste 1 C Water 3/4 C Amul butter (or annato butter) 3t Pao Bhaji Masala (recipe below) 1 C Cilantro, chopped 3 T Lemon Juice 12 Bread Rolls (Pao), cut horizontally -Heat ghee in a tawa or heavy bottomed frying pan. Fry tomatoes for 3-4 minutes over med heat until the juices reduce and flavors concentrate. Add onions, green chiles, minced ginger and tumeric powder. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes over medium heat. -Add Potatoes, red chile powder and plenty of salt. Continue to cook over low heat mashing and stirring for 6-7 minutes. -Add the garlic and ginger pastes, diluted in 1 C water. -Add masala powder, cilantro and lemon juice. Stir well. - Coat the bread roll halves with Amul butter and a little garlic paste and place, face down on the griddle to lightly brown. *Pao Bhaji Masala Red chili powder 1.5 tsp Coriander powder 2 tsp Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp Garam masala 1 tsp Cumin (jeera)seeds 1/2 tsp Amchur (mango powder) 1 tsp Cloves, 5 Hing (Asafoateda), 1 small grain or powder Black Salt pinch Salt to taste Toast Cumin seeds and grind to powder with cloves. Mix together all spices Tomatoes grilling for pao bhaji at Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai Meet Amul's mascot, the Utterly Butterly Amul Girl, famous for her witty comments on current affairs across the globe. The Amul company started as a cooperative of dairy farmers from the Kheda District of Gujrat in 1946 in an attempt to eliminate the middleman and ensure that profits go directly to the farmers. The co-op is now owned by over 2 million individual dairy farmers in Gujrat. This system ensures small scale production while enabling the farmers to market and distribute collectively.

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