💛 Ingredients 💛
For Bao Buns:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry yeast
100 ml milk
100 ml boiling water
2 tablespoons oil
For Bhaji:
Combine the following in a pressure cooker and whilst for 4-5 times:
4 large potatoes, peeled & halved
1 small piece beetroot, peeled
1/2 cup eggplant, peeled & halved
1 small carrot, peeled & cut into small pieces
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup cauliflower florets (boiled separately)
1 teaspoon pav bhaji masala
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cups water
For Gravy:
5 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 large capsicum, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons pav bhaji masala
1 teaspoon kasuri methi
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup coriander, chopped
Asafoetida water (1 teaspoon asafoetida + 1/4 cup water)
3-4 cups of hot water
For Red chili paste:
7-8 dry red chilies (soak in hot water for 30 minutes, remove seed and crush well into a smooth paste)
💚 Instructions 💚
For Bao Buns:
In a bowl, combine milk, boiling water, and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then add yeast. Let the yeast bloom for 5 minutes.
Now sieve all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into it.
Further add oil and combine all. Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes.
Now form a dough ball and cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours in a bowl.
After rising, roll out the dough.
Now use a cookie cutter to cut out small rounds from the dough.
Brush some oil over the surface, fold them into halves and place them onto a sheet of baking paper on a large tray.
Cover them with a thin towel, and place them in a warm place for about 30 minutes for the buns to rise again.
Steaming Bao:
Prepare the steamer on the stove.
Steam the buns for 15 minutes, or until they are puffy, soft, and cooked well.
Remove it to a plate and your bao buns are ready.
For Making Bhaji:
In a wide flat pan, heat half of the oil and butter followed by cumin.
Further add in chopped capsicum and sauté until light brown.
Add in chopped tomatoes along with all the boiled vegetables.
Now add in red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin-coriander powder, pavbhaji masala, salt, 3 tablespoons of asafetida water, and half of the red chili paste. Mix until well combined then mash all the veggies with the help of potato masher.
Now add hot water in 3 small batches and keep mashing the bhaji until you get the texture you want. (Don’t mash it completely like a paste)
Add half of the coriander and mix until well combined.
Now in a small pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, then add in a pinch of cumin, pavbhaji masala, garam masala, kasuri methi, and the remaining red chili paste. Stir and cook for 1 minute and then add it to the bhaji.
Now add lemon juice, the remaining coriander and let it cook for 2 minutes. And your bhaji is ready.
Making Bao Bhaji:
Take a bao bun and open it slightly.
Fill around 2 teaspoons of bhaji in it.
Garnish with some chopped coriander, capsicum, and tomato.
Serve these amazing fusion cuties while it's warm.