Try this healthy pav bhaji sans the calories

Find yourself craving a tangy treat, but don’t want to break your diet? Try this homemade pav bhaji recipe which will satiate your desire for some chatpata street food while ensuring you stay within your daily calorie consumption count.

Just a few pointers – this should be had as a meal, not snack, since it is carb-heavy (owing to the pav). Healthy because it incorporates so many vegetables, note that I’ve used more pumpkin than potato to keep it light. Also, avoid butter.

If you don’t want to have bread, try a multigrain roti instead.

Pav bhaji Ingredients

• 2 carrots
• 1 potato
• 1/2 capsicum
• 200 gm French beans
• 100 gm cauliflower/broccoli
• ½ cup peas
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• Fresh coriander for garnish
• 1 lemon
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp rai (mustard seeds)
• 1 1/2 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 1 tbsp dhania (coriander) powder
• Salt and red chilli powder to taste

Method

1. Chop all the vegetables and put them in a pressure cooker (keep onion, tomato and chilli aside to fry later). Add 1 cup water or whatever quantity is required to fully immerse the vegetables. Add salt, and pressure cook till vegetables become soft. Usually it takes around 10-12 minutes.
2. Mash all the cooked vegetables using a masher.
3. While the vegetables are being pressure cooked, heat olive oil in another pan, fry the onion and then add green chillies and tomatoes. Cook till soft. Add pav bhaji masala and dhania powder, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the mashed vegetables to the onion mix and cook on high flame for a minute. If the gravy is not thick enough then reduce the flame and simmer until it gets thick. Serve with hot whole wheat pav and lemon wedges.

Pav Bhaji Nutritional value

For 1 katori bhaji + 1 pav – 150 calories

Protein – 3.3 gms

Fat – 2.4 gms

Carbs –  29.5 gms

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