Pav Bhaji (Mashed Vegetable Curry with Buttered Rolls)

Boil the potatoes, cauliflower, carrot and peas together until everything is very soft — about 15 minutes. Drain, keeping a cup of the water.

Melt 40 g of the butter in a wide, heavy pan. Fry the onions 8 minutes over medium-high heat until soft and browning at the edges.

Add the ginger–garlic paste and bell pepper, cook 2 minutes, then the tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes, pressing them down, until they break into a thick pulp.

Stir in the pav bhaji masala and chilli powder and cook 2 minutes, then tip in all the boiled vegetables with a splash of the cooking water and salt.

💡 3 tablespoons of masala looks alarming. It is correct — the bhaji is a big volume of bland vegetable and needs it.

Now mash. Use a potato masher and work the pan hard for 4–5 minutes, until there are no whole pieces left and the bhaji is a rough, thick, red mass.

💡 Mash by hand, never in a blender. Pav bhaji should have a slightly coarse texture — blended, it becomes baby food.

Add water a splash at a time and simmer 8 minutes to a thick, scoopable consistency. Stir in another 20 g butter and half the coriander.

Split the rolls almost through. Melt the remaining butter on a flat pan with a pinch of pav bhaji masala and press the cut sides down until deep golden and crisp — about 1 minute.

💡 Toast the rolls last, while the bhaji sits. They go leathery within minutes of leaving the pan.

Serve the bhaji with a knob of butter melting on top, raw onion, coriander and lemon wedges alongside, rolls on the side.