No onion, No Garlic: Jain Pav Bhaji

With the increasing Jain population, restaurants and chefs have started making Jain recipes. Jain Pav Bhaji is one such a fantastic recipe. Despite being made in a Jain manner, i.e. without using onion and garlic, Jain Pav Bhaji tastes yum. The recipe is definitely worth trying.

Ingredients:

• 35 to 40 whole dry Kashmiri red chillies, deseeded and soaked in 1/3 cup warm water. (Blend into paste)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/2 cup chopped capsicum
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 
• Salt to taste
• 3/4 cup boiled cauliflower florets
• 1/3 cup soaked, boiled and mashed dried green peas (hara vatana)
• 3/4 cup boiled green peas
• Finely chopped coriander leaves

Making of Jain Pav Bhaji:

1. Take a pan and heat both oil and butter together in a pan. Keeping the flame low, add cumin seeds and saute for few seconds. Then add red chilli paste and saute again for few seconds.

2. Add chopped capsicum and saute until it gets softened. Then add tomatoes and cook them until mushy. Now add red chilli powder, Pav Bhaji masala, salt as per the taste and 1/2 cup of water. Mix well and let it simmer on a medium flame for about 5-10 minutes. 

3. Once the oil starts separating, mash the veggies coarsely with a masher. Then add cauliflower, mashed hara vatana, green peas, coriander and some water. Again mash with a masher and let the bhaji cook on a medium flame for sometime. Keep stirring on regular intervals.

4. Now, once the proper consistency is achieved, switch off the gas and garnish the Jain Pav Bhaji with chopped coriander leaves, butter and few drops of lemon. You can also use chopped spring onions.