Pavbhaji In Slow Cooker

Pav-Bhaji is one of the most popular street food from India. It is fun to watch street side vendors preparing bhaji on big flat griddles.

Apart from being yummy, Pavbhaji is perfect way to hide healthy food in kid's meal. My grand kids easily eat homemade eggless bun bread with bhaji (mashed mix-vegetable with spices) and they never complain about vegetables in bhaji. Lately they have been putting bhaji in between two buns and call it bhaji burger !

Talking about sneaking-in vegetables in kids diet, my daughter highly recommends this book called "Sneaky Chef"  by Missy Chase Lapine with tons of recipes and idea about how to sneak-in vegetables in kid's favorite meals. You can purchase is from here on Amazon. All the recipes in the book are not suited for vegetarian/vegans but it is great resource with full of sneaky ideas for picky eaters.

Talking about getting kids and entire family to eat healthy, you can also try this meal planning service called Healthy Kids Inc. Meal Planner . It is meal planning service for entire family and not just for kids. You can choose service for 3 , 6 or 12 months and first 7 days are free. Great "How To Videos" , easy to plan meal and grocery list makes it great resource.

Back to the recipe for pav-bhaji which is made effortlessly using slow-cooker.

Cook time 3- 4 hours
Serving for 7 to 8  people

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 pound cauliflower
2. 1 pound potato
3. 1 cup carrot
4. 1 cup frozen green peas
5. 2 tbsp nicely cut green bell paper
6. 2 tsp red chili powder
7. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
8. coriander powder
9. salt to taste
10. 2.1/2 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala ( easily available in Indian grocery store  )
11.1 tsp ginger paste
12. 2 to 3  tbsp. tomato puree
13. 1 tbsp oil
14. 2 cup water
15.cilantro for garnish

For Gravy

1. 2 onion
2. 3 tomato
3. 3 to 5 clove garlic
4. 5 tbsp oil
5.  pinch salt

Some of the spices mentioned above are traditional Indian spices and are easily available in any Indian Grocery store. You can also purchase this Indian Spices Starter Kit  from Amazon which includes all the listed spices and many more without worrying about significant investment.

Method:
1.Wash cauliflower, potato, carrot and cut in small cubes.
2. Put vegetables in slow cooker bowl. Add 2 cup water, cover slow cooker and it set on high.
3. Chop Onion and garlic very nicely in a chopper. Chop tomato separately.
4. In a microwave safe bowl combine 5 tbsp oil, chopped onion and garlic and pinch of salt.Mix it well and cook for 10 minute in a microwave. (You do not have to do this step in microwave. But I prefer the browning process that happens in microwave which is similar to stove top. Alternately you could also use Slow Cooker with Stove-Top Browning)
6. Now add tomato paste and mix it well. Again cook for 10 minutes and add it to the slow-cooker.
7.In a small bowl combine ginger paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and soak them in 2 tbsp water. Keep it aside.
8.After about 3 hours and 30 minute, vegetables should be done. Mesh vegetables well. Add soaked spices, pavbhaji masala, nicely cut bell pepper, frozen green peas, tomato pure  and  1 tbsp oil. Mix it well cover it for 15 minute.
9.After 15 minute transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro.

 Bhaji is ready to be eaten with butter roasted pav ( bun ) bread, onion and lime.

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This is the book I mentioned earlier in the post. My daughter uses many ideas from this book to sneak-in more vegetables in kid's diet.