Mumbai-Style Buttered Vegetable Pav Bhaji with Bread (4 Servings)

Finely chop three tomatoes, half a bell pepper and one onion; mash two pre-boiled potatoes. Measure 1/4 cup peas and the other ingredients.

Melt 1 tbsp vegetable-mash butter, add tomatoes, peas, pepper and potato, and sauté two minutes. Add 1 tsp salt and 120ml water; cover and simmer about ten minutes.

Once the vegetables soften, mash them with a potato masher or spatula into a coarse, thick vegetable mash.

Add 1 tsp Kashmiri chili, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp pav bhaji masala, 1 tsp kasuri methi and 2 tbsp cilantro, and cook about one minute.

Push the mash to one side; in the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable-mash butter sauté 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp masala, 1 tsp kasuri methi and 1 tbsp cilantro gently.

Add diced onion, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste and juice from half a lemon; cook until the onion softens, then combine with the vegetable mash.

Add the remaining about 120ml water to adjust texture, then simmer for five minutes while stirring until hot throughout. Do not add artificial food color.

In another pan warm the 4 tsp roll-toasting butter with 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp masala and 4 tsp cilantro, divided as needed. Split all eight rolls and toast both cut faces until golden.

Divide vegetable mash into four bowls and serve with two toasted rolls each. Refrigerate leftover vegetable mash in shallow containers within two hours, use within 3–4 days and reheat to 74°C.