yay!! for street food – bhel puri

Street food is something most people love…..except the chronic paranoid though…..i am happy to announce I made the transition quite quickly, from the state of paranoia to the ardent lover…. There is something rustic and lustful about hot, spicy street food….and it cannot be repeated enough times…that it can never be replicated at home…..the environs are too sanitized……from someone who never ate off a bandi or cart, I moved over to someone who now knows the best places to get specific chaat items….yes…all ye people lusting after all those pav bhajis, bhel puris, ragda patties, dahi puris and pani puris in hyderabad, you know now who to contact!! And to all those people who scoff and say “oh the best place to have chaat is mumbai / delhi / agra / calcutta or wherever else you come from” , lets just say, prepared for a major tongue lashing if ever we pick up this conversation……

The one street food item I thought was completely overrated, is the bhel puri…..yes I am quite opinionated that way!! I mean, you cant really proclaim love to some puffed rice that doesn’t even stay crisp when assaulted by some various sundry additions right?? wrong…..k made me see differently…despite the fact that I often scoffed at his love for this item……on holi, a kind and garrulous uncle and aunty who live on the floor below, sent us some homemade goodies and k relished the bhel like there was no tomorrow…..i had been promising to make it for him….and though holi was all the way back in march, I never got down to doing it till a few days ago……i didnt have the puris that it called for, but armed with a packet of murmura, and licking the imli – date chutney incessantly while it cooked and till I was satisfied, I made this from Meera’s Enjoy Indian Food…..and we loved it!! hurrah for bhel puri….another chronic paranoid conquered!!

this is my entry to Sia’s MBP which this month is all about Street Food

Pav bhaji grilled sandwiches

the thing about being an over enthusiastic cook (over enthu cutlet, in the words of a dear friend) is that we sometimes cook more than what can be had at one meal……..if this is by design, then great cos you have cooked for another meal and saved yourself some trouble…but if it happens by default, then mentally you arent prepared to have leftovers and dealing with that can be daunting……..

A few weeks ago, we had pav bhaji for dinner made from the recipe from one of the hottest stoves in the cyberworld…..following nupur’s instructions to the T has gained me many wah wah’s on all the occassions i have made it……. I made more than what we could finish for dinner….i stuck the remanants in the fridge and that was that…two days later….the eternal question of “what shall we have for breakfast” was asked….and the answer any one is dishing up meals dreads to hear “anything” was heard….in no particular mood to do any elaborate cooking, the leftover pav bhaji came to my rescue…..while I am not particularly fond of leftovers, I am equally unwilling to trash perfectly good food….i also refuse to leave stuff to languish and go all fuzzy and green….

Toasted sandwiches are a big draw in our family….it used to be the only travel food we ate for almost all the years we travelled by train….and more importantly when the indian railways didn’t always have food to be served during the journey…..the versatility of the sandwich ensured we didn’t get bored of it…it was easy to make, carry and totally mess free to eat…..we have a contraption which is used on the stove top…..the one I have is courtesy my mom and I have no clue where she bought it….it is non stick….and can turn bread from blah to wah in a couple of minutes…..

I have also stuffed pita bread and pizza bases and toasted them this way….all times the end result is excellent…this time i used the pav bhaji…..any other spicy semi dry curry of choice, egg bhurjee, slices of cucumber, tomato, cheese………the fillings can be anything that tickles your fancy …..they all work great…….

needless to say, we had a satiating breakfast…..and this is also my entry to the Sandwich Festival on at Anupama’s Food n More……

pav bhaji grilled sandwich (serves 2)

8 slices bread ( i used whole wheat)

16 T pav bhaji made using Nupur’s recipe (or any other filling of choice)

lay the grill with a slice of bread, put 1-1 1/2 T of filling in it, cover with another slice of bread, close the grill, toast on both sides for 30-45 seconds till golden brown. remove from toaster / grill, cut diagonally and served hot with sauce of choice.