Masala pav – A delicious street food in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra state. Though there are many other pav based snacks (pav bhaji, vada pav etc) available in Mumbai, so you might have missed this food when last time you visited the city. Masala pav with grated coconut is always a great option in snacks, particularly if you like Maharashtrian street food.
I first time tried this snack in Nashik, Maharashtra, India. Earlier I always went for masala pav instead of pav bhaji or vada pav. Though pav bhaji it little bit heavy food as compared to other two options (masala pav & vada pav). AND it is also more buttery & oily food. So I always preferred vada pav which is less heavy and less spicy, easy to have when you are walking along the road. I mean it is actually less clumsy and easily available food. But never tried masala pav earlier, but when I was in Nashik I tried it in 2014. The local street food vendor was making that food in front of all customers, so people prefer to have food from that stall. At-least you can see that the food is prepared in front you, so that should be more hygienic as compared to others what is cooked inside a restaurant. Actually, in such case, you do not even know whether that food is cooked now or it was cooked yesterday or the day before yesterday and they just warm it before serving. So having street food which is prepared in front of you is always good and safer for your health.
Since that day I have tried different versions of masala pav. Street vendors actually prepare those in front of you, so you can see the steps of making of that food. Some people add juicy & sweet pomegranate seeds whereas some vendors use date-tamarind chutney (sauce) to bring sweet taste in this masala pav. But being a Malvani food lover, I liked this simple masala pav with grated coconut. I also tried this with date-tamarind chutney but I did not like this. This is actually the best version what I am sharing with you. But still, occasionally, I also try other versions too.
So if you prefer to have such delicious street foods at home then try this amazing one. It is very simple but with utterly buttery masala it becomes one of the most favorite snacks. Coconut brings YUM magic to this snack. But do not add grated coconut until and unless you have fresh coconut in your kitchen.
Check these too: Pav bhaji, batata vada pav, aloo chaat, gobi 65, ghugni, mooli pakoda etc.
Masala pav (with grated coconut) recipe
- Pav - 4 pieces
- Tomato & chilli sauce - 4 tsp
- Grated coconut - ½ cup
- Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
- Vegetables (capsicum, carrot, tomato etc) - 1.5 cup
- Pav bhaji masala - 3 tsp
- Red chilli - 2 tsp, powder
- Green chillies - 2 pieces, chopped
- Salt - as needed
- Water - ½ cup
- Butter - ½ tbsp
- Heat a sauce pan and add butter & wait till it is melted
- Now add chopped onion and saute in butter then add all vegetables (capsicum, carrot, tomato) & salt and cook for 5 minutes
- Then pour ½ cup of water and boil till masala is almost dried up
- Keep cooked vegetable masala in a bowl, now cut pav horizontally and keep those on cooking pan for one or two minutes
- Now spread cooked masala over one part of pav and top it with grated coconut, take other part of pav and spread Tomato & chilli sauce (home made sauce)
- Now combine both parts together (do this for all 4 pav, each one cut horizontally into two pieces) and enjoy
Spread juicy pomegranate seeds to bring sweet taste in this snack what you can to get a different taste if you want to make this very often
So let’s enjoy the magic of masala pav with grated coconut at home and share your experience here with a few words of your own by leaving a comment below.
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