Pav Bhaji
SCD, Paleo, Low Carb, Gluten-free, Vegetarian
You won’t believe that this pav bhaji has NO grains or potatoes. I mean, look at it. It looks like the real deal. And more importantly, it tastes like the real deal.
If you don’t know what pav bhaji is, it’s a classic Indian dish involving topping buttered dinner rolls with a spiced mixture of potato gravy. It’s pretty much guaranteed to be at every Indian dinner party. 😅. The kids usually try to get away with just eating the pav (bread), while the parents give them ultimatums in order to get them to eat some of the bhaji (the vegetable mixture). Kids and vegetables amirite. But when you get older and your tastebuds evolve, you drown your pav in the bhaji, because it’s just that good.
In an effort to satisfy my cravings, I had set out to create a version of this that’s SCD-friendly. In this case that means no grains and no potatoes. Since the basis of this dish is bread and potatoes it seemed virtually impossible, but the cravings forced me into innovation mode and I did it! And y’all. It tastes legit. 🙌🏼
The star of the show for the bhaji (the vegetable mix) is rutabaga. Rutabaga is a vegetable in the turnip family, but bears similarities with potatoes in its cooking properties. When boiled, it softens similarly, and it is pretty plain tasting (does not taste like turnips) so it’s a blank canvas to endless recipe innovations.
For the pav (bread), I use a combination of nut flours, yogurt for rise, and eggs to bind.
It’s best served with a bowl of diced raw red onion, lemon wedges, and optionally green chili, for you to top each bite with.
Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
Pav (bread)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup oil/ghee/butter
- ⅓ cup diet-compliant yogurt I used homemade SCD yogurt; you can use another kind per your diet. Preferably, strain the yogurt to be thick.
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Bhaji (vegetable)
- 2 medium rutabagas
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 3 roma tomatoes chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red onion diced
- ½ inch ginger root peeled and minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cloves
Garnish
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 1 green chili optional based on how much spice you like in your life :P
- few cilantro leaves
Instructions
Prepare the Pav
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Mix all the ingredients for the Pav (bread).
- Pour into a 8×8 baking dish and bake at 350ºF for 10-15 mins (until top is dry and edges are turning golden).
- Let cool while preparing the bhaji (next section).
- After it is cooled, cut bread into 2 inch squares (about 9 squares). Cut each square horizontally to make two square slices from each.
Prepare the Bhaji
- Cut skins off rutabaga, then cut into cubes.
- Place cauli florets and rutabaga cubes into a pot and bring to a boil. Drain water when veggies are tender.
- Mash just the rutabaga into a purée first. Then add cauliflower florets and mash, leaving cauli slightly chunky.
- In a large skillet with oil, on medium heat sauté onions (reserve 1/4 for garnish), ginger, garlic with the spices.
- Add tomatoes to the skillet shortly after.
- When the tomatoes are soft and broken, add the cauli+rutabaga mash. Stir and cook until cohesive. If mixture is too thick, add water as needed.
Serve
- Toast each face down on skillet with butter, ghee, or oil.
- Serve a few pieces of toasted bread with some bhaji on each plate, accompanied with raw red onions, lemon juice, and chili.
- When eating, scoop bhaji on top of bread and generously sprinkle raw red onions, lemon juice, and chili.
I hope you try this healthy, low carb, and gut-friendly version of the iconic pav bhaji! If you do make it, tag me on Instagram so I can see your yummy creation :)