Pav bhaji — Mumbai, India

Pav bhaji is a thick, mashed vegetable curry, called bhaji, cooked down with butter and a spice blend until it can be scooped rather than spooned, and served alongside soft bread rolls, pav, toasted in butter. It began, according to sources, as a quick meal sold to textile mill workers in Mumbai, which shaped its fast-food format. The dish is reported as typical of Maharashtra, centered on Mumbai, and has since spread to street stalls and restaurants across India as well as among Indian communities elsewhere. To prepare it, potatoes, peas, cauliflower and other vegetables are boiled until soft, then mashed. Onion, garlic and ginger are softened in butter, tomato is added and cooked down, and a spice blend known as pav bhaji masala goes in along with the mashed vegetables; the mixture is worked over heat, with more butter added, until thick and glossy. The pav rolls are split, toasted in butter on a griddle, and served alongside the bhaji with raw chopped onion, coriander and a wedge of lemon. Vendors and households vary the vegetable mix, the strength of the spice blend and how much butter goes in; some add capsicum or a little beetroot for color. It is generally eaten hot, straight from the griddle-style pan it is cooked and kept warm in.