ladi pav
Also Known As
Bun Pav, Pav
Description
Ladi pav is one of the common food items in Mumbai and is used in many food recipes. As named, it is arranged in slabs or "ladi" in rows or 3 or 4 pav or bread merged together. It is soft baked bread in two contrast colors. The upper area is creamish brown in color and lower section is creamish white in color, less fluffy compared to upper section. It tastes like the sliced or the loaf bread. The batter used is maida or refined wheat flour. Other ingredients used include salt, water, yeast, stabilizers and preservatives.
How to select
Always ask for the freshly arrived bun or ladi pav. Check the date of packaging before buying. You can also try smelling the bread smell. Stale breads show mold and discoloration, so avoid consuming those.
There are various brands available in all the grocery stores, in two sizes. The big pav are 6 merged together and the regular size is 8 pav merged together. Generally these are sold in plastic polythene bags, unlabelled as they arrive directly from any local bakery.
Culinary Uses
Ladi pav is a very common food item and used as an accompaniment in a number of recipes.
· The most famous and hot favorite of mumbaiites is Pav Bhaji. Here the potato bhaji is eaten with this pav, which is shallow fried in butter.
· Also Wada pav is a yummy, spicy fried Maharashtrian snack, wherein the potato filling fried wada is sandwiched between the sliced pav adding the garlic chutney.
· Dabeli is one of the Gujrati snack, often called as double roti, wherein a filling of raw banana or potato is put in between the pav along with masala sing and the chutneys.
· You can just try making yummy Masala Pav by frying it in butter and adding spices and lime in the melted butter.
· Cut the pav into 6-7 square pieces and sauté it in little hot oil. Add salt and other spices and make delicious snack.
· Ladi Pav can also be used in burgers, instead of the burger breads.
Health Benefits
· Since it is made up of Maida or refined wheat flour, it is high in simple carbohydrates, which provides energy to the body
· As it is eaten with other vegetable accompaniments, you get all the nutrition of these through the recipe.
· There is little amount of proteins also present.
Whole wheat ladi pav
The bun breads made by whole-wheat flour instead of refined wheat flour are the whole-wheat ladi pav. These are brown in color from outside as well as inside. It is as fluffy as the white bread. Nutritionally, it is healthier as it consists of fiber from the whole wheat, which is absent in the regular ladi pav. Hence diabetics as well as those who are on weight loss can consume it. It is less available in market, although home made whole wheat ladi pav may be ordered for, through your grocer.