Mashed Vegetable Curry with Toasted Buns (Pav Bhaji)

Pav bhaji, a much-loved fast food in India, is like a vegetarian sloppy Joe. Fragrantly spiced cooked vegetables are mashed to a chunky pulp and served with buttered pav, or soft rolls, for making open-faced sandwiches and mopping up the curry. The dish is such a mainstay that spice blends, called pav bhaji masala, exist to make the seasoning simpler. For our version, in addition to ground turmeric, we use whole coriander, cumin and fennel, and we crush them only lightly so they lend some texture to the curry. You can pulse the seeds all together (rather than one spice at a time) in an electric spice grinder or bash them in a mortar with a pestle. If you’re sensitive to chili heat, you may wish to seed the serranos before chopping them.