Pav Bhaji is a flavorful and filling meal with a delectable blend of spicy mixed vegetables served with soft butter-toasted dinner rolls, crunchy onions, and lemon wedges. This home-cooked Mumbai street-style Pav Bhaji is extremely delicious! It’s the simplest and most convenient dinner choice for busy weeknights. A sure-fire crowd-pleaser with strong flavors! Make the BEST Pav Bhaji at home using these easy recipe directions for a pan, pressure cooker, or instant pot.
It’s probably difficult for many Indians to walk past a Pav Bhaji place without succumbing to the urge. It is undeniably one of the most popular and delicious street foods in Mumbai, India!!
About Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji is an Indian fast food dish made up of a thick spicy veggie gravy and soft dinner rolls. ‘bread roll or dinner roll’ means ‘Pav’ in Hindi and Marathi, and ‘Bhaji’ means ‘a veggie dish’. This name is given to this dish because it is presented as a meal.
In India, this iconic street food is one of the most popular choices of light and quick meals for textile workers.
This can be found everywhere in India, from upscale eateries to school/college canteens and street-side push carts. Furthermore, it can be found in every Indian restaurant around the world. However, it is said that the finest Pav Bhaji can be found in Mumbai.
Pav Bhaji Recipe
Pav Bhaji Recipe Homemade is simpler than you believe and tastes incredible! You won’t have to put much work into it, aside from preparation. Though an all-time favorite, this is not the perfect starter; rather, it is best served as part of a meal. Because no one wishes to be satisfied with just one or two servings of pav bhaji.
Bhaji is made up of a variety of veggies cooked with butter and pav bhaji masala, a unique spice blend that creates its magic. The piping hot bhaji is drizzled with butter and garnished with coriander leaves.
It’s then served along with butter-toasted pav, chopped onions, and lemon slices. Then you can immerse the pav in the bhaji and enjoy it.
Ingredients Required
Pav (dinner rolls/ bread rolls): The ingredients for Indian pav are refined white wheat, milk, and yeast. They are eggless and easy to find in Indian grocery stores. If you reside outside India and cannot find pav, you can substitute unsweetened buns, sourdough, or artisan bread. Whole grain crusty flatbread complements this bhaji as well.
Mixed vegetables: Fresh vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers, beans, potatoes, and frozen peas are used. If you prefer, you can use pre-cut vegetables from the store.
Butter: The main flavoring agent in the dish is butter. If you want more flavor, you can use cultured butter.
Pav Bhaji Masala: The bhaji is prepared using a spice mixture called pav bhaji masala. Either make your own using the recipe I’ve provided below or purchase from an Indian retailer.
How To Make Pav Bhaji Recipe
Peel, rinse, and chop two large or three medium potatoes. (about 300 grams). Flour from 1 cup of clean cauliflower (optional). ½ to ¾ cups of Green peas should be rinsed. You might also use 1 medium carrot if you’d like. (Half cup chopped).
Chop one medium onion (between ¾ to 1 cup), two medium tomatoes (between ¾ to 1 cup), half a bell pepper (½ cup chopped), and one green chili for the masala. Make 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste in addition. Keep aside each of these.
- Fill a pot or pressure cooker with potatoes, cauliflower, peas, and carrots (optional). Pour 1½ cups of water over them, just enough to cover them partially.
- On a medium flame, pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles.
- Open the lid when the pressure is released. Vegetables are to be cooked softly. Combine them well.
Prepare Onion Tomato Masala
- In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add 3/4 to 1 cup of finely chopped onion. Saute until they become translucent.
- Include 1 green chili and 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste. Fry until the food is fragrant. Be cautious not to burn.
- Include 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper. 2 to 3 minutes of frying.
- Include 3/4 to 1 cup of chopped tomatoes along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Fry the tomatoes until they are pulpy, mushy, and soft.
- Include 1 to 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of pav bhaji masala powder and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Skip the chili powder if cooking for children, albeit the color will be affected.
- Mix thoroughly and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Make Bhaji
- Add the mashed and boiled vegetables. To get it to a consistency, add another 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water.
- To bring out the masala flavor, thoroughly combine and boil for some time. Taste the food and, add extra salt if needed. For a brighter hue, you can also add extra chili powder at this point. Additionally, if you wish, you can add more pav bhaji masala for flavor.
- Add 3/4 tablespoon of kasuri methi. Coriander leaves should be added once it reaches the desired consistency. turn off. Before serving, slightly chill down and add some lemon juice.
Toast Pav
- Cut a horizontal slit through the pav, leaving one side uncut. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter on a tawa over a medium flame. Add some garam masala powder on top of it.
- Toast the pav over the butter for 1–2 minutes, or until it begins to turn faintly crisp. Avoid using too much pepper powder because it will burn. By putting more butter in the pan, you can repeat the process on the opposite side as well.
Add coriander leaves, lemon slices, and finely chopped onions as garnish. On a hot bhaji, add more butter on top. Serve pav bhaji with onion and butter on top.
Pav Bhaji Recipe | पाव भाजी रेसिपी | Mumbai Street Style
Ingredients
Ingredients for Boiling
- 1 cup Cauliflower florets
- ¼ cup Carrots
- ¼ cup Green bell pepper
- ¼ cup Chopped French beans
- ¼ cup Green Peas
- 4 Medium boiled and peeled potatoes
Ingredient for Saute
- 6 tbsp Butter
- 1 Small Onion
- 2 Peeled and chopped small tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 2 Serrano green chilies
Spices Required
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Pav bhaji masala
- ½ tsp Salt (as per taste)
Ingredient for Garnishing
- Minced cilantro for garnish
- 1 tbsp Butter
Instructions
Instruction for Boiling the Vegetable
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In a small quantity of salted water, combine the cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, french beans, and green peas and cook until tender.
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Discard the water from the vegetables, and set them aside.
Instruction for Saute and Cooking
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Put a large skillet over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. In a skillet, add the onions and cook them until they are translucent.
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Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender.
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Add Green chilies and ginger-garlic paste. Smash the ingredients with a potato masher. Cook the tomatoes until the oil begins to separate from their sides.
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Add the salt, pav bhaji masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and sauté for one minute.
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Add the potatoes and all the prepared veggies, and let it cook for an additional three to four minutes.
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Add 1 tablespoon of water if the mixture begins to dry out.
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Now bhaji is ready.
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Turn off the heat and transfer it to a serving bowl.
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Place the greased side of the buns down on the skillet after buttering them. Toast the bread till golden brown and just a little crispy on each sides.
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Serve the buns along with the bhaji. Butter and cilantro are good additions to the bhaji's garnish.
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Enjoy the amazing, delicious pav bhaji.
