Pav bhaji recipe - The most popular Mumbai street food or fast food recipe. Mixed vegetables are cooked, mashed and spiced with special spice blend, served with soft, toasted buns.
This pav bhaji recipe is smooth and buttery just like the street stalls serves. For that I am using the butter at different stages while preparing the bhaji.
- First I am sauteing the onion-tomato in the butter.
- Secondly, once the bhaji is ready, I add a tablespoon of butter, let it melt. Again add tablespoon of butter and let it melt. I do this 3 times and it makes the huge difference in the texture and taste of the bhaji. Try it once, you will definitely see the good result.
All the taste and flavors in pav bhaji recipe depends on the masala that you use. Earlier I was using the Everest brand pav bhaji masala, it was good. But since past 6 months I am using the homemade pav bhaji masala. I have tried Badshah brand masala as well. But I did not like it that much.
Butter is the next element that plays big role for the flavorful bhaji. Use the good quality white butter. My mom in India uses the Amul butter and it makes the fantastic bhaji. Here in USA, I use the USDA grade AA unsalted butter.
Also one more element that makes it perfect. It is the soft bun aka ladi pav. Always use the fresh pav. It should be lightly toasted with butter on tawa. This soft buttery pav served with bhaji gives the perfection.
It is known for a snack recipe. But it is rich and heavy with all the butter and potatoes in it. So I usually make it as a meal during the weekends. Sometimes I do make paneer pav bhaji recipe too.
Check out more Mumabi street food recipes
Veg grilled cheese sandwich // Pani puri // Bhel puri // Vada pav
How to make pav bhaji recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Take chopped potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and green peas in the pressure cooker.
2) Add salt and ¾ cups of water. Mix it. It looks like there is not much water in it. But that is ok, while cooking water leaves its own water and consistency will be fine. if added too much water then it will be too watery.
3) Cover the cooker with lid, put the weight on. Turn the heat on medium. Let it cook for 3-4 whistles. While it is cooking, chop other ingredients for bhaji. Let the pressure go down by itself. Then open the lid.
4) Mash it using potato masher.
5) Don’t make it like a puree, it should be little chunky. Keep it aside.
6) Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in pan on medium heat.
7) Once hot add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
8) Then add garlic paste, cook for a minute. Or till the raw smell of garlic goes away.
9) Then add chopped onions. Sprinkle some salt.
10) Cook till onions are light brown in color.
11) Add chopped capsicum and mix.
12) Cook for 3-4 minutes. Capsicum will get soften.
13) Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook.
14) Tomatoes will get soft and juicy. Let all the water gets evaporated. Cook till it becomes chunky yet thick paste.
15) Add pav bhaji masala and red chili powder.
16) Mix well and cook for a minute.
17) Then add prepared mashed veggies.
18) Mix well.
19) Add water.
20) Mix well. Adjust the water quantity as per your liking consistency. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
21) Add 1 tablespoon of butter.
22) Cover the pan and let the butter gets melt.
23) Once butter is almost melted (about in 2 minutes), open the lid. Stir it well.
24) Then again add 1 tablespoon of butter, cover and let it melt.
25) Once melted, stir well so everything gets incorporated well. Again add last tablespoon of butter and repeat the same process. This makes really smooth and buttery.
26) Turn off the stove. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves.
27) Mix well and keep it covered.
28) Now to toast the buns, Cut into half horizontally. Spread the butter on both the sides using butter knife.
29) heat the pan on medium heat. Once hot place the butter side facing down on the pan.
30) Once gets golden brown from one side, turn it around the toast other side. Other sides (meaning the top side) should be very lightly toasted. Remove it to a platter. and repeat for rest of the pav.
Now serve the warm bhaji on the plate with dollop of butter on top. On side serve some chopped onions, lemon wedges and pav.
Serving Suggestion: Have it as a meal or snack.
Notes:
- If you are making the bhaji in bulk, Then it will be time consuming to chop the onion and tomatoes. So you can use the food processor for that. You cannot chop the tomatoes in processor but make the chunky puree and use in the recipe.
- For the different taste, you can add cabbage, eggplant, green beans while pressure cooking the vegetables. Taste of the bhaji will depend on which vegetables you are using.
- Potato is the base of the gravy, so use the enough potatoes compared to the other vegetables.
- To make it healthy, you can skip the addition of butter at the end. Also toast the pav with oil instead of butter.
Mumbai Pav bhaji recipe
Ingredients
For pressure cooking vegetables:
- 2 small or 1 ½ cups Potatoes roughly chopped
- ½ cup Cauliflower (gobi) cut into big florets
- ½ cup Carrot cut into big pieces
- ½ cup Green peas
- ¾ cup Water
- Salt to taste
For pav bhaji recipe:
- 1+3 tablespoons Butter
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
- ¾ cup Red onion finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup Capsicum (Green bell pepper) finely chopped
- 2 ½ cups Tomato finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons Pav bhaji masala
- 1 tablespoon Red chili powder
- 1 to 1 ½ cups Water
- 2-3 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves finely chopped
For toasting pav/buns:
- 8-10 Ladi pav
- 1 tablespoon Butter or Butter spread
To serve on side:
- ½ cup Red onion finely chopped
- 1 Lemon cut into wedges
- Butter as needed, to add on top of the bhaji
Instructions
First boil the vegetables:
- Take vegetables in the pressure cooker with ¾ cup of water and salt.
- Let it cook for 3-4 whistles on medium heat or till veggies are soft.
- Turn off the stove and let the pressure go down by itself and then open the lid.
- Using potato masher mash the boiled veggies and keep it aside.
Making pav bhaji recipe:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
- Then saute garlic paste for a minute.
- Then add chopped onions with some salt. Cook till onions are light brown in color.
- Now mix in capsicum and cook for 3-4 minutes. Capsicum will get soften.
- Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook. Tomatoes will get soft and juicy. Let all the water gets evaporated. Cook till it becomes chunky yet thick paste.
- Add pav bhaji masala and red chili powder. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Then add prepared mashed veggies. Mix well.
- Add water. Adjust the water quantity as per your liking consistency. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover the pan and let the butter gets melt. Once butter is almost melted (about in 2 minutes), open the lid. Stir it well.
- Then again add 1 tablespoon of butter, cover and let it melt. Once melted, stir well so everything gets incorporated well.
- Again add last tablespoon of butter and repeat the same process.
- So in short, we are adding butter three times.
- Turn off the stove. Lastly add chopped coriander leaves.
- Mix well and keep it covered.
Toasting the buns and serve:
- Now apply the butter on bun slices and toast them on tawa on medium heat.
- Serve the warm bhaji on the plate with dollop of butter on top.
- On side serve some chopped onions, lemon wedges and pav.
I made this just now for lunch, and it was delicious! Best part was it was the perfect quantity (other recipes that I have tried made way too much) - it’s always nice to not have to half recipes to reach the desired portion. Thank you!
Glad that you liked and recipe helped.
Thank you for the feedback
Wonderful recipe.
thank you
I have tried pav bhaji IST time..my son 4 yr old liked it too much..and I had to make it again for him...others also appreciated this dish..as this food is not available here
very happy to know that everyone liked it.
Hi Kanan,
I would like to skip the Cauliflower. Would it alter the taste? Also what is the proportion of other veggies to make up for the Cauliflower?
I have tried many of your other recipes and they have turned out to be awesome.
Thanks...
You can skip the cauliflower, not much difference in the taste.
You can use same amount of cabbage or broccoli instead.
Or add extra 1/4 cup peas. Do not increase the carrot amount otherwise it will be little on sweeter tone.
Glad to know that you enjoyed other recipes.
Thank you!!!
Your step by step explanation with pictures is really helpful. I tried it tonight and it turned out to be delicious. This was my first time cooking pav bhaji.After adding last spoon of butter I added a spoon of chaat masala and dry mango powder. My sister loved it. Thank you so much... Love from Hyd
Very happy to know that pav bhaji came out good.
Thank you for your detailed feedback