Pav Bhaji Recipe | Easy Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji Recipe with detailed photo and video recipe. Pav Bhaji is a world-famous fast food dish and perhaps the king of street food in the western state of Maharashtra. The recipe is an amalgamation of vegetables spiced with a unique blend of spices known as pav bhaji masala and served with a soft bread roll, aka pav. The recipe is typically served as a complete meal for lunch and dinner but has transformed into a popular street food recipe in India.
Make a delicious, street-style Mumbai Pav Bhaji at home by boiling and mashing potatoes, cauliflower, peas, and capsicum. Sauté them in plenty of butter with onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, and heavy Pav Bhaji Masala spices. Serve the hot, thick curry with soft, butter-toasted bread buns (pav).
Ingredients Needed
- For the Bhaji (Vegetable Curry):
- 3 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- ½ cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 finely chopped capsicum (green bell pepper)
- 3 finely chopped tomatoes
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 3 to 4 tablespoons butter (plus extra for serving)
- 1 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (for color)
- Salt to taste and water as needed
- Juice of half a lemon and fresh coriander leaves
- For the Pav:
- 4 to 6 pav bread buns
- 2 tablespoons butter for toasting [1]
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Boil the Vegetables:
- Place potatoes, cauliflower, and green peas in a pressure cooker with 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for 4 to 5 whistles until completely soft.
- Mash the boiled vegetables thoroughly using a potato masher and set aside.
- Make the Masala Base:
- Heat butter and a little oil in a large pan or on a flat griddle (tawa) over medium heat.
- Add finely chopped onions and sauté until translucent.
- Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for one minute until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the chopped capsicum and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, Kashmiri red chili powder, and pav bhaji masala.
- Cook the mixture until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy and butter separates from the edges.
- Combine and Simmer:
- Add the mashed vegetables and salt to the tomato-onion masala base.
- Mix everything well, adding a little water to adjust to a smooth, thick consistency.
- Mash the mixture again with the potato masher directly in the pan.
- Let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Finish with a splash of fresh lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves.
- Toast the Pav:
- Slice the pav buns horizontally without cutting all the way through.
- Melt a generous amount of butter on a hot pan.
- Place the buns on the butter and toast them lightly on both sides until golden.
- Serve:
- Ladle the hot bhaji into a bowl, top with a cube of butter, and serve alongside the buttery toasted pav, chopped raw onions, and a lemon wedge.
Watch this short video to see the mashing technique and final assembly for street-style pav bhaji: