Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is an Indian street food that has made its mark not only on the bustling streets of Mumbai but has also found a place in the hearts of food enthusiasts around the world. Bhaji is a Hindi word for vegetable dish or vegetable curry. This dish features a mix of mashed vegetables cooked to perfection with aromatic spices. It accompanies buttery and lightly toasted pav buns (bread rolls).

The origins of Pav Bhaji trace back to the streets of Mumbai, where it emerged as a quick and affordable meal for the mill workers in the mid-19th century. Over the years, it has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, becoming a go-to snack for people from all walks of life. Today, it is not just a street food delicacy but also finds its place on restaurant menus and home kitchens.

The preparation involves cooking a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, peas, carrots, and bell peppers until they are soft and well-blended. We season this vegetable mixture with a blend of spices. Garnish the bhaji with fresh coriander, chopped onions, and a dash of lemon juice for freshness.

We lightly toast the pav buns or bread rolls, with butter, providing the perfect accompaniment to the flavorful bhaji. The combination of the buttery pav and the spicy bhaji gives an irresistible treat. Enjoy them as a hearty street food snack, a satisfying meal, or a crowd-pleasing party dish.

The Colour

The colour of pav bhaji can vary, but it’s typically a vibrant reddish-orange hue due to the spices and tomatoes used in its preparation. These days restaurants choose to enhance the colour by adding food coloring agents to achieve a more vibrant appearance. However, traditionally, the colour comes from the blend of spices and tomatoes. Here comes my creative twist to the dish. I added beetroot to impart a natural colour. It’s a great way to enhance both the visual appeal and the flavour profile while keeping the dish natural and nutritious.

Pav bhaji masala

Pav Bhaji masala is a key spice blend that plays a crucial role in giving a distinctive flavour to this dish. This masala (spice mix) is a combination of various ground spices, each contributing to the overall aroma of the dish.

The exact composition of the masala may vary, but it typically includes a blend of spices such as coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, dry mango powder, black pepper, and red chilli powder. These spices are toasted and ground to a fine powder.

The addition of the masala to the vegetable mixture during the cooking process enhances the overall taste of the dish. It contributes a unique combination of earthy, spicy, and slightly tangy notes that elevate the dish to a new level.

This masala is readily available in most grocery stores, allowing home cooks to recreate the authentic taste of Pav Bhaji without the need to individually source and grind each spice. When using Pav Bhaji masala, it’s essential to adjust the quantity according to personal taste preferences, as the spice level can vary among different brands.

Pav Buns

Pav buns are soft, fluffy bread rolls popular in Indian cuisine, particularly known for their role in dishes like pav bhaji and vada pav. Made from a simple dough of flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and water, pavbuns are baked until golden brown.

Check out this recipe

Pav Bhaji

Print Recipe

Pav bhaji is an iconic dish that features a flavourful blend of mashed vegetables, infused with aromatic spices, creating a rich and savoury curry. It is served alongside buttery toasted pav (bread rolls).

Course Breakfast, Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 4

Author sumisculinarynotes

Ingredients

• 3 potatoes roughly chopped
• 1 carrot roughly chopped
• 1 beetroot roughly chopped (optional)
• 1 capsicum finely chopped
• Water as needed
• Salt
• Butter/oil as needed
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes finely chopped
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder
• 1 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 1 tsp sugar optional
• 1 tsp crushed kasuri methi leaves
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Juice of half lemon

To Serve

• Lemon
• Finely chopped onion
• Butter toasted Pav bun

Instructions

• Boil or pressure cook the mixed vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beetroot) until they are soft. Mash them well and set them aside.
• In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Add chopped onions and sauté until they turn golden brown.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute until the raw smell disappears.
• Add chopped bell peppers, peas and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mashed.
• Add pav bhaji masala, Kashmiri chilli powder and salt. Mix well until the raw smell of the masala disappears. Mash the whole mixture with the back of the spoon or a masher.
• Add the boiled and mashed vegetables. Mix everything thoroughly. If the mixture is too thick add hot water to the desired consistency. The bhaji should have a thick and luscious consistency.
• Add kasuri methi and a teaspoon of sugar to balance the flavours. Adding sugar is purely optional.
• Cook the bhaji on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Turn off the flame and squeeze the juice of half a lemon.
• Garnish the bhaji with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
• Add a blob of butter and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.
• Serve the hot and flavourful Pav Bhaji with toasted pav, a wedge of lemon, and additional butter on the side.

Notes

• Adding beetroot to the pav bhaji is optional, but it’s a fantastic way to introduce a natural colour and a subtle sweetness to the dish. Traditionally, beetroot is not a part of the classic pav bhaji recipe.
• If you are using fresh peas cook them together with the vegetables.
• You can also add cauliflower to the pav bhaji dish for added texture and flavour.