Pav bhaji originated in Mumbai. This dish was particularly served as fast food for the textile industry workers who had to work for long hours and often missed their meals and this dish
served the required nutrition from the combination of vegetables and bread. So pav bhaji was a quick and easy meal that was invented to feed the textile workers.

Nowadays pav bhaji has become the most popular street food all over India. Pav bhaji
is the combination of pav and bhaji. Pav is a bread roll or dinner roll and bhaji means gravy-based
vegetables. When both are served together it is called Pav bhaji.

Pav bhaji is liked by all ages and I never met any kids or any person who doesn’t like this dish. Just the fragrance of bhaji, when it is cooking, is enough to make you crave it.

Pav bhaji has spicy mashed vegetables served with pav(dinner roll). Bhaji is a combination
of mixed vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, onions, cauliflower, peas, and lots of spices like garlic, ginger, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, lemon, and the most important thing is Pav bhaji masala. Pav bhaji masala is a special blend of flavorful spices used to give a nice and aromatic flavor. You can buy pav bhaji masala from a store or make it at your home. but especially I like to use ready-made Badshah Bombay style pav bhaji masala.

Make a simple and easy pav bhaji recipe at home.

• Cuisine: Indian street food 
• Course: full-course meal 
• Serving: 4 people
• Diet: Vegetarian or Vegan
• Preparation time: 15 minutes 
• Cooking time: 30 minutes 
• Total time: 45 minutes 

 

Ingredients :

Bhaji: 

• 3 medium-sized potatoes 
• 1 cup cauliflower 
• 1 cup green peas
• ½ cup capsicum (finely chopped)
• 3 tomatoes ( finely chopped)
• 1 medium onion ( finely chopped)
• Ginger garlic paste( take 1/2 inch of ginger and 5 to 6 cloves of garlic and grind it and make a paste)
• 2 teaspoon Red chili powder 
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 
• Salt as per taste 
• 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala 
• 2 tablespoon butter 
• 1 teaspoon oil 
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves 
• 1 lemon

Pav:

• 8 pav (Bread roll)
• 4 tsp butter 
• 1tsp Kashmiri red chili powder 

 

How to make Mumbai-style pav bhaji?

Bhaji is a thick buttery flavorful mix of vegetable curry served with dinner roll or pav and onion and lemon. please follow my step-by-step photo recipe for the best mouth-watering results.

Bhaji recipe step by step :

1. Wash, peel and chop 3 medium size potatoes, 1 cup cauliflower, 1 tomato and take 1 cup
   of green peas. Add all the vegetables to a pressure cooker.
2. Add 1 tsp salt and 1table tablespoon pav bhaji masala and 1 ½ cup of water in it and mix it well and close the pressure cooker lid. And pressure cooks it until 4 whistles.  Then remove the cooker from the gas stove.
3. While the pressure cooker is cooling down take a pan and heat oil and butter in it. (add a little bit of oil with butter to prevent the butter from burning).
   
4. As soon as butter melts add finely chopped onions and sauté on medium heat until it is soft and translucent.
5. Then add ½ cup finely chopped capsicum and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. After capsicum is cooked add chopped tomatoes in it and add turmeric powder, red chili powder, pav bhaji masala, and salt in it and cook until a nice aroma comes out of it. If you want to add more pav bhaji masala you can, it depends on your choice.
7. Add ginger and garlic paste and mix it well( take ½ inch of ginger and 5 to 6 cloves of shredded Garlic.
8. While the masala is cooking, open the pressure cooker and mash all vegetables.
9.  When all the ingredients are cooked well and a nice aroma comes out of it, add a cup of water in it and mix it well and give it a nice stir.
10. After boiling water adds boiled and mashed vegetables to it.
11. Mix it well and cook it for 7 to 8 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter to it and mix it well.
12. Add freshly chopped coriander leaves, lemons, and small amounts of butter and mix it well.

Pav Recipe Step by Step :

1. Heat a Tawa on low medium flame and put some butter on it and add Kashmiri red chili powder on it. Place the pav on the butter and toast it on both sides for 1 to 2 minutes and remove it from the Tawa.
2. Serve hot pav bhaji on a plate with chopped onion and lemon.

Instructions : 

Bhaji:

1. Wash, peel and chop 3 medium size potatoes,1 cup cauliflower, and 1 tomato and add it to a pressure cooker.
2.  Add 1 cup of green peas, salt, pav bhaji masala, and 1.5 cups of water in it.
3. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook until 4  whistles and then remove the pressure cooker from the flame and let it cool down.
4. Take a pan and heat oil and butter in it. After heating the butter add 1 medium chopped onion in it. And sauté until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
5. Then add finely chopped ½ cup of capsicum in it. Cook it for 3 to 4 minutes.
6. After capsicum is cooked add chopped tomatoes in it and add turmeric powder, red chili powder, pav bhaji masala, and salt in it and cook until a nice aroma comes out of it. If you want to add more pav bhaji masala you can, it depends on your choice.
7. Mix all well and then add ginger garlic paste to it.
8. Mix it well and cook until butter is released from the masala. Add 1cup of water to it.
9. Let it boil 
10. While masala is boiling, open the pressure cooker and mash vegetables.
11. Add mashed vegetables to the masala and mix it well.
12. Cook it for 7 to 8 minutes and 1 tablespoon of butter in it. And give it a nice stir.
13. And at last add finely chopped coriander leaves on top of it. And mix it and taste it. Add salt if required.

Pav :

1. Heat a Tawa on medium heat and put butter on it, add a pinch of Kashmiri red chili powder in it and put the pav on butter, and toast it on both sides for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Remove pav from Tawa and serve on a plate.
3. Serve hot bhaji with toasted pav and chopped onion and a piece of lemon. And enjoy it at any time

Notes :

• You can add any kind of vegetables like cabbage, carrot, spinach, and green beans to it.
• Don’t add vegetables like okra, Karela, and methi.
• You can make pav bhaji masala at home too
• For the Vegan recipe, skip butter from it and use oil or vegan butter instead of butter.
• If you don’t have pav bhaji masala, use garam masala and amchur powder(dry mango powder) in it.
• For tangy flavor use lemon juice in it as per your taste.
•  Use Kashmiri red chili powder for a nice red color.