Pav bhaji recipe – A delicious blend of mix veggies cooked in butter & spices, served with soft butter tasted buns. Pav is an Indian bread and bhaji is mashed vegetables cooked with spice powder. This post will guide you to make the easiest & best pav bhaji that tastes delicious and flavorful.
If you are new to this dish, here is more info
What is pav bhaji?
Pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food that consists of a spicy mix vegetable mash & soft buns. Usually pav bhaji is served with a generous amount of butter topped along with some fresh chopped onions & lemon juice. The butter toasted pav are eaten along with the veggie mash or bhaji.
Apart from pav bhaji, Masala pav, Sev puri, Aloo tikki, Dahi vada, Pani puri, Batata vada, samosa and vada pav and are some of the popular street foods from mumbai.
Usually the street side bhaji is made with more potatoes & onions. Veggies like cauliflower, capsicum & peas are used in little quantities or even skipped.
Street stalls selling mumbai pav bhaji often avoid cauliflower as it turns out to be expensive for them. But while making it at home, it is good to use it as the flavor of bhaji turns out excellent. You can adjust the amount of veggies to suit your taste and liking.
There are many pav bhaji masala powders available in the market which can be used instantly. Each one differs in the flavor and taste. But the basic ingredients almost remain the same. Only the quantity of ingredients change. So you can chose the one you like.
I like my homemade masala powders so I make my own pav bhaji masala powder at home. You can find the link in the recipe card below. I have shared it here in brief.
Make pav bhaji masala
You can also make pav bhaji masala powder by dry roasting the following ingredients. Powder them in a spice jar and use as needed in this recipe.
2 tbsps coriander seeds
1 black cardamom
1 tbsp cumin or jeera
1 tsp pepper corn
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
3 red chilies
1 inch cinnamon
3 to 4 cloves
1/2 tbsp amchur
For more street foods check
Sandwich recipes
Pakora recipes
Papdi chaat
Gobi manchurian
Easy egg snacks
Pav bhaji recipe
Pav bhaji recipe | How to make pav bhaji
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients to make bhaji for pav bhaji
- 1 cup potatoes diced or 3 medium or 2 large
- ½ to ¾ cup green peas or matar
- ½ to 1 cup cauliflower or gobi florets
- ½ cup capsicum (bell pepper) chopped
- 2 tablespoon butter ( or oil)
- 2 medium onions (¾ cup finely chopped )
- 1 green chili (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or chopped
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder less spicy kind or red chili paste as needed
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric or haldi
- 1 tablespoon pavbhaji masala powder (use more if needed)
- 1 large tomato or 2 medium chopped
- ¾ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for toasting pav
- 4 to 6 Pav (buns) (dinner rolls)
- 1 tablespoon butter for toasting pav
- ½ teaspoon pav bhaji masala powder
Ingredients to garnish pav bhaji
- 1 Lemon wedges
- 2 tablespoon onions Chopped
- 2 tablespoon Coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon butter
How to make the recipe
Preparation for pav bhaji
- Add ½ to 1 cup cauliflower florets, 1 cup cubed potatoes and ½ to ¾ cup peas to a pot or pressure cooker.
- Pour water to partially cover them and cook until soft or tender.
- If cooking in cooker, let it whistle twice. When the pressure releases open the lid and mash them well.
Making bhaji
- Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil to a pan and heat up.
- Next add ¾ cup finely chopped onions and fry till they turn translucent.
- Then add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and 1 chopped green chili.
- Fry till it becomes fragrant.
- Next add ½ cup capsicums & saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add 1 large chopped tomato and ½ tsp salt.
- Fry till tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
- Next add ½ to ¾ teaspoon chili powder and 1 tablespoon pav bhaji masala powder.
- Mix and fry for another 2 minutes or until the raw smell of the mixture goes away.
- Add boiled & mashed veggies.
- Pour water just enough to bring to a consistency.
- Cook for 3 to 5 mins until the bhaji thickens.
- Add ¾ tsp kasuri methi if using and cook until it reaches a desired consistency.
How to make pav bhaji
- Slit the pav buns horizontally leaving one edge intact.
- Heat butter on a pan. Open the buns and sprinkle some pav bhaji masala on the butter.
- Place the pav & toast them for a min or two.
- Garnish with onions, butter and lemon wedges. Serve pav bhaji hot or warm.
Video
Video of pav bhaji recipe
NUTRITION
Notes
Preparation
1. Add potatoes, cauliflower, and peas to a pressure cooker or a pot. Add water just enough to cover them partially. You can also use carrots if you like.
2. Pressure cook for 1 to 2 whistles on a medium flame.
3. When the pressure goes off, open the lid. Veggies should be soft cooked. Mash them well.
How to make pav bhaji recipe at home
4. Heat butter or oil in a pan. Butter tastes best.
5. Add onions & fry till they turn translucent.
6. Add ginger garlic paste and green chilli. Fry until it smells good. Take care not to burn.
7. Add bell pepper. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Fry till tomatoes turn mushy, soft and pulpy.
9. Add chilli powder and paav bhaji masala powder.
10. Mix well and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Add the boiled & mashed veggies. Add water as needed and stir.
12. Mix well and simmer for a while to bring out the flavor of masala. You can add kasuri methi if you like.
13. When it reaches the desired consistency, add chopped coriander leaves. switch off. Add some lemon juice.
14. Slit the pav horizontally leaving one edge intact. Heat butter on a tawa. Add little masala powder.
15. Place the pav on the butter and toast for 1 to 2 mins.
Garnish with coriander leaves, lemon wedges and chopped onions. Top with butter on hot bhaji. Serve pav bhaji with some butter topped and onion.
Lakshmi says
Pav bhaji dish is looking great…and yummy…will try it and give feedback.
swasthi says
Thanks Lakshmi
Hope you like it.
Pratima says
Super
swasthi says
Thank you Pratima!
Shruti says
Hey Swasthi,
I made your pav bhaji for a small gathering. It turned out pretty good. Everyone loved it. Thanks a lot. You made our day special. I also subscribed your youtube channel.
swasthi says
Hi Shruti,
You are welcome. Glad everyone loved it! Thank you so much!
Loveleen says
You are amazing I love it
swasthi says
Thank you!
Glad you liked the Pav bhaji!
Pratibha says
Amazing recipe. I kinda liked the way you toasted the pav with masala. Tried it and turned out amazing 😉
swasthi says
Hi Pratibha
Glad you liked the pav bhaji! Thank you!
Lim says
Hi
I plan on making my this over the weekend. Can I use broccoli for cauliflower? If not what is the substitute. Cauliflower is not available in my place. TIA
swasthi says
Hi Lim,
No! Not broccoli. It will alter the taste. You can just skip it no problem. You can just make it with peas, potatoes and bell peppers. Hope you enjoy the pav bhaji.
Raji says
Hello swasthi di
Mine turned out lovely 😊. This is the first time I made pav bhaji at home. Didn’t know it is so easy. Thank you. My little brother & sister too enjoyed it.
swasthi says
Hi Raji
You are welcome. Glad your pav bhaji turned out good. Thanks for sharing the pictures. It looks yummy! My good wishes to all of you!
🙂
arjun tapasvikar says
Thanks u swasthi…
swasthi says
You are welcome Arjun
ana says
Hi Swasthi,
Your pav bhaji is a hit at my place. The kids were very joyful eating this homemade pav bhaji. Any specific tips to follow if making in instant pot. Next week I will have some friends for lunch. Keen to make it in a IP. Thanks much for your amazing recipes.
swasthi says
Hi Ana,
You are welcome. Thanks for trying the recipe. Yes you can make the one pot bhaji in IP following the same instructions. First make the tempering and onion tomato masala. Add all the veggies and pour one and half cup water. When done you will have more water. I pressure cook on high for 7 mins and allow for a natural release. Then mash well and add little more pav bhaji masala. Simmer until you get a desired consistency. If needed add more water while you simmer. Hope you enjoy the recipe again!
Gauri says
Thank you!!! The pav Bhaji turned out great 🙂
swasthi says
Welcome Gauri
Happy to know your pav bhaji came out good. Thank you!
Suhani says
Hi swasthi
I made pav bhaji today and our entire family loves it. Thanks a lot. Both my toddlers too love it 😍
swasthi says
Hi Suhani
So glad to know the pav bhaji turned out good. Thanks for the comment.
🙂
blanche berenzweig says
I would like to make a good fruit chutney using apples, and mangoes, and tomatoes. Do you have a suggestion?
swasthi says
Hi, you can just simmer all of them together with some sugar, ginger,cinnamon & some orange juice. You can also add in some dates or raisins. Towards the end add in red chili flakes and pepper. Hope this helps
nancy says
it was yummy…….n everyone is praising….thankyou mam
yuvi says
on seeing iam getting water in mouth and i wanna go into the system and eat it
Mrinalini says
Wonderful!!!! Tasted great
Archana says
Tried and it came out awesome! !! Just like streetshop’s!
swasthi says
Hi Archana,
Thank you so much for trying. Glad to know it came out good.
🙂