Pav Bhaji Recipe

Pav Bhaji is a recipe native to Maharastra and is a very popular Indian street food in Mumbai and Pune regions. Pav Bhaji is a combination of “Pav” which means bread in Marathi and “Bhaji” meaning mixed vegetables.

The origins of the Pav Bhaji goes back to the glory days of the textile mills in Mumbai when the mill workers used to have lunch breaks too short for a full meal, and so a light lunch was preferred. That is when food vendors replaced the roti and rice with bread/bun called as Pav and all the veggies were amalgamated into one spicy concoction called the 'bhaji' or mixed vegetables.

Pav Bhaji Recipe Ingredients

• Potato - 4
• Cauliflower – 1 cup (grated)
• Carrots – 2 (chopped into circles)
• Beans – 1/2 cup
• Cabbage – 1 cup (chopped)
• Green Peas – 1/2 cup
• Onions – 4 (finely chopped-3 for the bhaji and 1 for garnish)
• Tomatoes – 3 (finely chopped)
• Ginger garlic paste – 2tbsp
• Capsicum – 2 (finely chopped)
• Green chilies – 4
• Cloves – 3
• Red chili powder – 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder – 2 tsp
• Garam masala – 1 tsp
• Bhaji Pav masala – 3 tbsp (available in most indian grocery stores)
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Lemons  – 2 medium sized
• Butter – 5 tbsp
• Asafetida or Hing – 2 pinch
• Salt – 2 tsp
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnish
• Pav or bun – as required (you can use the hot dog buns if you are abroad like in the USA)

Pav Bhaji Cooking method

1. In a vessel boil the potatoes, mash it and keep it aside.
2. In another vessel containing some water add carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beans and peas. Bring the contents to a boil.
3. Take the vessel of the heat and transfer the contents into a blender. Grind the vegetables coarsely with little water and set it aside.
4. In a pan add 5 tbsp butter, asafetida, chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste and chopped capsicum. Keep stirring the contents gently until the onions turn translucent pink.
5. Now add chopped tomatoes, green chilies, pav bhaji masala, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, cumin seeds, cloves and asafetida. Mix all the contents and simmer for 10 mins.
6. Add the coarsely grinded mixed vegetables from step 3, salt, sugar and mix well. Simmer for another 6-8 minutes.
7. At this stage add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Cook for another 8 minutes. While it cooks, use the back of a slotted spoon to mash the ingredients. Mash to a course texture. If required you can add another tablespoon of butter into it.
8. Now add juice of 2 lemons and mix well. Take the pan off the heat and now the bhaji is done.
9. In another pan or tava, melt a big dollop of butter. Since the pav or bread or bun in the center and put then on the tava facing inwards.
10. Turn them around after a minutes and let the outside turn golden brown.
11. Now take the pav or bun on a serving plate, add the Bhaji and garnish it with copped coriander leaves. Put some chopped onion, a piece of lemon and serve hot.