Pav Bhaji is a mouthwatering street-style dish made with a tangy and spicy mashed vegetable curry served with a buttery toasted roll for a delicious meal!
In this Post:
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Pav Bhai Ingredients
- How to make Pav Bhaji?
- Tips for Recipe
- What to serve with Pav Bhaji?
- More Vegetarian Recipes
Pav Bhaji is popular street food in parts of India such as Mumbai.
This dish first originated as a quick lunch dish for textile mill workers but quickly gained popularity in many parts of India and abroad.
Pav Bhaji literally translated to Pav – bread, and Bhaji – vegetables – aka bread and vegetables. It sounds like a simple dish, but it is anything but boring.
The unique blend of spices used in pav bhaji masala makes it spicy, tangy, warm and comforting all at the same time.
Why you’ll love this recipe
If you love food with lots of flavors, you’ll want to try this Pav Bhaji!
- Vegetable curry (bhaji) is made with loads of vegetables – fresh and frozen.
- Pav Bhaji masala is spicy, tangy and so flavorful
- Served with a soft buttery roll to sop up the flavorful curry
- The best comfort food for any night of the week!
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more recipes inspired by Pakistani and Indian street food, here are some of our favorites:
Ingredients & Notes
- Vegetables – we use a combination of potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots, green bell pepper, carrots, and onion. You can adjust these to your preference, but you will want vegetables that mash easily.
- Ginger-Garlic Paste – or equal parts crushed ginger and crushed garlic. This paste is a popular pantry item for Pakistani and Indian food. We love making a big batch of ginger garlic paste at home and having it ready to go in the fridge.
- Herbs – Green Chilli, Cilantro – add spice and freshness to this pav bhaji dish.
- Tomatoes – both fresh and canned tomatoes will work for this recipe.
- Pav Bhaji Masala – this spice blend is a tangy, spicy mixture that is the key to this pav bhaji recipe. The recipe below makes more than you need for this recipe. You can store the rest in an airtight container.
- Spices – cumin, and turmeric – complement the pav bhaji masala in this dish.
- Bread – Pav or Dinner Rolls – Pav bhaji is incomplete without the pav (bread). Opt for a soft dinner roll toasted in butter for the most delicious results.
How to make Pav Bhaji at Home?
Pav Bhaji Masala
In a pan on low heat add all the ingredients except Turmeric and Mango powder. Roast till fragrant. Cool the mixture completely.
To a blender, add the roasted spices with turmeric and mango powder. Blend well
Store in an airtight container for 3-6 months.
Vegetables for Pav Bhaji
Add cubed potatoes, cauliflower florets, diced carrots and peas with salt in a pot. Add just enough water to partially cover the vegetables. Boil till all the vegetables are tender.
Use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to mash all the vegetables. If they are too watery, cook off some of the water.
Add ½ stick of butter and cumin seeds in a pot over medium-low heat. Once fragrant, add diced onion till translucent. Add the ginger and garlic paste with chopped green chilli and cook for a few minutes.
Add the chopped or crushed tomatoes, mix well, and cook until well incorporated.
Add the Pav bhaji masala
Add the diced green bell pepper and mix well.
Add the mashed vegetables and mix well.
You can add some butter and cook till all is well incorporated.
Assemble Pav Bhaji
Toast the Pav/Bread: Slice the Pav/dinner roll. Add butter and a sprinkle of pav bhaji masala in a pan on low heat. Toast the pav in the butter till crispy.
Garnish with lemon and cilantro. Serve with sliced onions.
Recipe Tips
Tips for Pav Bhaji
- You can adjust the combination of vegetables as desired.
- The vegetables can also be steamed or cooked in an Instant Pot for quicker results.
Tips for storage and leftovers
- The curry or bhaji can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To serve, warm up the bhaji on the stovetop or microwave oven. Toast pav fresh with butter and serve with your garnishes of choice.
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more simple vegetarian recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Rajma Masala with Rice
- Aloo Gobi – Pakistani Cauliflower and Potato Curry
- Aloo Ki Bhujia
- Bhindi Masala
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
- 2 Potatoes medium, peeled and cubed
- 1 Cauliflower cut into small florets
- 1 cup Peas
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 Green Bell pepper
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic paste
- 3-5 Green chilli chopped, adjust to preference
- 3 Tomatoes chopped or crushed
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped chopped or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 6-8 tablespoons Butter
- Salt as per taste
- 3 tablespoons of Pav Bhaji masala
- 6 Pav or dinner Rolls
- 1 Lemon, sliced garnish
Pav Bhaji Masala
- 4 tablespoon Coriander seeds Dhaniya
- 2 tablespoon Cumin seeds Jeera
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 cloves
- 2 Cardamom
- 2 inch stick Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Black pepper
- 10 Red chilli
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Mango powder
Instructions
Pav Bhaji Masala
- In a pan on low heat add all the ingredients except Turmeric and Mango powder. Roast till fragrant. Cool the mixture completely.
- To a blender, add the roasted spices with turmeric and mango powder. Blend well
- Store in an airtight container for 3-6 months.
Pav Bhaji
- Add cubed potatoes, cauliflower florets, diced carrots and peas with salt in a pot. Add just enough water to partially cover the vegetables. Boil till all the vegetables are tender.
- Use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to mash all the vegetables. If they are too watery, cook off some of the water.
- Add ½ stick of butter and cumin seeds in a pot over medium-low heat. Once fragrant, add diced onion till translucent. Add the ginger and garlic paste with chopped green chilli and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the chopped or crushed tomatoes, mix well, and cook until well incorporated.
- Add the Pav bhaji masala
- Add the diced green bell pepper and mix well.
- Add the mashed vegetables and mix well.
- You can add some butter and cook till all is well incorporated.
- Toast the Pav/Bread: Slice the Pav/dinner roll. Add butter and a sprinkle of pav bhaji masala in a pan on low heat. Toast the pav in the butter till crispy.
- Garnish with lemon and cilantro.
- Serve with sliced onions.