Pav Bhaji
One of the most flavorful and popular Indian street food made with mashed vegetables mixed with a variety of spices and served with onions, lemon wedges, and buns.
Pav bhaji is a combination of pav (bread) and bhaji (curried vegetables). It’s an easy-to-make and immensely satisfying meal. Itās a famous Mumbai street food made with spicy mashed vegetables, served hot with a generous amount of butter, finely chopped red onions, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and warm toasted pavs, also known as dinner rolls or buns.

You can add any of your favorite vegetables to your bhaji. I have used potatoes, peas, and carrots. Potatoes form the base of bhaji, so they are a must. In addition to these, you can add cauliflower and capsicum.
The boiled vegetables are cooked with a special blend of spices known as pav bhaji masala. Itās basically a combination of spices such as dried mango powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and many more.
Pav Bhaji
Course: Meals, SnacksCuisine: Vegetarian, IndianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes30
minutes45
minutesOne of the most flavorful and popular Indian street food made with mashed vegetables mixed with a variety of spices and served with onions, lime wedges, and buns.
Ingredients
- For bhaji
1 cup green peas
4-5 medium potatoes, chopped
3-4 medium carrots, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 green chillies
3 Tbsp ghee/butter
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
½ cup onions, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1 Tbsp garam masala
½ tsp turmeric powder
4 Tbsp pav bhaji masala
2 tsp salt
3-4 cups water
- For assembly
5-6 lime wedges
1 cup onions, finely chopped
3-4 Tbsp butter
Pavs (dinner rolls)
Directions
- In a pressure cooker, add green peas, potatoes, and carrots and pressure cook them on medium heat for 5-6 whistles. Alternatively, you can add these veggies to a pan and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and green chillies in a mixer grinder and make a puree.
- Now heat a pan on low heat and add butter, cumin seeds, and onions. Cook until onions are golden brown. Then add Kashmiri red chilli powder and garlic paste. Mix everything well.
- Now add tomato and green chilli puree. Cook until oil separates.
- Then add the boiled vegetables, garam masala, turmeric powder, and pav bhaji masala. Mix everything well and mash the vegetables using a masher. Add water and cook for 8-10 minutes on low heat.
- Add salt, more water if required, and mix and mash again. Simmer for another 5 minutes and finally add 2-3 Tbsp butter or ghee on the top.
- Now heat a non-stick pan on low heat and apply butter on the pav and toast them on the pan until crisp and golden brown from both sides.
- Add a spoonful of bhaji in a bowl, and serve with toasted pavs, chopped onions, and lime wedges on the side. Pav Bhaji is ready to be served!
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