Pav Bhaji

Mumbai Street Food ~ Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a dish which is a medley of mashed vegetables and spices served with Pav or Bread. It is mainly considered as a street food in India which is rich is flavor and aroma. One can say that “Who wouldn’t like Pav Bhaji?”. From kids to adults, everyone loves Pav Bhaji and is always a hit with the whole family. It is also a very easy recipe although it looks complex. As long as you have a few necessary ingredients for getting the real bhaji taste it definitely is an easy dish to prepare. I can describe this dish in one line as “aesthetically pleasing Mumbai street food“. The taste of this varies a little bit in every city but the basic ingredients remain the same. Today, I will share with you my version of this mouth watering recipe.

Recipe: (Makes for 4 people)

6 medium size potatoes
1 large & 1 medium size onion chopped
3 – 4 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 – 1/2 head of cabbage
1/4 – 1/2 head of cauliflower
1 medium size green bell pepper (capsicum) chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup peas
2 carrots
2 – 3 tomatoes chopped
A couple of lime or lemon wedges
Salt to taste
Pav Bhaji Masala (I prefer Badshah brand’s taste). You can also get it from Amazon or Indian stores.
1/2 stick Butter (Unsalted preferred) or 2 tbsp ghee
1 Packet of Pav or Bread
Cilantro for garnish

Wash the vegetables. Cut the potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage and carrots into large pieces and pressure cook them until they are soft enough to be mashed. In the large vessel, add some oil (or butter or ghee if you prefer). Add the garlic and onions and saute. Now add the tomatoes and saute well. Add the pav bhaji masala and saute for just a few more seconds before adding the mashed vegetables. Add salt and mix well. Taste it and adjust it by adding more pav bhaji masala. In the end add the chopped bell pepper and peas. If you are adding fresh peas, add it right after the onions. Squeeze some lime juice. You can also top it with off some butter or ghee.

Heat a pan, add butter or ghee and toast the pav for a few seconds until they turn golden brown. Flip and do the same. Serve the bhaji hot with chopped onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice on top of the bhaji with the pav.