Pav Bhaji Recipe, How To Make Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji recipe is a Maharashtrian cuisine that originated in Mumbai. This recipe originated in the 1850s as a quick lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Mumbai, India. Pav Bhaji later became very popular and started getting served in restaurants. It is really a delicious snack. Pav bhaji is a Hindi name which consist of two words Pav and Bhaji. Pav means bread buns while Bhaji is a curry of mashed vegetable and thick potato prepared with spices and butter.

Bhaji is garnished with coriander and served with chopped onion, dash of lemon and lightly toasted pav. The pav is usually buttered on all sides. This recipe is little higher on butter usage but I can afford it once in a while for this absolutely delicious pav bhaji.

Let's see the recipe now !

Ingredients

*measurement for cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml

For vegetable bhaji
Potatoes - 2 medium sized ,boiled and mashed
Cauliflower - 1 cup chopped
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 cup chopped
Tomato - 2 medium size
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Capsicum - 2 medium size, roughly chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1.5 teaspoon
Green chillies - 2
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida - A pinch
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or adjust to taste
Pav bhaji masala - 2 heaped tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Salt - according to taste

For garnish
Coriander leaves: 3 tablespoon
Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon

For serving
Pav/Dinner rolls - 12
Lemon wedges
Finely chopped onion
a blob of butter
coriander leaves

Step by step pav bhaji recipe

Step 1. Wash chopped capsicum (half of chopped capsicum and save half for later use), cauliflower, carrot and peas.
Take a pressure cooker add half a cup of water and these vegetables.
Pressure cook until 2 whistles comes or vegetable is cooked and mushy.

Step 2. Heat oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Saute for a minute.

Step 3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell of the paste is gone.

Step 4. Add the onions & saute until the onions are soft.

Here you can see that onion has become translucent and mushy.

Step 5. Add the remaining half chopped capsicum saved in step 1. Also add chopped tomato. Saute it for a min and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Step 6. Once mixture is soft and cooked, add dry spices turmeric, pav bhaji masala ,cumin powder & red chilli powder.

Saute and cook mixture on low heat. It should take about 2 minutes.

Step 7. Add boiled veggies to the mixture prepared in step 1. Give it a good stir and mix it.

Step 8. Now mash the veggies with the help of masher. Mixture is still cooking on low heat.

Step 9. After few minutes of mashing, mixture will turn into thick consistency. Now let it allow to get a boil and mash it little bit.

Step 10. Add the mashed potatoes.

Add salt to taste and 1 tablespoon pav bhaji masala.

Give it a good stir and add water to adjust consistency of gravy. I added 2 cups of water.

Step 12. Add the butter & keep mashing the mixture. Turn off the flame. Now the bhaji is ready to serve .

Heating the pav or dinner rolls

Cut the Pav (bun) in half. The buns I used were already cut. So skipped this step.
Place a griddle on medium heat. Add a teaspoon of butter onto a griddle.

Step 2. Place the pav on the butter & let it get roasted for 30 secs.

Step 2. Smear butter on the top side.

Step 3. Flip the pav & roast the other side too.

Pour around 1/2 cup or more of bhaji in a serving bowl. Sprinkle coriander leaves on the bhaji. A blob of butter on the bhaji.
Put around a tablespoon or more of finely chopped onion onto the serving plate. Place a lemon wedge.
Finally add the buttered & hot pav to the plate & it is ready !