While the butter-laden pavs served with a spicy bhaji are always a hit while scrolling through Mumbai lanes, you can get the same taste right from the comfort of your home. Follow this elaborate guide and nail the street-style pav bhaji.
Mumbai, the Bollywood City, is much more than a place where dreams come true. Apart from the skyscrapers, Marine Drive, and movie sets, Mumbai is a haven for foodies. Be it the ever-evolving fine dining restaurants or the all-time favourite street food joints, the city has something to offer everyone.
And one of the street foods that is the soul of Mumbai is pav bhaji. You can literally get the aroma of veggies and spices simmering in the corner of a street, and you’re immediately tempted to get a plate.
Without having to travel miles, you can recreate the iconic street food with this step-by-step recipe.
And the beauty of the street snack lies in its simplicity. Made with everyday vegetables and go-to kitchen spices and ready in less than an hour, you have all the reasons to try making pav bhaji at home. So, whether you’re a beginner or an expert cook, here is a detailed recipe to help you make Mumbai-style pav bhaji.
Before starting the cooking process, prepare the ingredients. Peel and chop the potatoes, finely chop the cauliflower, and rinse the fresh or frozen peas.
Pressure cook these vegetables with about one and a half cups of water and a pinch os salt. Once the veggies are tender, mash them with a spoon and set aside. Keep the strained water for making bhaji.
Heat some oil and butter, and finely chop the onion. Once the oil is hot, sauté the onion till it turns translucent. Chop green chillies, add them to the sautéed onion and mix in ginger-garlic paste.
Finely chop capsicum, add to the mixture, and cook till it softens. Add tomato puree and let the mixture simmer till the oil starts to separate.
Once the gravy is consistent, reduce the heat, and add the spices, including turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, and pav bhaji masala. Stir well and cook for about a minute.
Now, mix the boiled and mashed vegetables. You can use a potato masher to mash the vegetables or use a hand blender to get a semi-smooth mixture.
Add the vegetable stock or plain water to adjust the consistency of the bhaji. Season with salt and bring the bhaji to a boil. Let it simmer for about ten minutes to make sure all the flavours meld.
Before you turn off the heat, add two tablespoons of butter, a squeeze of lemon, and chopped coriander leaves. Stir well, and your bhaji will be ready.
To pair the bhaji, slit some pav buns horizontally. Heat a tawa and add some ghee or butter to it. To make street-style pav bhaji, sprinkle a little pav bhaji masala on the butter. Place the pav on the tawa and toast them till slightly golden brown or a little crisp. Flip them over and lightly toast on the other side as well.
Repeat and toast as many pavs as you want. Once done, transfer the pavs to a plate with a bowl of freshly prepared bhaji.
Add some finely chopped onions and a lemon wedge to the plate of a pav bhaji, and you’ll have the Mumbai-style street snack at home.
1 Don’t skimp on butter. Since it is the essence of street-style pav bhaji, add generous amounts of butter to make bhaji and toast the pav.
2 The quality of your pav bhaji masala has to be of the best quality. If you don’t have it, you can make your own spice blend, but don’t compromise on its quality.
3 Always mash the boiled vegetables after adding them to the tomato-onion base. It will help the veggies to perfectly absorb the masala.
4 To give the bhaji its distinct red-orange colour, add Kashmiri red chilli powder instead of the regular lal mirch. It’ll help you get the right colour without increasing the spice levels.
5 If you sprinkle a little pav bhaji masala before toasting the pavs, to deepen the aroma and flavour.
Yes, while the traditionally used veggies are potatoes, cauliflower, and peas, you can also add carrots, pumpkin, beans, beetroot, etc
If pav buns are not available, you can also pair bhaji with bread, kulcha, rice, or even parathas.
Yes, all you need to make pav bhaji vegan is to replace the butter with plant-based oil or vegan butter.
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