Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji is a flavorful, spicy, and buttery Indian street food. Mashed vegetables are cooked in a thick gravy with loads of butter and spices. Piping hot bhaji is served with some toasted ladi pav or dinner rolls.
Ingredients
- 2 large Potatoes, 400 grams peeled and cubed
- 3/4 cup Cauliflower medium florets, washed
- 1/2 cup Green peas frozen/fresh
- 1/4 large Green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 medium Yellow onion finely chopped
- 1/2 medium Red onion finely chopped
- 2 medium Garlic cloves
- 2 large Tomatoes, 250 grams chopped into 4 pieces
- 1/8 small Beetroot peeled and cubed, optional
- 1/4 cup Coriander leaves chopped
- 1 large Lime into 8-10 pieces
- 1 1/4 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tbsp Pav bhaji masala
- 1.5 tsp Salt or as required
- 4 tbsp Butter divided, + for serving
- 1 tbsp Oil
- Ladi pav as required/Bread for serving
Instructions
Indian Pressure Cooker Method
- In a pressure pan, combine potatoes, cauliflower florets, beets, green peas, garlic, and 1.5 cups of water.
- Pressure cook the veggies for 4 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.
Instant Pot Method
- In the inner pot of an instant pot, combine all the veggies mentioned above with 1.5 cups of water.
- Close the lid on your Instant pot, making sure the valve is set to sealing.
- Turn on the MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK button (High Pressure) and set the timer to 15 minutes.
- Let the pressure naturally release (NRP) for 12-15 minutes.
- Mash the cooked veggies with a potato masher and set aside.
- In a blender jar, add tomatoes, make puree, and set aside.
Making Bhaji
- In a pan, heat 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil. Now add Kashmiri red chili powder.
- Transfer the yellow onions, sauté for 2 minutes, and cover them with a lid for 3 minutes.
- Next, add green bell peppers, mix, and cover them with a lid for 3 minutes.
- Add pav bhaji masala and sauté for a minute.
- Transfer the tomato puree and mix, add 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tbsp butter, mix it well, and cover the pan with a lid.
- Let the tomato puree cook well for about 10-12 minutes on low heat stirring halfway through.
- Next, combine the mashed veggies to the tomato puree, ½ - ¾ th cup water, 1 tbsp butter, and mix. Taste the bhaji at this point and adjust the water consistency and salt according to your wish.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Let the bhaji cook well for about 10-15 minutes on low heat stirring in between. Taste the bhaji at this point and adjust the consistency and salt according to the taste.
Toast The Pavs/Bread
- Divide the pavs into 2 equal parts in the center.
- Heat the skillet on medium heat, melt 1 tbsp of butter, a tbsp of bhaji, spread it with a spoon, and toast 2 pavs from both sides for 30-40 seconds. Repeat the same steps with the remaining pavs.
Serving The Dish
- Serve the pav and bhaji with some dollops of butter, red onions, coriander leaves, and some lime.
Notes
- For the best tasting authentic pav bhaji, do not skip adding the butter in the recipe. It gives the bhaji an amazing flavor.
- Pav bhaji masala adds so much flavor in the bhaji, I will highly recommend using the Everest brand pav bhaji masala or the Badshah masala for this recipe.
- Mashing the cooked veggies when they are still hot is very important as they get perfectly mashed. Mash them very well for a smoother texture. If you like your bhaji a little chunkier, do not mash it completely.
- Do not make the bhaji very thin or too thick. Once it cools down, it tends to become thicker.
- Serve the pav bhaji after 30-45 minutes. Once the spices settle, it enhances the taste of bhaji even better.