This Pav Bhaji Recipe is an easy Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji Recipe with detailed pictures and a video guide. It is a fast food dish from the western state of Maharashtra that is world-renowned, perhaps even the king of street food in this state.
The recipe consists of an amalgamation of vegetables that are naturally spiced with a special blend of spices called “pav bhaji masala” and served with a soft bread roll known as a pav. As a complete meal, this recipe is typically served for lunch and dinner, but it has also become a popular street food recipe in India due to its versatility.
Recipe highlights:
- This recipe will ideally serve 1-2 people.
- It’s an Indian-style spicy recipe.
- Instead of oil, I’m using butter.
- It will consist of gravy.
- Prep time: 15 mins
- Cooking time: 20 mins
- Total time: 35 mins
Ingredients Required:
- Cauliflower-250gms
- Beetroot-1cup
- Capsicum-1cup
- Carrot-1cup
- Potato-1cup
- Onion-1cup
- Green peas-1cup
Spices:
- Pav bhaji masala 2tsp
- red chili powder 2tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder 1tsp
- Kasuri methi 1tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Ginger garlic paste-2tsp
Cooking Utensils:
- Pressure cooker
- Frying Pan
How to make the recipe?
- To begin with, take a medium-large cauliflower and bring out its flowers whole.
- Using a knife, cut the carrot and beetroot into cubes.
- Capsicum should be cut into half-inch pieces.
- You can use both frozen or fresh peas for the recipe.
- Take one cup of onion and dice it into small pieces
- Boil one big potato or two small potatoes, Mash them, and store it for use later in the recipe
Cooking Part
- Bring the pressure cooker on the stove and add all the veggies for pao bhaji one by one.
- Then add 2 cups of water and salt as per taste
- Mix everything well and close the lid for 4 whistles
- Check whether the vegetables are properly cooked by gently pressing them with a spatula or fork
- Now bring the veggies out into a large bowl for the mashing part
- Don’t mash them too much; the texture should have bits
- Now take a cooking pan and set it on high heat
- Add 3 tbsp butter and let it melt. Then add 1 cup capsicum and 1 cup onion and fry them nicely. Just soothe them. Then add 1 cup of tomato and cook it along until it softens.
- At this time, add 2tsp pav bhaji masala, red chili powder 2tsp, Kashmiri red chili powder 1tsp, kasuri methi 1tbsp, and salt to taste (keeping in mind how much you’ve used earlier). Ginger garlic paste 2tsp. And mix everything thoroughly.
- Then add 1 cup of water for the gravy and mix the veggies again to have the water content evenly distributed. Let them sizzle for a few secs (15-30 secs), and at this point, you should add all the mashed veggies. Also, add the boiled and mashed potatoes. Add more water, 2 cups. Mix and smash.
- Mix and smash repeatedly until it gets an even consistency and the gravy starts to appear. You can sprinkle some coriander leaves at this point.
- Congratulations, your own hand-prepared Maharashtrian Style Pav Bhaji is ready. Dish out in a bowl.
Serve!
For the serving part, you know it already, take two buttered pavs, and for a tangy twist, you can add a piece of lemon to be sprinkled on as per your tastebuds, along with chopped onions.
Notes:
1. Don’t overcook the veggies; a rule of thumb in case of observing the vegetables are getting drier, add the amount of water as per our recipe. You can always add a little bit of water if you sense the veggies are getting drier
2. As this is a spicy recipe, you can adjust the spice according to your preference. For a rule of thumb, just tone down each spice to not get compromised on the flavors they bring
Tips and important things to consider while making this recipe
Moreover, we have gathered some of the most valuable tips, recommendations, and serving ideas for street-style pav bhaji recipes for your consideration. To begin with and to make this recipe as successful as possible, it is important to use fresh and flavored pav bhaji masala.
I believe it is the soul and heart of this dish, which is why there should never be a compromise on the quality of it. It can also be enhanced by including other vegetables in the recipe, such as gobi, carrots, beans, grated cheddar cheese, etc. The red food color can also be skipped in this recipe since it does not add any flavor or taste to the recipe at all.
Finally, I would strongly recommend serving the pav and a bit of bhaji with the pav that has been fried in butter. By doing so, ordinary pavs would be enhanced in taste and would ensure that they had an authentic street style. It may not be a good idea for you if you are health-conscious or concerned about your weight.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that Maharashtrian-style Pav Bhaji is one of the best and most popular street food dishes from Maharashtra, India. Basically, it is a dish that consists of a medley of mashed vegetables, spices, and butter, all combined in a curry that has a spicy taste. Pav buns, which are typically toasted and buttered, are commonly served with the dish.
As part of the Maharashtrian-style Pav Bhaji preparation process, potatoes are boiled and mashed, and vegetables such as cauliflower, green peas, onion, tomatoes, and bell peppers are chopped and cooked. It is flavored with a blend of spices, including red chili powder, turmeric powder, pav bhaji masala, and salt, which is added to the vegetables before they are fried. It is then simmered for a while for the flavors to meld together before the bhaji is served.
As a garnish, a dollop of butter is served alongside the bhaji, along with coriander leaves. As an accompaniment, the pav buns are lightly toasted and slathered with butter after they are served with the curry. It is perfectly suited to scoop up the flavorful bhaji in the piping hot pav buns and add a buttery touch to each bite by adding a few drops of butter.
It is easy to enjoy Maharashtrian-style Pav Bhaji as a quick and delicious meal or as a snack since it is a versatile dish. A spicy and tangy flavor is what makes it so popular, as well as its combination of soft bhaji and crunchy Pav buns. You will not only satisfy your taste buds if you decide to try Maharashtrian-style Pav Bhaji, whether you want a taste of street food or simply something new to try.
Maharshtrian Style Pav Bhaji Recipe (Instructions With Pictures)
Maharashtrian Style Pav Bhaji
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- Cauliflower-250gms
- Beetroot-1cup
- Capsicum-1cup
- Carrot-1cup
- Potato-1cup
- Onion-1cup
- Green peas-1cup
Spices:
- Pav bhaji masala 2tsp
- red chili powder 2tsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder 1tsp
- Kasuri methi 1tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Ginger garlic paste-2tsp
Instructions
- Place the pressure cooker on the stove and add the vegetables for pao bhaji one by one.
- Pour 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker and add salt according to your taste.
- Stir everything well and close the lid. Cook for 4 whistles.
- After cooking, check if the vegetables are properly cooked by gently pressing them with a spatula or fork.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large bowl for the mashing process.
- Mash the vegetables, but ensure that you don’t overdo it. The texture should have small bits of vegetables.
- Take a cooking pan and heat it on high flame.Add 3 tbsp of butter to the pan and allow it to melt.
- Then add 1 cup of capsicum and 1 cup of onion. Fry them gently until they soften.
- Add 1 cup of tomatoes to the pan and cook them until they become soft.
- Now, add 2 tsp of pav bhaji masala, 2 tsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tbsp of kasuri methi, and salt to taste. Also, add 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the pan to make the gravy. Mix the vegetables again to distribute the water evenly. Let them sizzle for a few seconds (15-30 seconds).
- Add the mashed vegetables and the boiled, mashed potatoes to the pan. Pour an additional 2 cups of water. Mix and mash everything together.
- Continuously mix and mash the ingredients until you achieve a consistent texture and the gravy thickens. You can sprinkle some coriander leaves at this stage.
- Congratulations! Your homemade Maharashtrian Style Pav Bhaji is ready. Serve it in a bowl.
