If you are craving for Pav Bhaji from the street shops of Mumbai, this post is just for you. I’ve explained the recipe in simple easy steps which anyone can make at home. So go ahead and try it out.

If you want a few more street food recipes, I’ve a good collection for you. You can try: Misal Pav, Ragda Pattice, Samosa Chaat, Bread Dahi Vada, and Kutchi Dabeli.

Over the last several years, I’ve had hundreds of people on my blog tell me that this Pav Bhaji recipe is one of the best they have made at home. The reason is very simple. I learned it from a street food vendor and then perfected it for home cooking.

My recipe is different as it uses a lot of cabbage as compared to other recipes on the internet where potatoes fill up a large chunk. Using cabbage makes so much difference in the taste and texture of the final dish, and you would just love it.

There is another reason to use cabbage. Now, cabbage is one of the cheapest veggies, and to make their dish economical, all the street vendors use a lot of it to bulk up their recipes. This street vendor I talked to shared this trick with me, and I am forever grateful to him as my bhaji has been coming just amazing since then.

About Pav Bhaji

Our beloved Mumbai has given us several street foods and Pav Bhaji is absolutely the king of these. Simply explained “Pav” is the bread; it is a soft dinner roll which you would find at all bakeries across India. “Bhaji” is the spicy mash-mashed vegetable curry which is served along with buttered Pav and together they bring out this amazing taste which you just can’t forget.

It is so simple to make, that you can bring this out any day of the week. Making it at home also assures that you have all the hygiene in place which could be a challenge in some of the street shops. 

How To Make Pav Bhaji

Cook The Vegetables

We will start by cooking the cut vegetables. Add the following veggies to your pressure cooker with 1 cup water and mix well.

• 1 and ½ cups cauliflower florets
• 1 and ½ cups chopped cabbage
• 1 and ½ cups chopped green bell pepper (capsicum)
• 1 and ½ cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes

Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistles on your stove on high heat.

Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.

Open the lid of your cooker.

Note – If you planning to use your instant pot, add your veggies to the pot with water. Close the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 3 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.

Make The Bhaji

As I mentioned earlier, we will use a lot of butter to bring that authentic taste. Heat 6 tablespoon of regular salted butter in a pan over medium-high heat.

Now add 1 and ½ cups of chopped red onions and cook until they turn translucent, stirring frequently with your ladle.

Add 4 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste and cook them until the onions turn light brown and the raw smell of ginger and garlic is gone.

Now, add 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies, 2 cups of chopped tomatoes, and ½ cup of water and cook them for 2-3 minutes.

Now is the turn to add your masala. Add 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and 5 tablespoon pav bhaji masala and cook for a minute, stirring continuously with your ladle.

Add the cooked vegetables to your pan and mix everything well with the ladle.

Now mash the bhaji using a potato masher until it is mushy. Mashing the veggies will require some muscle work but it will be totally worth it.

Tip – If you have a hand-held immersion blender with you, you can use that blender to mash the veggies. Do not mash them until pasty; they should be coarsely mashed.

Reduce the heat of your stove to low and cook for 10-12 minutes. Add more water if you feel that the bhaji looks thick. It should be of pourable consistency.

Finally, add ½ cup grated paneer, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro to your bhaji and mix well.

Check for salt and lime juice and add more to your taste if needed.

Serve the bhaji hot with freshly buttered pav.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

To serve Pav Bhaji, transfer the hot bhaji to a serving bowl. Top it with more butter and sprinkle some chopped cilantro to make it look good.

Keep chopped onions, lime wedges, butter cubes, and chopped cilantro in small bowls with your serving so you can use them for topping easily.

Take your pavs and cut each one of them into half horizontally, slather them with butter, and toast them on your hot tawa or pan until they are slightly crispy from both sides.

People can take bhaji on their plates and top it with onions, lime juice, cilantro, and butter. Then scoop the bhaji with hot crispy pav and enjoy that authentic Mumbai taste.

Storage Suggestions

Bhaji can easily last for 2-3 days in your refrigerator when stored in an air-tight container. To serve it again, reheat it in a pan or the microwave and enjoy anytime.

Like any other curry, bhaji can be frozen quite well. If you have made a large batch and want to keep it for a longer time, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3-4 months.

To serve it again, thaw it on your kitchen counter for 2-3 hours and then microwave it until hot or heat it in your pan. To make it taste fresh, you can also add fresh tadka of butter.

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