Pav Bhaji Recipe (Street Style)

What Is Pav Bhaji?

Pav bhaji is a spicy mashed vegetable dish where “pav” is the bread, a soft dinner roll you would find at bakeries across India, and “bhaji” is the spicy, mashed vegetable curry. Together, they bring out this amazing taste that you just can’t forget.

Vendors serve it hot off a cast-iron griddle (tawa) with butter-toasted rolls, chopped onion, and a squeeze of lemon.

It is one of the most iconic Indian street foods, originating from the bustling food stalls of Mumbai, the culinary capital of Maharashtra, in the 1850’s. It is now loved across India and around the world for its bold flavors, vibrant colors, and satisfying texture.

Learn to make the best Mumbai-style pavbhaji at home with my easy recipe. I learned it from a local vendor, so it’s as close to the real deal as possible. You can cook the veggies in an Instant Pot or a stovetop pressure cooker.

Why My Recipe?

Over the last several years, hundreds of people have told me this Mumbai-style pav bhaji recipe is among the best they have made at home. The reason is straightforward. I learned it from a food vendor and then perfected it for home cooking.

My recipe differs from most online recipes in that it uses a lot of cabbage, whereas many others are potato-heavy. Using cabbage makes such a difference in the taste and texture of the final dish; you would just love it.

There is another reason to use cabbage. Cabbage is one of the cheapest veggies, and to keep their dishes economical, street vendors use a lot of it to bulk up their recipes. This vendor I spoke with shared this trick with me, and I am forever grateful to him, as my bhaji has been coming out perfectly since then.

This rich, buttery dish is so simple to make that even a novice cook can make it perfectly. Although you can easily order it from restaurants, when you can make a restaurant-quality pav bhaji at home so easily, then why order it? Making it at home is not only economical but also ensures proper hygiene, which can be a challenge in some local shops.

If you love Indian street food like veg Hakka noodles, paneer kathi rolls, or bhel puri, then you must add pav bhaji to your list too.

There is an interesting story about the origin of pavbhaji. You can read the story about how pav bhaji was invented here.

How To Make Street Style Pavbhaji

Cook The Vegetables

We will start by cooking the cut vegetables. You can cook them in a traditional stovetop pressure cooker or in an Instant Pot.

Step 1: Add the following veggies to your pressure cooker with 1 cup of 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

Step 2: Secure the pressure cooker lid, then pressure-cook for 3 whistles over high heat. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker. Keep the boiled veggies aside.

Make The Bhaji

Step 3: Heat 6 tablespoons of regular salted butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Now add 1 and ½ cups of chopped red onions and cook until translucent, stirring frequently with your ladle.

Step 4: Add 4 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste and cook until the onions turn light brown and the raw smell of ginger and garlic is gone. The slight caramelization of onions here is critical for the depth of flavor.

Step 5: Now add 2 teaspoons of chopped green chilies, 2 cups of chopped tomatoes, and ½ cup of water, then cook for 2-3 minutes.

Step 6: Now is the time to add your spice powders. Add 2 teaspoons of Kashmiri red chili powder and 5 tablespoons of pavbhaji masala and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously with a ladle. This step, called bhun-na, releases the fat-soluble flavor compounds in the spices and removes raw bitterness.

Step 7: Add the cooked vegetables to the pan and mix everything well with the ladle.

Step 8: Using a potato masher or the back of your spatula, mash everything aggressively into a thick, textured paste. Don’t aim for perfectly smooth; some texture is ideal.

Step 9: Reduce the heat of your stove to low and cook the bhaji for 10-12 minutes. Add more water if the bhaji looks thick. It should be thick but droppable. Finally, add ½ cup of grated paneer, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro to your bhaji, then mix well.

Step 10: Check for salt and lime juice, and add more to your taste if needed. Serve hot!

How To Serve Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is a complete meal in itself. To serve this delicious street food, transfer the hot bhaji to a serving bowl. Top it with dollops of butter and sprinkle some chopped cilantro to make it look good.

Keep some chopped onions, lime wedges, butter cubes, and chopped cilantro in small bowls along with the bhaji.

Take your pav, cut each one in half horizontally, slather them with butter, and toast them on a hot tawa or pan over medium heat until they are slightly crispy on both sides. You can also sprinkle some pav bhaji masala over the pav while toasting.

You can now serve bhaji on your plates and top it with crunchy onions, a squeeze of lime juice, cilantro, and butter. Then scoop the bhaji with hot, crispy pav and enjoy that authentic Mumbai taste.

If pav are not readily available, then you can use dinner rolls, white bread slices, kulcha, or buns instead. It also pairs well with steamed rice.

Storage Suggestions

Bhaji can easily last for 2-3 days in your refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. To serve it again, reheat it in a pan or in the microwave, then serve with freshly toasted pav.

Add some hot water when reheating if the bhaji has thickened from refrigeration.
Bhaji can also be frozen. If you have made a large batch and want to keep it for longer, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 2 months.

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