Pav Bhaji recipe is a delicious platter consisting of buttered toasted buns served with a spicy flavourful bhaji at the sides.
The very first time I had a taste of Pav Bhaji was in Mumbai nearly 22 years back. When we went on an excursion, we were taken to a beach which had so many fast food stalls with large tawa filled with the bhaji mixture on the sides.
It was fun to watch them preparing pav bhaji. I liked the spicy combination of the bhaji with butter toasted pav buns with a dash of lemon and some onions. Yumm is the word. Pav Bhaji is the famous Maharashtrian street food. Bhaji is the spicy gravy made with vegeables while pav is the bread rolls.
According to Wiki, pav or pau or pao is the Portuguese word for bread. usually pav buns are found in all stores. So just by preparing the bhaji, you can have a taste of the delicious street food at home.
Updating my old post with new photos and and a detailed write up. Hope you enjoy!
Pav Bhaji Recipe – Pav Buns
The Pav Bhaji recipe platter has two important components – The Pav and The Bhaji. This post will tell you how to make the bhaji. But pav is not discussed here. You can easily get pav buns from stores. Usually store bought buns are so tiny and has the typical taste.
But if you love to make everything from scratch, then take your time to make the buns also. When I made this platter, I started my day with kneading the dough for pav. And side by side, I prepped for the bhaji. Both were ready by lunch time and we had a filling lunch.
I have some pav recipes in the blog. Will get you all the links here so that you can choose your favourite. Check the bottom of the post for all the pav recipes.
The importance of Homemade Bhaji ingredients:
Bhaji is a vegetable based spicy curry. The vegetables you add gives the bhaji its final taste. I have added carrots, beans and potato. You can also add some cauliflower chunks and a tsp of beetroot to give it some amazing colour.
Pav bhaji masala gives the bhaji its unique taste, so don’t skip it. Along with garam masala, this makes the bhaji very flavourful. Heat the bhaji just before serving to give it the best taste.
Pav Bhaji Recipe – Stepwise Photos
Sauté onion and ginger garlic paste.
Add in the beans and carrot.
Now add tomatoes.
And the spice powders and salt.
Enough water and let the vegetables cook.
Add boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes.
Mash them up.
Cook until done.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Slice two pav buns into horizontally.
Add some butter on a tawa.
Place the buns cut side down on tawa and press.
Turn when brown.
Top the bhaji with onions and coriander leaves and a tiny block of butter. Slightly crush the lemon wedge all over the bhaji. Take a piece of pav, dip it in bhaji and enjoy!!!
Best Pav Buns Recipe – Click on Image for recipe
Best Whole Wheat Pav Buns – Click on image for recipe
Pav buns in Cooker/ pan – Click on image for recipe
Pav buns without Yeast – Click on image for recipe
Pav Bhaji Recipe
Ingredients
For The Bhaji:
- 3-4 Potatoes, medium sized
- 3 tbs Oil-3 tbs
- 1/2 cup Carrot finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Beans finely chopped
- 1 cup Onion finely chopped
- 2 tbs Garlic and Ginger paste
- 3 Tomatoes
- Salt-to taste
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam masala Powder
- 1 tbs Pav Bhaji Masala
- Coriander Leaves- For Garnish
For Serving:
- 3-4 tbs Butter
- Pav Buns
- Finely Chopped Onions
- Lemon Wedges
- Coriander leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil and add onions and ginger garlic paste.
- Saute for 2 minutes and then add carrots and beans.
- Saute for 3 minutes and then add finely chopped tomatoes.
- When tomatoes are half cooked, add the spice powders and salt.
- Now add enough water and cover the pan. Cook on medium flame until the vegetables are tender.
- Boil, peel and cube potatoes.
- Add it to the cooked vegetables.
- With the help of a potato masher, mash all the ingredients in the pan to for a coarse gravy.
- Add water if necessary.
- Let it boil on medium flame for 5 mintues.
- Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves.Serving The Pav Bhaji:
- In a tawa take 2 tsp of butter.
- Cut the pav buns in to two horizontally.
- Place two buns with slit side on the tawa at a time.
- Press the buns and slightly slide it over the tawa for even browning.
- Turn the buns, leave it there for 20 seconds and trasfer to a serving plate.
- Place some onions and a lemon wedge.
- Take some gravy on another plate or on the side of the buns.
- Sprinkle generous amount of chopped onions and coriander leaves on top.
- Serve immediately.
always love it..
I too first tasted it in mumbai only 20 yrs back,just love it.Today’s dinner menu is pav bhaji .
Feel like inviting myself to ur place, pav bhaji are my most favourite.
looks delicious for dinner
The pictures have come out beautifully.. looks indeed tempting. However, I would like to add one ingredient in your recipe. “CAULIFLOWER”.
You can boil the veggie separately and add it when you are adding the potatoes. I usually smash all the veggies in the recipe. The bhajji is delicious.