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You are here: Home / Chaat Recipes / Pav Bhaji Recipe, How to Make Pav Bhaji Step by Step

Pav Bhaji Recipe, How to Make Pav Bhaji Step by Step

January 7, 2016 21 Comments

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

Pav Bhaji Recipe: Pav Bhaji is a popular street food in India. Pav refers to the super soft equivalent of Indian dinner rolls and bhaji is the mashed and spiced vegetable side that goes with Pav.

One of the first few recipes that I perfected immediately after marriage is this amazing Pav Bhaji recipe. I have made it countless times since then, always volunteering to bring Pav Bhaji to potlucks and often making it for guests. The reason is simple – everyone loves a good Pav Bhaji and it’s incredibly easy to make in larger quantities. A little vegetables go a long way and if you have a good Pav Bhaji Masala in hand, you are good to go. I even make Pav at home if I have time to plan ahead.

Although I have tasted Pav Bhaji many times during our annual visits to Salem during Onam Holidays, I first noticed it during a trip to Eat Street in Hyderabad. The pav was buttery and hot and the Bhaji was piping hot. I loved the minced raw onions they garnished the Bhaji with and with a squeeze of fresh lemon on top before eating, it was truly blissful. Since then, I refuse to eat Pav Bhaji any other way. While on the topic of street food, I promise you will find this easy vada pav recipe a winner!

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

It’s not easy to get good Pav in Singapore and I often substitute small dinner rolls, burger buns, and even halved hotdog buns for Pav. As long as you butter and toast it properly, it doesn’t matter too much. Ok I lie, it actually does matter but unless you want to make your own Pav for Pav Bhaji, go with the substitutes and make it work.

Also, for the bhaji, you can use your own proportions of heat vs masala vs vegetables. I sometimes add a carrot to the potato and cauliflower when pressure cooking it. It lends some sweetness and anyway cooks up really mushy so you can’t even make it out. I also add some green chillies if I have fresh ones in hand and reduce the amount of chilli powder. If you want a deep red Pav Bhaji, add Kashmiri Chilli Powder or Resham Patti Chillies, which I recently discovered in a store in Bombay. They are fiery red and quite strong, so use sparingly.

If you love Indian chaat recipes, then also check out how to make ragda, ragda pattice recipe, and this Mumbai vada pav recipe.

Pav Bhaji Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
50 mins
 
Pav Bhaji is a popular and delicious street food in India. Made with a mish mash of vegetables cooked in spices, it's served with soft pav buns toasted in butter
Author: nags
Recipe type: Street Food
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 250 gm of cauliflower
  • 1 large potato
  • 1 small capsicum / bell pepper
  • 1 tsp of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp of minced ginger
  • 2 cups of tomato puree
  • ¼ cup of green peas
  • 1 tsp of red chilli powder (I use Kashmiri Chilli Powder)
  • ½ tsp of turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp of pav bhaji masala (adjust to taste)
  • 1 tbsp of oil
  • 2-3 tbsp of butter
  • 1Β onion, chopped fine, to serve
  • 1 small bunch of coriander leaves, for garnish
  • 6 lemon or lime wedges, to serve
Instructions
  1. Pressure cook the cauliflower and potato until completely tender (3 whistles)
  2. Mash well with the water used to cook it. Set aside
  3. Heat the oil and add chopped capsicum. Cook for 2-3 mins until it begins to soften
  4. Add the ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds
  5. Add chilli powder and turmeric powder. Fry for 5 seconds and add the mashed vegetables
  6. Mix well and add tomato puree along with 1 cup water
  7. Bring to boil and add pav bhaji masala and peas
  8. Cook covered for 10-15 mins
  9. Open and cook further until the desired consistency is reached
  10. Add salt and butter. Mix well, and remove from fire
  11. When ready to serve, butter the pav generously and toast until golden on a griddle or tawa
  12. Add chopped onions and coriander leaves on the bhaji. Squeeze lime juice and eat immediately
3.5.3208

Step by Step Pictures to Make Pav Bhaji:

1. Pressure cook the cauliflower and potato until tender (with some water)

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

2. Mash well and set aside

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

2. Heat oil and add capsicum. I used red this time but usually use green. Fry lightly until soft.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

3. Add ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

4. Then add chilli poder and turmeric, fry for 5 seconds

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

… and add the mashed vegetables. Mix well.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

5. Add tomato puree and bring to boil. I sometimes use diluted tomato paste, pureed fresh tomatoes, or canned tomato puree/sauce. All of them work very well.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

6. When tomato sauce cooks, it makes a god-awful mess so I prefer to let it cook closed. So as soon as the mixture boils, add pav bhaji masala and peas along with about 1 cup water.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

Keep covered and cook for about 15 mins.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

7. Add butter and salt and mix well.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

Check consistency and add more water if required and boil further.

pav bhaji-easy pav bhaji recipe

Attain Pav Bhaji Recipe nirvana!

Recipe adapted fromΒ One Hot Stove

For Pav Bhaji Recipe in Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malay, etc, please use the Google Translate button in the sidebar.

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By nags Filed Under: Chaat Recipes, Most Popular, Snacks and Appetisers

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. charmi

    November 25, 2016 at 11:19 pm

    Nice presentation. beautiful pics.

    Reply
  2. AparnaRajeshkumar

    March 22, 2013 at 4:28 am

    I am drooling ! long time back i tried this masala with dosai πŸ™‚ awesome combo !

    Reply
  3. Nagalakshmi V

    September 7, 2012 at 2:23 am

    not sure of the small shops there, some of them will surely have it. either ways, mustafa has it. they have everything there.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous

    September 4, 2012 at 11:46 am

    Do we get Pav bhaji masala at Little India?

    Reply
  5. Zareena

    December 10, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    mmmm… my fav. drooling here..:)

    Reply
  6. krishnnaleela

    December 10, 2011 at 9:49 am

    drooling !

    Reply
  7. Aparna

    April 1, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    This has saved me many a time on busy days! I'd make the bhaji beforehand and have a quickfix meal.
    Its funny how pav makes all the difference.

    Reply
  8. Nags

    March 9, 2009 at 1:05 am

    Sharmilee – So glad it came out well for you. It does for me too, each time I make it πŸ™‚ Guess we both should thank Nupur!

    Reply
  9. Sharmilee

    March 8, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    I tried this today n it tasted exactly as in chat corners. Thanks for such a delicious recipe! But no luck me too didnt get pav buns so had to go with burger buns!

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    March 7, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    I just made this recipe and it came out beet red. I was a little suspicious of the full cup of tomato paste. Here in the US, tomato paste is a very thick substance, perhaps comparable to a soft banana. I’m not sure if it’s the same in Singapore/India. Perhaps next time I should just use mashed tomatoes.

    -andrew

    Reply
  11. Nags

    March 8, 2009 at 1:04 am

    Andrew – oh no! I hope it was still edible. You’re right about the difference in tomato paste. The canned version that I use is not very thick, just slightly thicker than pureed tomatoes.

    Reply
  12. Rajee

    March 3, 2009 at 6:03 pm

    I hope this will be good one too.

    Reply
  13. A_and_N

    August 28, 2008 at 12:03 am

    I tried this too! πŸ™‚ OMG, very good no? Especially for street food starved ones like us?

    Oh, I should hate you. You just went to India πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  14. Laavanya

    August 27, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    It is super easy & delicious. Nupur's recipe is now my std. Pav bhaji recipe and i make it often.

    Reply
  15. Vaishali

    August 27, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    Looks just lovely, Nags. Pav bhaji is such a special treat!

    Reply
  16. Aparna

    August 27, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    This has saved me many a time on busy days! I’d make the bhaji beforehand and have a quickfix meal.
    Its funny how pav makes all the difference.

    Reply
  17. sunshinemom

    August 27, 2008 at 10:23 am

    Nags, thank you for the yummy pav bhaji! It looks just like the one we have at Lenin’s in Khao Gali, though they do not present it as beautifully:)

    Reply
  18. Nupur

    August 27, 2008 at 9:56 am

    Thanks for trying the recipe, Nags, and I am really glad you enjoyed it.

    Reply
  19. Divya Vikram

    August 27, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    looks perfect..am craving for these now..

    Reply
  20. Jayashree

    August 27, 2008 at 6:59 am

    Mmm…Mmmm….good!!!

    Reply
  21. Priya

    August 27, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    Woohoo, you’ve joined the ‘Nupur’s pav bhaji recipe’ fan club too, hehe! My parents were in Singapore on they way back to India and used up their stop over by walking through Mustafa’s πŸ™‚

    Reply

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I am Nags, the face behind Edible Garden, a food and recipes website for the busy (and sometimes lazy!) cook since 2007. My recipes are meant to be quick yet healthy and delicious - Nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Follow Me On Instagram for real-time food and life updates.

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