This Pav Bhaji Mumbai Recipe creates a delicious and authentic Mumbai street food. Indulge in the irresistible flavors of Bhaji, a vibrant mix of spiced mashed vegetables simmered in a tangy tomato-onion gravy, enriched with butter and aromatic spices.
Paired with soft, toasted buttery pav, each bite, topped with crunchy onions and a squeeze of fresh lemon, delivers an unforgettable taste that will leave your taste buds craving more.
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Why you'll love Pav Bhaji?
- The combination of the delicious vegetable dip with mashed potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, peas, and unique spices with the bread is exceptional. Another dish with Cauliflower and potatoes is Spicy Alu Gobi, which is very delicious as well.
- You get a lot of vegetables into your diet with this meal, like the Vegetable Hakka Noodles or Vegetable Puffs, which are loved by kids and elders alike.
- Adding chopped onions and coriander leaves with a hint of lemon takes this dish to a whole new level of flavor, just like the healthy moth dal.
- Great for parties and potlucks. Make the Bhaji ahead of time. Just toast or bake the pav or buns with butter like we do when making Mumbai Vada Pav just before serving.
Some other vegetarian dish ideas that you can serve your guests along with Mumbai pav bhaji are Spicy Chana Dal Vada , Best dahi vada and Grilled Paneer Tikka, The main course can be Vegetable Biryani or Mint pulav, with side dishes like Paneer Tikka Masala, and finish with a mouthwatering dessert like Soft Ras Malai.
What goes into the Pav Bhaji?
You can use any veggies for this dish. However, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, peas, and green bell peppers are usually the most popular ones used!
- Vegetables for sautee - Onions, Bell peppers, green chilies, Green Peas
- Vegetables mashed - Potatoes, Carrots (pressure cooked and mashed well)
- Tomatoes - Blanched and made into a paste
- Ginger and Garlic (ground into a paste)
- Spices- Chili powder, Turmeric, Pav Bhaji Masala (Store-bought Everest or MDH)
- Kitchen Staples - Butter, Bread Rolls, Salt
Pav Bhaji Mumbai Recipe - How to make?
Pressure cook the veggies, potatoes, and carrots in a pressure cooker or instant pot, mash them well, and keep aside. Blanch the tomatoes and make a paste. Fry onions and bell pepper along with the spices. Add the mashed vegetables and water as needed to form a gravy-like consistency.
The special pav bhaji masala gives a unique taste to this dish. I usually buy it from the Indian grocery store.
If you like, you can also add a little authentic garam masala at the end, but this is optional. I usually use the store-bought pav or bun, which is shallowly fried with butter. The recipe details and measurements are in the recipe card.
- Step 1: Heat oil and sautee chopped onions, green chilies, and bell pepper until they get translucent.
- Step 2: Add ginger garlic paste and keep cooking till the raw smell disappears.
- Step 3: Add the spices and Pav Bhaji Masala and mix well.
- Step 4: Add the tomato paste and continue cooking.
- Step 5: Add the pressure-cooked and mashed veggies, like potatoes, carrots, and peas.
- Step 6: Mix well, add salt, and use a masher to mash all the veggies into a nice paste.
- Step 7: Add more butter and adjust the consistency of the gravy so that the bread can easily scoop and absorb the gravy.
- Step 8: Toast the Pav or bun with butter and serve it with Bhaji topped with chopped onions and lemon juice.
Useful Tips to make the perfect Bhaji
- Use a little grated beets when you cook the veggies to get a deep brown color. I did not have beets, so I haven't used them. You can try using it to get a nice dark pink color tinge, as in beetroot curd pachadi.
- Although any vegetables can be used in this dish, it is better to use veggies like potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower for the authentic taste.
- Use butter when sauteeing the vegetables and plenty of chopped coriander leaves.
- Add a slice of bread torn into bits to the gravy for better consistency and taste.
- Toast the pav or buns with butter in a pan.
- Mash the potatoes and veggies very finely with a potato masher; the finer, the better.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade pav or bread is the best that goes with this dish.
You can also use Hawaiian savory rolls or hamburger buns.
Pav is also available in Indian grocery stores.
You can add any vegetable that you like: cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, or any other. We predominantly add potatoes and carrots and sometimes a little beets to get a nice deep color.
The Mumbai Pav Bhaji, when made, can last for 2 to 3 days if refrigerated well in an air-tight container. The spices and butter used in it will keep all the flavors intact.
The distinctive blend of tangy, spicy, sweet, and salty spices, combined with the mashed vegetables, rich butter, and savory tomato-onion gravy, creates a perfect harmony of flavors. The toasted bread soaks up all these delicious elements, enhancing every bite and awakening your taste buds with every mouthful.
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Pav Bhaji Mumbai Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes boiled and mashed
- 1 lemon
- 3 green chilies
- 2 carrots
- ½ cup green peas
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup cauliflower optional
- 4 tsp Pav Bhaji masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bunch coriander leaves chopped
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- 3 tomatoes medium sized, preferable to cook in hot water and de-skin if possible for great taste
Instructions
- Chop bell pepper(capsicum), onion, and tomatoes (use cooked and peeled)
- Pressure cook all the other veggies like potatoes, carrots, cauliflower etc
- Once cooked mash it into a smooth paste
- In a pan heat oil or butter, splutter cumin seeds
- Add diced onions, green chilies, bell peppers and sautée well
- Add ginger-garlic paste and sautée again
- Add tomatoes and keep cooking till the oil leaves the sides of the pan
- Add in all the spice powders - turmeric, chilly powder, pav bhaji masala, and salt
- Add the mashed veggies
- Add garam masala in the end
- Add water to get a consistency that is gravy-like so you can scoop it using the bread
- Squeeze lemon juice into the dish
- Garnish with chopped coriander, onions, and butter
- Scoop some bhaji(gravy) with a piece of pav(bun) and Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a little grated beets when you cook and mash the veggies to get a nice deep color.
- Although any vegetables can be used in this dish, it is better to use veggies like potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower for the authentic taste.
- Use butter when sauteeing the vegetables and plenty of chopped coriander leaves.
- Add a slice of bread torn into bits to the gravy for better consistency and taste.
- Toast the pav or buns with butter on a pan.
- Mash the potatoes and veggies very finely with a potato masher; the finer, the better.
This recipe is so flavorful! Took very little time to make and my family really enjoyed it. Excited to make it again!
This made a tasty lunch!!! So flavorful!
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
It looks like that, you know where I can buy it in Mexico
Looks yummy!
Thank you so much!
Looks delicious!
Looking very delicious...awesome recipe !!
Thank you Anshu!
Hmmmm yummy. My tongue is drooling
Thank you Deepa!
Delicious....Pav Bhaji reminds me of home!
Aww, how nice ..Thank you Pia ! perfect for a Friday night at home 🙂
Can have this every day! Looking yummy!
Isn't it , totally agree can have it anytime! I could only get a pic using my phone this time 🙂 Thanks Mallika!
If the food is this good, then it doesn't matter if it's camera or the phone that's capturing it. Now I am craving it! 😉
yes so true, hope you get to make it soon too!
Yummy! It is my favorite, thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Megala ! its a favorite at my home too 🙂