Pav Bhaji Recipe | Easy Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji Recipe | Easy Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji Recipe with detailed photo and video recipe. A world-famous fast food dish or perhaps the king of street food from the western state of Maharashtra. The recipe is an amalgamation of vegetables spiced with a unique blend of spices known as pav bhaji masala and served with a soft bread roll aka pav. The recipe is typically served as a complete meal for lunch and dinner but has transformed into a popular street food recipe in India.

Pav Bhaji Recipe | Easy Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji Recipe with step-by-step photo and video recipe. Pav-bhaji dish has a long history and it originated during the thriving textile industry business in Mumbai. The dish was particularly served as a fast food for the textile workers and thus served the required nutrients from the combination of vegetables. Gradually due to the popularity of this recipe, it eventually turned out to be street food served on every corner of the street.

With the popularity of this recipe, there have been several experiments and variations to the pav bhaji recipe. Today a normal pav-bhaji street food vendor has myriad options to offer. From cheese to paneer and even mushroom-flavored bhaji recipes have surged to the streets. But my personal favorite has always been the simple extra butter-tossed colored pav-bhaji recipe. As a matter of fact, I have heard a lot of stories from my husband who was a frequent traveler to Mumbai during his brief stay in Pune. Unfortunately, I personally never got a chance to relish the famous Juhu beach or Chowpaty street-style bhaji, but it is on top of my wish list. However, I did get a chance to relish it in my hometown and with a similar taste to Mumbai street food. This recipe is very much derived from it and I hope you would enjoy the same.

Furthermore some important tips, recommendations, and serving ideas for street-style pav bhaji recipes. Firstly, and more importantly fresh and flavored pav bhaji masala is very crucial to this recipe. Basically, it is the heart and soul of this dish, and hence never compromise on its quality. My personal recommendation is the MTR pav-bhaji mix or the Marathi Brand mix. I am not sure if the latter one is easily accessible, but the MTS should be easily available in any store. Secondly, you can also extend the recipe by adding other veggies like gobi, carrots, beans, and even grated cheddar cheese. In addition, you can totally skip the red food color which does not add any taste or flavour to this recipe. Lastly, I would heavily recommend serving the pav fried in butter and a bit of bhaji. This would enhance the flavor of ordinary pav and would ensure an authentic street style. If you are health or weight-conscious, you may skip it.

Finally, I request you to check my other Indian street food recipe collection with this recipe post of pav bhaji recipe. it includes recipes like vada pav, bhel puri, pani puri, sev puri, dahi puri, gobi manchurian, veg frankie, masala toast sandwich, Bombay sandwich, and chilli gobi recipe. Further, I request you to visit my other similar recipes collection,

• Snacks recipes collection
• Lunch recipes collection
• Sandwich recipes collection

About Mumbai Pav Bhaji

Like most of all Indian Recipes, the Mumbai Pav Bhaji recipe has an interesting and fascinating history to it. It is believed that the recipe was invented during the 1850s by mill workers. Basically, they would bring all the leftover vegetables and cook them freshly during the lunch break with a blend of spices. In addition, it was served with local bread called pav, because of the short lunch breaks. Also, it was easy to source this bread and more importantly with the combination of curry it was filling and tasty.

Gradually, the dish became popular across India due to the migrating working class. Today this dish has become an iconic dish of Mumbai and an essential part of tourism. Moreover, it has undergone so many variations and you can get so many different flavors, colors, and a wide range of toppings to this recipe. Yet one thing remains consistent with this recipe. That is the unique spice mix used for this recipe. As a matter of fact, to get the real flavor and taste for this recipe, masala powder plays an important role. Hence it is noteworthy to choose a quality pav bhaji mix powder.

Chef Tips for Pav Bhaji

The recipe of Pav Bhaji is simple and easy to prepare with basic and easily available ingredients. Yet some of the important and critical tips for best results are –

1. Fresh Ingredients – Always use fresh and tender vegetables for preparing this bhaji curry. Also, the spice mix and wet ingredients have to be fresh and full of aroma for best results.
2. Masala Powder – There are different types of Pav Bhaji Masala Powder commercially available but may not be relevant to individual taste preferences. Hence, try out and stick to the best one. Alternatively, you can use the homemade one for the best results.
3. Butter vs Ghee – The best choice of wet ingredients is the combination of cooking oil with butter. Butter does not add a strong flavor as compared to ghee. However, if you do not have butter, you may use a ghee and oil combination.
4. Texture – The texture of the bhaji has to be coarse and not fine or smooth. Use a hand masher to mash all the cooked vegetables. Do not use a blender to mash as it may get smooth even textured bhaji.
5. Garnish – Toppings and garnishing is an important step before serving. Use finely chopped onions, coriander, and lemon juices. In addition, adding a scoop of butter makes it more flavored and enjoyable.

Faqs:

What is pav bhaji?

Pav bhaji is a world-famous fast food or king of street food famous in Maharashtra. In this, the vegetables are mixed with a unique blend of spices known as pav bhaji masala. It is served with soft bread or pav with a generous amount of butter topped with chopped onions and lemon juice.

How to get a dark red color for pav bhaji?

To get a dark red color for pav bhaji, use Kashmiri red chilies. This gives a bright red color to the pav bhaji and has less spice heat. In addition, do use beetroot with other vegetables for a bright red color. Avoid using an artificial colour which is not good for your health.

Which veggies we can add? can we make pav bhaji without using onions?

Yes, definitely you can make pav bhaji without using onions. Just skip the onions keeping all the ingredients the same. Usually, vegetables, include onions, tomatoes, capsicum, potatoes, and peas. But this recipe can also be extended by adding carrots, cauliflower, beans, paneer, and veggies of your choice.

How to get the original street-side taste for the pav bhaji?

The key point to get the street side taste for the pav bhaji is to use fresh homemade pav bhaji masala. Basically, it is the heart and soul of this dish and never compromise on it. Secondly, fry the veggies with a generous amount of butter and also top with butter on bhaji which gives additional flavor to it. In addition, use Kashmiri red chilies or chili powder for this recipe to get the bright red color to the bhaji. Finally, fry the pav or bread with a good quality of fresh butter. it will taste great when you prepare hot and spicy.

Can we use garam masala instead of pav bhaji masala?

Yes, you can add in case you don’t have pav bhaji masala. But it's always best to use pav bhaji masala if you have access to it. In case you don’t have pav bhaji masala, add garam masala. In addition to it, you may have to add amchur powder or dry mango powder. But yes, the taste entirely varies when you use garam masala powder.

Which brand of pav bhaji masala works best?

Best pav bhaji masala is freshly homemade pav bhaji masala in which all the ingredients are dry roasted in low flame and blended to form a fine powder. Alternatively, you can use MTR, MDH, Everest, and any local Marathi Cuisine brand with a strong flavor and aroma to it.

What is pav bhaji masala made of?

Pav bhaji masala is made of dry roasting the spices individually on a low flame and blending them to form a fine powder. Here, spices include coriander seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, pepper, fennel seeds, Kashmiri red chili, turmeric powder, and amchur powder. if the masala is coarse, sieve it and blend the coarse powder once again. Preserve in an airtight container for a longer shelf life.

Video recipe:

Recipe Card for Mumbai Pav Bhaji

How to Make Pav Bhaji with step-by-step photos:

1. Firstly, in a large kadai heat 1 tbsp butter and add 3 tomatoes, ¼ cup peas,½ capsicum, 2 boiled potatoes, and ½ tsp salt. saute for 2 minutes.
   
2. Also, add ½ cup water and mix well.
   
3. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
   
4. Mash the vegetables smoothly making sure there are no lumps.
   
5. Now add 1 tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp pav bhaji masala, 1 tsp kasuri methi, and 2 tbsp coriander leaves.
   
6. Saute for a minute making sure the spices are cooked well.
   
7. Stick the prepared vegetable mixture to the sides of the pan and create space at the center of the kadai.
   
8. Heat a tbsp of butter and add ¼ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp pav bhaji masala, and 1 tsp kasuri methi.
   
9. Also add 1 tbsp coriander leaves, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 onion, and ½ lemon juice.
   
10. Saute well making sure the onions are cooked well.
    
11. Now add 3 drops of red food color and mix well.
    
12. Further, add ½ cup of water or as required adjusting consistency.
    
13. Boil and mash for 5 minutes or till pav bhaji turns smooth and silky in texture.
    
14. Now prepare the pav by heating ½ tsp butter and add a pinch of chilli powder, pav bhaji masala, and 1 tsp coriander leaves. mix well.
    
15. Now slit 2 Pav in the center and roast with spiced butter.
    
16. Roast both sides of the pav till they turn slightly warm.
    
17. Finally, serve pav and bhaji as pav bhaji with some chopped onions, coriander, lemon, and a dollop of butter.
    

Notes:

• Firstly, prepare with butter for more street flavor.
• Also, add vegetables of your choice to make them more nutritious.
• Additionally, mash the baji well to get a smooth silky consistency.
• Furthermore, if you are looking to prepare in a cooker then check the cooker recipe.
• Finally, the pav bhaji recipe tastes great when served hot and spicy.