Pav Bhaji

Mumbai-Style Pav Bhaji

A buttery mash of mixed vegetables simmered with tomatoes and a toasted spice blend, served alongside soft dinner rolls crisped in butter for scooping. Classic Mumbai street food, deeply spiced and unapologetically rich.

Prep

20 min

Cook

45 min

Total

65 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1½ lb) mixed vegetables, cauliflower, potato, green peas, carrot, and a little pumpkin or beetroot, peeled and cut into 2 cm (¾ in) chunks
• •120 g (½ cup) onion, finely chopped
• •20 g (1 tbsp + 2 tsp) ginger-garlic paste, freshly grated equal parts ginger and garlic
• •6 g (1¼ tsp) Kashmiri red chili powder, for color, mild heat
• •30 g (¼ cup) tomato, 3 medium ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• •300 g (1¼ cups) tomato puree, plain, no sugar added
• •2 g (¾ tsp) turmeric powder
• •15 g (1 tbsp) pav bhaji masala, use a freshly opened tin; MDH or Everest are the home cook standard
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, divided: 40 g for the bhaji, 20 g for toasting pav; substitute: European-style cultured butter
• •20 ml (4 tsp) neutral oil, to thin the butter and prevent scorching
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, plus more to taste
• •2 g (½ tsp) sugar, optional, balances acidity
• •2 ml (½ tsp) lemon juice, from ¼ lemon
• •10 g (2 tbsp) fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to garnish
• •1 g (¼ tsp) green chili, 1 small, slit lengthwise; optional for heat
• •8 pav buns, soft, egg-enriched Indian dinner rolls; substitute: soft, square pull-apart dinner rolls
• •1 small red onion, finely chopped, for serving
• •1 wedge lemon, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Pressure-cook or boil the vegetables: place the cauliflower, potato, peas, carrot and pumpkin in a 3 L (12 cup) pot, cover with 1.5 L (6 cups) water and 5 g (1 tsp) salt, and cook until the chunks crush easily between your fingers, 12 to 15 minutes at pressure or 20 to 25 minutes at a rolling boil. Drain, reserving 250 ml (1 cup) of the cooking water. Mash the vegetables coarsely with a potato masher right in the pot.
2. 2 Make a green-coriander paste: in a small blender or mortar, combine 6 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) of the coriander with 30 ml (2 tbsp) water and blitz to a loose purée; set aside. This is the trick behind the bright street-stall color.
3. 3 Heat a large, wide pan (a 26 cm / 10 in skillet or flat kadai) over medium heat. Add 40 g butter and 20 ml oil. When the butter foams, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and golden at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the slit green chili if using, and the ginger-garlic paste, and stir for 45 seconds until fragrant and the raw smell lifts.
4. 4 Add the chopped fresh tomato and a pinch of salt. Cook, mashing with a spatula, until the tomato breaks down to a thick paste and the oil begins to leave the sides, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree, rinse the blender with 60 ml (¼ cup) of the reserved vegetable water and add that too. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce looks glossy and reduced.
5. 5 Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder and pav bhaji masala, and immediately pour in the coriander purée. Keep the pan moving for about 30 seconds so the spices toast without burning; they should smell nutty and a shade darker.
6. 6 Add the mashed vegetables to the pan along with another 125 ml (½ cup) of the reserved cooking water. Stir well, breaking up any remaining chunks with the back of a spoon, then simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, splashing in more of the reserved water as needed, until the bhaji is thick enough to mound on a spoon but loose enough to scoop, and the butter pools on the surface.
7. 7 Season with the remaining salt and the sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and the remaining chopped coriander, taste and adjust salt or chili. Keep the bhaji on the lowest possible heat so it stays molten; street stalls serve it just under a simmer.
8. 8 Toast the pav: split each bun horizontally (keep the halves attached at the back like a book). Heat a flat tawa or cast-iron skillet over medium heat and melt the remaining 20 g butter. Lay 2 to 3 buns cut-side down on the butter and press gently with a spatula. Toast 60 to 90 seconds, until the cut side is deep golden and the bun is warm all the way through; a cold center means they were flipped too soon.
9. 9 Spoon the bhaji onto warmed plates, drizzle with a little extra butter, and shower with chopped red onion, more coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately with the hot, buttered pav on the side and a small bowl of extra chopped onion and lemon wedges for the table.