Pav bhaji recipe | Mumbai style pav bhaji | How to make a pav bhaji at home

Pav bhaji recipe aka Mumbai style pav bhaji is a spectacular Indian street food which is crazily popular all over India. In this preparation, spicy and flavorous mashed vegetable gravy prepared with pav bhaji masala and generous amount of butter is served with pillowy soft butter toasted pav aka dinner rolls with a side of crunchy chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Mumbai pav bhaji recipe is a nutritious, reasonable and exuberant meal which is has been winning millions of hearts with its exceptional taste, flavour and texture. Learn to prepare this phenomenon street food recipe at home following few simple instructions.

About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make Pav Bhaji (step wise photos)
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Pav bhaji recipe is a spicy, flavourous and tangy orange coloured onion-tomato based gravy prepared with mashed vegetables and topped with dollop of butter and is served with butter roasted pav with some chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon wedges.

The name of the dish ‘Pav bhaji’ is in Hindi and Marathi language where the word ‘Pav’ means buns or dinner rolls (eggless) and ‘Bhaji’ means a vegetable-based curry (dry or gravy). Both the bhaji (vegetable-based gravy) and pav are served together. Hence, it is named as ‘Pav bhaji’.

Pav bhaji is an epic Mumbai street food which is crazily popular all over the nation now due to its extraordinary public demand. According to many people, this lip-smacking dish originated in the 19th century. It is believed that during that time when textile mill workers wanted their food quickly, they cooked seasonal vegetables in large iron tawas by mashing, breaking and mixing with spice mixture and generous amount of butter. Then they served the hot curry with butter roasted pav. Gradually, this dish became so popular that it is now sold by the street vendors to reputed restaurants in Mumbai and other subcontinents in India.

If you think there is no variation in pav bhaji recipe, and it is prepared in same way using same ingredients then you are completely wrong. There are different varieties of pav bhaji that are prepared by the street vendors. The most popular variations are

Jain pav bhaji: It is prepared in same traditional ways just without using onion and garlic. Subtract the onion and garlic from the regular pav bhaji recipe.

Khada pav bhaji: In this preparation, the vegetables of the bhaji are not mashed. You will get the bite of the chunky vegetables in this bhaji.

Kathiyawadi pav bhaji: In this preparation, a special spice blend of Kathiawar (Gujrat) is used to prepare the bhaji.

Punjabi pav bhaji: Extra ground spice and butter is added to the bhaji for richer and more flavorous version.

Paneer pav bhaji: In this preparation, panner cubes are added to the bhaji and topped with grated paneer.

Cheese pav bhaji: Generous amount of grated cheese (mostly cheddar or mozzarella cheese) is added to the hot bhaji for cheesy taste and texture.

Mushroom pav bhaji: Button mushrooms are added to the bhaji along with other vegetables.

Indian street food has always been a centre of attraction in Indian cuisine. It known for its amazing flavours, different layers of texture and combinational taste which tickles all the taste buds of our mouth and dominates the senses. All these reasons have been drooling Indian people for street foods since decades.

I am a huge fan of Indian street food since childhood and have get bored of it. Pav bhaji recipe is one of my favourites. Whenever I talk about this delight, it always drives me towards my childhood memories. I still remember how my dad used to bring me to the funfairs and take me to the pav bhaji stall for my favourite treat.

Once, during our summer holidays, he even took us to Mumbai for a family trip and I was always asking for a pav bhaji for meal. But I must say the pav bhaji recipe which I tasted in Juhu Chowpatty in Mumbai is one of the finest experiences in my life.

I used to eat varieties of Indian street food from the street venders when I was in India. But after coming to London, I started missing those delish badly. Though there are many Indian street food stalls in London, but they are not so conveniently available as in India. So, I started preparing Indian street food at home.

Whenever I plan to prepare Mumbai pav bhaji recipe, first I prepare pav bhaji masala powder at home. It is one of the most essential components for the recipe. In short, pav bhaji cannot be prepare without pav bhaji masala powder. It is used to flavour up the vegetable mashed gravy.

Though readymade pav bhaji masala powder is easily available in supermarket and shops, but homemade pav bhaji masala is completely different from the market bought ones. It is much more aromatic than the readymade spice mix. Once you prepare the masala at home, I can bet you will never go back to stores to buy the readymade ones. If you don’t want to compromise in taste and flavour of pav bhaji then I will highly recommend you prepare the pav bhaji masala powder at home. I have already shared pav bhaji masala powder recipe in my previous post. You can check for further details of the recipe.

I have even prepared the ladi pav recipe at home for the Mumbai pav bhaji recipe. Though pav is readily available in market and it works great for the recipe but still I always prefer homemade pav over market packaged food. It makes the pav bhaji taste better and healthier. If you have enough time in hand then you can also prepare pav at home. Check my previous post for further details of ladi pav recipe.

Many people think that preparing Pav bhaji recipe aka Mumbai style pav bhaji at home is a bit complex process. But you will get amazed to know that it is a very simple and easy recipe which takes less than one hour to come to your plate. It requires very common and easily available ingredients which are easily available in any Indian kitchen pantry.

Pav bhaji recipe with step by step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks to make the recipe easier for you. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then you will get the perfect pav bhaji mumbai which will taste even better than the ones prepared by the street vendors. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share few interesting things about this moreish and its components.

Pav: The primary component of pav bhaji recipe which provides body to it. I prefer to prepare Mumbai pav bhaji with homemade ladi pav because it turns out super soft, fresh and healthy. You can also prepare it with market bought pav. But check the “best before” date before buying it.

Vegetables: To prepare the bhaji aka vegetable gravy, mixed vegetables are used including onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and green chillies. For the mixed vegetables, I have used potatoes, carrots, capsicum aka green bell pepper, cauliflower and green peas for the bhaji. Each vegetable plays a vital role to give perfect texture and taste to the bhaji.

Butter: Butter is a very important component of pav bhaji. It is used to prepare the bhaji and is even served with some extra maska aka butter as topping over the bhaji. It is used to fry the pav too at the end. It provides nice flavour and outer crisp to the pav.

Pav bhaji masala: It is one of the most important ingredients for preparing the bhaji. It is a spice blend of assemblage of whole spices – cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, nutmeg and dry Kashmiri red chillies, kasuri methi, turmeric powder, black salt and dry mango powder. It provides flavour and taste to the bhaji aka vegetable gravy.

Kashmiri red chilli powder: It provides beautiful vibrant colour and slightly heaty taste to the bhaji.

Kasuri methi: Another important component which provides flavour to the bhaji.

Salt: It provides basic salty taste to the bhaji.

Chopped onion, coriander leaves and lemon wedges: These are one of the most important components which adds taste and flavour to the dish. These are served as side with the pav bhaji.

• First pressure cook the mixed vegetables along with some seasoning and butter and then mash it with the help of a potato masher for better texture.
• Don’t add too much water to pressure cook the mixed vegetables or else your bhaji will become runny.
• Cauliflower is one of the key ingredients which makes the bhaji more delicious. Don’t skip it. Most of the street food venders either deduct or add very less amount of cauliflower to reduce the cost of the bhaji.
• Chop the onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and capsicum very finely for the perfect texture of the bhaji.
• Always use chopped onion, ginger, garlic rather than paste for better texture, flavour and taste.
• Always prepare the bhaji in generous amount of butter for getting the taste of restaurant bought pav bhaji. Butter is one of the key ingredients which provides taste and flavour to the dish.
• Try to use homemade pav bhaji masala for the best result.
• Either use homemade pav or fresh and soft readymade pav for the recipe.
• To add flavour to the pav, add generous amount of butter into the pan and add some pav bhaji masala into it. Then add the pav and fry them evenly till crispy.
• Always serve the pav bhaji with some extra butter as topping along with chopped onion, coriander leaves and lemon wedges as side to get the exact street food feeling.

Pav bhaji masala is the heart of pav bhaji recipe. Basically, it is a spice blend of assemblage of spices which is used to flavour up the bhaji aka vegetable gravy.

According to me, homemade pav bhaji masala works best for the recipe. Homemade pav bhaji masala powder is much more aromatic and healthier than market bought spice mix.

But still sometimes when I am in hurry and have enough time to prepare pav bhaji masala powder at home, I buy readymade pav bhaji masala powder from supermarket. According to me, ‘Everest’, ‘Pure and sure’ and few other brand’s pav bhaji masala work good for the recipe.

Yes of course. Homemade pav bhaji masala is the best option for the flavorous pav bhaji recipe, but still you can also use readymade pav bhaji masala of your choice. It is easily available in any Indian grocery shop.

You can make a proportion of coriander powder: cumin powder: garam masala powder and use it instead of pav bhaji masala in case of emergency.

Yes of course. You can use vegan butter instead of regular butter and can prepare the vegan pav bhaji recipe.

Honestly in most of the restaurants and street vendors’ stall, they either use orange or red food colour into the bhaji and everyone get tempted to the colour.

But if you prepare the pav bhaji at home then I will advise you to skip it. As we all know, addition of food colour is not a very healthy practice.

You can use few healthy hacks instead of adding food colour into the bhaji.

• You can deseed the dry red chillies and soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Then strain the red chillies and grind them to a thick paste. You can add the paste accordingly to add colour and heat to the bhaji. Even you can choose your choice of dry red chillies according to the heaty taste.
• You can add mild Kashmiri red chilli powder to the bhaji which induces great colour to it.
• Other than this, you can add a small piece of beetroot with other vegetables to pressure cook for natural colour without making the bhaji spicy.

Usually Indian bun aka ladi pav is used for the recipe. If you don’t find them handy then you can also use dinner rolls or burger buns for the recipe. Select the size of the bun accordingly.

Honestly, pav bhaji recipe is a popular Indian street food which is loaded with butter, some food colour and served with pav prepared with all-purpose flour aka Maida. So, in any angle, we cannot consider it a very healthy dish.

But if you prepare this dish at home then definitely you can make it healthy by deducting the food colour and reducing the amount of butter. Even you can opt whole wheat buns instead of regular pav.

There are no rules and regulations to eat pav bhaji or any other Indian street food. You can have it as a meal during lunch or dinner time and even as brunch or evening snacks.

Just take the bhaji on a plate or bowl and top with some extra butter. Take butter roasted pav along with some chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Squeeze the lemon juice on the bhaji and swirl it. Take a piece of pav and dunk it into the bhaji partially and devour.

You can get readymade pav bhaji masala powder easily from any Indian grocery store. But you can make your own pav bhaji masala powder at home for the best result.

• 2 tablespoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds (Dhania)
• 1½ tablespoon Fennel seeds (Saunf)
• 1½ teaspoon Black Pepper (Kali mirch)
• 1 black Cardamom (Badi elaichi)
• 1 Bay leaf (Tejpatta)
• 6 Cloves (Laung)
• 2-inches Cinnamon stick (Dalchini)
• 5 Dried Kashmiri red Chillies (Kashmiri lal mirch)
• ½ Star Anise (Chakra phool)
• ½ Nutmeg (Jaiphal)
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi powder)
• 1 teaspoon black Salt (Kali namak)
• 1 tablespoon Amchur powder (Dry mango powder)

To prepare the pav bhaji masala recipe, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, nutmeg, dry Kashmiri red chillies to a dry pan and roast them over medium flame for 4-5 minutes until a nutty fragrance comes out of the spices. Then switch off the flame.

Add kasuri methi into the pan and give a nice mix. Then put the pan down and allow the masala to cool down completely.

Transfer the masala into the small jar of grinder and add turmeric powder, black salt, amchur powder into it. Close the lid of the jar and pulse it to a fine dust.

To prepare the pav bhaji recipe, first I have prepared the pav bhaji masala powder. You can keep it in a clean and dry airtight container and store it in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight for months.

Then take the vegetables – potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green peas and cut them into medium pieces and wash them. Transfer the vegetables one by one into the pressure cooker. Add salt, pav bhaji masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder, knob of butter and some water into the cooker. Close the lid and pressure cook it over medium flame till 2 whistles. Allow the pressure cooker release pressure completely. Then take off the lid of the cooker and mash the vegetables with the help of a potato masher. Keep it aside.

On the other hand, finely chop onions, ginger, garlic and green bell pepper aka capsicum and keep them aside. Cut the tomatoes into medium pieces and keep it aside.

Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become dry. Add oil and generous amount of butter into the pan and allow it to bubble. Then add the finely chopped onion and fry them till translucent. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry them over medium low flame for another 2 minutes.

Then add the chopped capsicum and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Then add the tomato chunks, salt into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame until the tomatoes get mushy.

Add pav bhaji masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes.

Then add the mashed mixed vegetable mixture into the pan and mix it with the masala evenly. Cook it in medium flame for 4-5 minutes until the bhaji simmers and get thicken. Put the flame in low and mash the bhaji once more with a potato masher for smoother consistency.

At the end, add kasuri methi, a knob of butter and mix it well. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

On the other hand, Slit the pav horizontally from one side but keep one side intact. Put a wide tawa on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add butter into it and allow it to bubble. Add some pav bhaji masala and into the butter and give a quick stir. Open the bun and place it on the tawa. Fry them evenly on medium flame for 1-2 minutes from both the sides till crispy.

Then pour the bhaji into a plate and top it with some extra butter. Serve it with the crispy pav and some chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon wedges as side.

Many Indian Street food recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You can check few of them like

Bhelpuri
Papdi Chaat
Capsicum Bajji
Vegetable chop

..And Many more…

• 3 medium Potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 7-8 medium florets of Cauliflower
• ½ cup green Peas (Fresh or frozen)
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Pav bhaji masala
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 cups Water

• 1 large Onion, finely chopped
• 3 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 inches Ginger, finely chopped
• 1 green Chilli, finely chopped or thin sliced
• 1 Capsicum, finely chopped
• 3 large Tomatoes, medium diced
• ¾ tablespoon Pav bhaji masala
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tablespoon Butter, for addition at final stage
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Butter, for cooking
• 1 tablespoon Oil

• 8 Pav aka dinner rolls
• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 1¼ teaspoon Pav bhaji masala

• 1 Lemon wedge
• 1 tablespoon chopped Onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped Coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon Butter for Topping on bhaji

To prepare the bhaji
1. First rinse, peel and cut the vegetables and make them handy.
2. Take a pressure cooker and add 3 medium potatoes diced, 7-8 medium cauliflower florets, 1 carrot diced and ½ cup green peas, one by one into it.
3. Add ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder and 2 cups water, one by one into the cooker.
4. Close the lid of the cooker and cook it in medium flame till 2 whistles. Then switch off the flame and allow it to release pressure. Then take off the lid and mash the vegetables with a potato masher.
5. Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become dry. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons butter and allow the mixture to melt.
6. Add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it over medium high flame for 2 minutes till translucent.
7. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry them over medium low flame for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the chopped capsicum and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium flame for 3 minutes.
9. Add the tomato chunks, salt into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame 6-8 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
10. Add ¾ tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes until the masala releases butter.
11. Add the mashed mixed vegetable mixture (Step 4) into the pan and mix it with the masala evenly. Cook it in high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame to medium and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the bhaji get thicken.
    Note: The consistency of the bhaji is neither too thick nor runny.
12. Put the flame in low and mash the bhaji directly on pan once more with a potato masher for smoother consistency.
    Note: You can mash the vegetables according to your own preference. For smoother consistency mash more and for chunky bites mash less.
13. At the end, add 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, 1 tablespoon butter and mix it well.
14. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

To roast the pav
15. Slit the pav horizontally from one side but keep one side intact.
16. Put a wide tawa on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 1½ tablespoons butter into it and allow it to bubble.
17. Add ½ teaspoon pav bhaji masala and into the butter and give a quick stir.
18. Open 3 buns and place it on the tawa. Rotate the pav and it will absorb the butter. Then flip the pav and rotate it to absorb butter. Add more butter if required. Fry them evenly on medium flame for 1-2 minutes from both the sides till crispy.
19. Repeat the process and fry rest of the pav.

For serving (1 person)
20. Take 1 cup bhaji in a shallow plate or on in a bowl and top it with 1 teaspoon extra butter. Serve 2 butter roasted pav with the bhaji and 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, 1 lemon wedge as side.

Serve the pav bhaji recipe immediately to enjoy the perfect outer crisp of the pav. Serve it with some extra butter as topping on bhaji along with chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon wedges as side. Enjoy the salivating Indian street food as meal or snack with your family and friends.

Pav bhaji recipe | Mumbai style pav bhaji | How to make a pav bhaji at home

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: NA calories NA fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

To pressure cook the mixed vegetables

• 3 medium Potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 7-8 medium florets of Cauliflower
• ½ cup green Peas (Fresh or frozen)
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Pav bhaji masala
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 cups Water

Other ingredients for bhaji

• 1 large Onion, finely chopped
• 3 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 inches Ginger, finely chopped
• 1 green Chilli, finely chopped or thin sliced
• 1 Capsicum, finely chopped
• 3 large Tomatoes, medium diced
• ¾ tablespoon Pav bhaji masala
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red Chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tablespoon Butter, for addition at final stage
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Butter, for cooking
• 1 tablespoon Oil

To toast the pav

• 8 Pav aka dinner rolls
• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 1¼ teaspoon Pav bhaji masala

For garnishing (1 serving)

• 1 Lemon wedge
• 1 tablespoon chopped Onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped Coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon Butter for Topping on bhaji

Instructions

To prepare the bhaji

1. First rinse, peel and cut the vegetables and make them handy.
2. Take a pressure cooker and add 3 medium potatoes diced, 7-8 medium cauliflower florets, 1 carrot diced and ½ cup green peas, one by one into it.
3. Add ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder and 2 cups water, one by one into the cooker.
4. Close the lid of the cooker and cook it in medium flame till 2 whistles. Then switch off the flame and allow it to release pressure. Then take off the lid and mash the vegetables with a potato masher.
5. Now put a pan on flame and allow it to become dry. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons butter and allow the mixture to melt.
6. Add finely chopped onions into the pan and fry it over medium high flame for 2 minutes till translucent.
7. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry them over medium low flame for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the chopped capsicum and give a nice stir. Cook it in medium flame for 3 minutes.
9. Add the tomato chunks, salt into the pan and mix it. Cover the pan and cook it in low flame 6-8 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
10. Add ¾ tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and give a nice mix. Cook it in low flame for another couple of minutes until the masala releases butter.
11. Add the mashed mixed vegetable mixture (Step 4) into the pan and mix it with the masala evenly. Cook it in high flame until the gravy starts boiling. Then turn the flame to medium and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the bhaji get thicken.

Note: The consistency of the bhaji is neither too thick nor runny.

12. Put the flame in low and mash the bhaji directly on pan once more with a potato masher for smoother consistency.

Note: You can mash the vegetables according to your own preference. For smoother consistency mash more and for chunky bites mash less.

13. At the end, add 1 teaspoon kasuri methi, 1 tablespoon butter and mix it well.
14. Switch off the flame and put the pan down.

 

To roast the pav

15. Slit the pav horizontally from one side but keep one side intact.
16. Put a wide tawa on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add 1½ tablespoons butter into it and allow it to bubble.
17. Add ½ teaspoon pav bhaji masala and into the butter and give a quick stir.
18. Open 3 buns and place it on the tawa. Rotate the pav and it will absorb the butter. Then flip the pav and rotate it to absorb butter. Add more butter if required. Fry them evenly on medium flame for 1-2 minutes from both the sides till crispy.
19. Repeat the process and fry rest of the pav.

For serving (1 person)

20. Take 1 cup bhaji in a shallow plate or on in a bowl and top it with 1 teaspoon extra butter. Serve 2 butter roasted pav with the bhaji and 1 tablespoon chopped onion, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, 1 lemon wedge as side.