Pav Bhaji

30 Minutes

Pav bhaji is a popular street style food from Mumbai which is a spicy mixture of mixed vegetables cooked in butter and spices! Served with toasty buttery buns, this recipe is fool proof and mouth watering!

Pav bhaji is a recipe that is honestly fool proof, and even if you don’t believe me try to just to prove me wrong haha. You honestly can’t go wrong with this recipe because it’s just a mixture of steamed veggies that are mashed down and combined with a ton of savory spices and of course the heaping spoonfuls of butter!

This recipe is very near and dear to me because my Masi (aunt) makes it every time I go to visit her in San Diego! This is honestly her specialty and no matter how much I want to eat In N Out the second I get off the plane, what I really want is her pav bhaji.

Her pav bhaji is spicy, savory and buttery smooth. It’s the perfect combination and also the perfect consistency of Mumbai style pav bhaji.

For this recipe I did speed up the cooking process a little bit by adding the peas, cauliflower and beets to the instant pot and cooking them while I started cooking the onions, tomatoes etc on the stove top. I’ve learned this is the best way to get the most out of your minutes.

Pav Bhaji

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• Author: Sweta Patel
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 people 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Scale

1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x 11x 12x 13x 14x 15x 16x 17x 18x 19x 20x

1x2x3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x 11x 12x 13x 14x 15x 16x 17x 18x 19x 20x

• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 cauliflower- cut into florets
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 onion – finely diced
• 1 beet root – cut in half *optional 
• 1 potato – peeled and quartered
• 1 tomato – diced
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp garlic – grated
• 1/2 tbsp ginger – grated
• 1–2 green chilies – finely minced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• salt to taste
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• cilantro – chopped

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Instructions

1. In a instant pot, using a steamer basket add the cauliflower, beets, potatoes and peas. Pressure cook for 7 mins.
2. In a large pan, heat up the oil on medium high heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 1 min. Next add the onions and cook for 4-6 mins until they’re golden brown.
3. Add the green chilies, ginger, garlic and cook for additional 1 min, followed by adding the tomatoes.
4. Add in all your spices, pav bhaji masala, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Mix everything together and lower the heat.
5. Add the veggies to the pan, and using a potato masher or fork, mash the veggies in with the spices and give everything a stir. Add the water and lemon juice, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 10 mins.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve with toasted buttery buns.

Notes

• I love using Kings Hawaiian buns for this recipe.
• Serve with sliced red onions, lime wedges and sliced butter.

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 20
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: Pav Bhaji, indian street food, 30 min meals