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Pav Bhaji - Mumbai Iconic street food

Pav Bhaji is mumbai, India's iconic street food. Its made with spicy mashed vegetables and served with pav/pao.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Brunch, dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: bhaji, bun, masala, pao, pav, pavbhaji, spicy, Streetfood, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Devangi Raval

Ingredients

  • 2 cups florets Cauliflower, approx. 20 florets roughly chopped
  • 2 potatoes roughly chopped
  • ½ cup peas
  • 1 - 2 carrots long, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter or oil + more to serve
  • 1/2 cup onions approx. 1 onion
  • 3-4 cloves garlic grated
  • ¼ cup bell pepper finely chopped
  • 1 cup tomatoes finely chopped
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 2-3 tsp Bhaji masala easily available at Indian grocery stores
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • few lemon wedges
  • ¼ cup Cilantro or scallion greens
  • ¼ cup chopped red onions
  • bun/dinner rolls/pao

Instructions

  • In a pressure cooker or a pot, boil roughly chopped potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots with at least one cup of water until they are soft.
  • Once boiled, let it cool down slightly mash everything using a potato masher. Leave aside.
  • In a pan, take some butter or oil. Once the oil becomes hot, add in the garlic and finely diced onions. Saute them until translucent. Add finely diced bell pepper, again saute it for few minutes and then add tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix and cook for few seconds.
  • Add the spices – pav bhaji masala, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Mix everything.
  • Add the mashed vegetables. Toss to mix. Add water if its is too thick. The consistency can be adjusted by adding water. Let it simmer for few minutes and it is done.
  • Toast pav/dinner rolls while bhaji is simmering on the other side. Cut the pav/roll into half using a serrated if its not already cut.
  • Butter each side lightly on pav or dinner rolls. Place the buttered side on the skillet and cook them until you see light toasty color. Finish toasting all.
  • Serving – In a bowl serve some bhaji and bun on the side. You can add finely diced onions, lemon wedges and cilantro on the side or on top of the bhaji. You can also add a dollop of butter if you like. I love adding some green onions.
  • You can also serve some mango lassi on the side for drinks.

Notes

Use oil in place of butter to veganize it. 
You can increase or decrease the spice level.
Read post to see two methods to cook this. 
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