Paav Bhaji is a delicious and nutritious street food of Mumbai city.  One can find Paav Bhaji stall in almost every corner of the market place and streets.  Paav Bhaji is also prepared in different forms to cater people not eating garlic or ginger or onion, for instance Jain Paav Bhaji not containing ginger or garlic or onion.

I cooked Paav Bhaji using the normal recipe, as it is widely eaten in Mumbai and all over India.  You should try cooking this dish at home.

Ingredients :

  • Beans – 200 gms – finely chopped.
  • Potato -3 medium size – finely chopped.
  • Carrot – 2 medium size – finely chopped.
  • Capsicum – 1 big size – finely chopped.
  • Cauli Flower – 200 gms – finely chopped.
  • Green Peas – 200 gms.
  • Tomato – 4 to 5 medium size – grinded into fine paste.
  • Onion – 3 medium size – grinded into fine paste.
  • Ginger paste – 2 tsp.
  • Garlic paste – 2 tsp.
  • Garam masala powder – half tsp.
  • Paav Bhaji masala powder (available ready made in market) – 3 tsp.
  • Red chilli powder – half tsp.
  • Coriander powder – 1 tsp.
  • Turmeric powder – half tsp.
  • Coriander leaves – 2 small cups – finely chopped.
  • Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.
  • Butter – 100 gms.
  • Cooking oil – 2 tsp.
  • Salt to taste.
  • Freshly Baked Paav (Bread).

Method :

  • Take a pressure cooked and add finely chopped beans, cauli flower, green peas, potato, carrot and capsicum. 
  • Add 4 cups of water. 
  • Add pinch of salt.
  • Close the pressure cooker lit and cook the vegetables until you hear 5 to 6 whistles of cooker (around 20 minutes).
  • Take a crusher and mash all the vegetables in the cooker until it becomes like a fine paste.
  • Take a Kadai (Wok) and add 75 gms of Butter and 2 tsp of cooking oil.  Heat up the butter/oil.
  • Add Cumin seeds and allow it to crackle.
  • Add finely chopped onion and mix it well.
  • Fry the onions until it turns golden brown.
  • Add ginger and garlic paste and cook them well.
  • Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, garam masala, 2 tsp of readymade paav bhaji masala into the Kadai.  Mix them well and don’t allow them to burn.  Add little water to deglaze the Kadai and it also prevents the masalas to burn.  Fry masalas for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add Tomato paste and mix them well.
  • Tomatoes should be fried well. Fry to tomatoes until you see oil released on sides of the Kadai.
  • Add vegetable paste kept in the pressure cooker into the Kadai.
  • Mix the vegetables and masalas well on high heat.  Keep stirring it until masalas and vegetables become homogenous mixture.
  • Cover the Kadai with a lid and allow it to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes on medium or low heat.
  • Add remaining 1 tsp of ready made paav bhaji masala and half of chopped coriander leaves into the Kadai.  Mix them well for 2 to 3 minutes.  Cover the Kadai with a lid and turn off the heat.  Let it be there for another 10 minutes with lid covered.
  • Take the Paavs (Bread) and cut it into half.  Apply butter on both sides of it.
  • Take a Tava or frying pan and heat it up.  Roast the Paavs on Tava and serve hot.
  • Serve Paav Bhaji with lime slice, finely chopped onions, garnish with coriander leaves and dollop of butter on the Paav Bhaji.
  • Serve the Paav Bhaji and Paav hot.
  • Enjoy Eating.