This is Pav Bhaji, a mashed vegetable dish with a spicy tangy base that is served with soft fluffy dinner rolls called Pav. This recipe is my go-to recipe when I have a lot of leftover vegetables that are breathing their last breath. I have explained the ingredients and method to prepare in detail in the next few sections.
What is Pav Bhaji?
This delectable fast food dish is a household favourite of almost everyone. It originates from the state of Maharashtra and is a popular fast food that has now made its way to the rest of the country. Pav means dinner rolls or bread and bhaji means sabzi or veggie preparation. Ideally, the Pav bhaji is made by boiling a bunch of vegetables and then adding them to an onion-tomato gravy base. Once the vegetables have been coated in the masala, they are mashed into a grainy pulp.
How to prepare Bhaji in Pav Bhaji? (detailed recipe)
My aim for this recipe was to bring to light all the veggies that go waste in our kitchens on a daily basis. Did you know that food waste totals up to million tonnes each year and nearly 570 million tonnes of this waste occurs in household kitchens? That’s a LOT of waste considering the number of people who are having food scarcity in this world. I am not trying to bum you out with these facts but I want to bring to light the things that are in our control viz. using leftover veggies and ingredients instead of just throwing them out.
The secret ingredient is the Pav Bhaji Masala – which you can procure from any Indian shop or make it at home if you prefer. The amount used can vary depending on your taste buds and spice tolerance capacity. I like it on the higher end
This classic Maharashtrian dish has been blessed with @beextravegant’s magic touch.
Ingredients used (in this recipe)
- Cauliflower
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Green peas: frozen or fresh
- Bell peppers
- Garlic: minced
- Ginger: Minced
Alternatively or additionally, you can also use chopped green beans, radishes, beetroot, cabbage etc.
Method to prepare bhaji
Cooking the vegetables
- Add all the chopped vegetables to a pressure cooker with enough water, and a pinch of salt and cook them until soft.
- Pressure cook the veggies for about 12 minutes on medium flame or 20 minutes in a pot. (If you have leftover vegetables that have already been prepared, do not add them to the pressure cooker.
- Roughly chop the vegetables that have been cooked and keep them aside.
For Gravy base
- Add 2-3 tbsp neutral oil in a hot pan and add cumin seeds – roast until they crackle. Continue to add chopped onions and saute until golden brown and translucent.
- Add the minced ginger and chopped green chillies. Once the raw garlic smell subsides, add diced tomatoes.
- Add a pinch of salt and allow the tomatoes to get soft. Sauté on low to medium heat till the tomatoes turn soft and the oil starts releasing from the sides.
- Add the spices: turmeric, Kashmiri red chilli powder, and Pav Bhaji Masala.
- Add the cooked veggies along with the stock or water from the pressure cooker or pot that they were cooking in. Add salt and mix well.
- With a potato masher, mash the veggies directly in the pan (make sure it’s not a non-stick pan in case you use a metal masher).
- Mash the veggies according to the consistency you prefer. I prefer somewhere in between super smooth and super chunky. For a smooth mixture, mash more.
- Keep on stirring occasionally while the bhaji simmers for about 8-9 more minutes. The bhaji is ready to be served.
For plating
This bhaji is usually served with Pav or dinner rolls. Ingredients for plating and garnishing are:
- Pav (dinner rolls)
- 3 to 4 tbsp Vegan butter – for roasting pav and topping the bhaji
- 3-4 lemon wedges
- 1 onion – medium to large, finely chopped
- 6-7 stalks of coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish
Serve the bhaji with a bit of vegan butter, chopped coriander, chopped red onions and a squeeze of lemon along with the pav! Enjoy!
Give my other vegetable-based dishes a try:
Pav Bhaji – Spicy Vegetable Mash
Ingredients
Vegetables for the Bhaji
- 2-3 Potatoes large to medium
- 1 cup cauliflower, roughly chopped about 130 g
- 1 cup carrot, roughly chopped about 130 g
- 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen about 140 g
- 1 bell pepper green, red, or yellow
- Enough water – for pressure-cooking or boiling the veggies in a pot
For gravy base
- 2-3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium to large onion
- 1 tbsp minced ginger and garlic 1-inch ginger & 3 large garlic cloves minced, or ginger-garlic paste
- 1 to 2 green chilies chopped
- 2 to 3 large tomatoes diced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2-3 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 to 3 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala
- Additional water for the gravy as needed
- salt to taste
For plating and garnishing
- 1 pack Pav vegan dinner rolls
- 3 to 4 tbsp Vegan butter
- 3-4 lemon wedges
- 1 onion – medium to large finelychopped
- 6-7 stalks of coriander leaves chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Cooking veggies
- Rinse, peel and chop the veggies in equal sizes
- Place all of them, including the green peas, in a pressure cooker on a large pot with enough water covering the veggies.
- Pressure cook the veggies for about 12 minutes on medium flame or 20 minutes on a pot.
- When the pressure naturally releases, keep aside and check for doneness.
Gravy base:
- Heat oil in a pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds.
- Once they crackle and start to change colour, add finely chopped onions to it.
- Saute on a low to medium flame till the onions turn golden.
- Then add minced ginger and garlic. Cook till the raw smell of ginger and garlic go away.
- Add chopped green chilies and tomatoes. Saute well. (Add water if the tomatoes start sticking to the bottom)
- Then add ground turmeric, Kashmiri red chilli powder and pan bhaji masala, and mix well.
Making the Bhaji
- Add the cooked veggies along with the stock or water from the pressure cooker or pot. Add salt and mix well.
- With a potato masher, mash the veggies directly in the pan.
- Mash the veggies according to the consistency you prefer. For a smooth mixture, mash more.
- Keep on mashing/stirring occasionally while the bhaji simmers for about 8-9 more minutes.
Assemble the Pav and Bhaji
- Toast/fry the pav in butter and 1-2 tsp Pav Bhaji masala (dropped directly onto the butter) until the pav turns reddish-golden and crispy.
- Serve the bhaji with a bit of vegan butter, chopped coriander, and chopped red onions on top along with the pav.
I absolutely love that I found you. At the perfect time in my life. My Dad and I live alone out in the country, he’s in hospice care and our grocery trips are very limited, though our garden produce is mighty. I cannot wait to use some of these lovely recipes to liven up our diet. Thank you!
Tried this twice and it just gets better every time you make it! Plus you’ve a clean pantry 😁😋 My non-vegan family enjoyed it as well..
Thanks, Shruthi!! It’s my fav pantry clean-up recipe. I’m glad you and your whole fam enjoyed it 😍