Recipe for Bombay Pav Bhaji

Bombay Pav Bhaji 🥔🍅🧈

Bombay Pav Bhaji is iconic street food from Mumbai: a buttery, spiced mashed vegetable bhaji served with toasted pav buns. It’s comforting, filling and full of aroma. Pick up key Indian pantry essentials at Asian Food Shop

History and origin 🧭

Pav Bhaji started as a quick, filling meal for workers in Mumbai. Whatever vegetables were on hand were boiled until soft, mashed into a thick bhaji, seasoned and served with bread. Today it’s a street food legend, cooked on a large griddle and finished with butter, lemon and coriander.

How it’s made, styles and ingredients 🥣

Bhaji is meant to be thick and creamy. A typical mix uses potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrot and pepper. The signature taste comes from a buttery base and pav bhaji masala. At home you can go bolder in a street style direction or keep it milder and more tomato forward.

Flavor profile 👅✨

buttery, creamy and rounded
tomato tang with gentle sweetness
warmly spiced
fresh finish from lemon

How to serve 🍳

a one pan weeknight dinner
great for guests, make the bhaji ahead and reheat
also works as a toast filling or a dip

Health notes 🌿

It’s a vegetable based dish that can feel satisfying without meat. For a lighter version, use less butter, add more vegetables and season gradually.

How to choose ingredients 🛒

boil the vegetables until soft, then mash directly in the pan
add butter in stages and keep some for the finish
dose pav bhaji masala to taste, it should be aromatic first
toast the pav buns in butter until golden

Recipe: Bombay Pav Bhaji (street style) 🥔🍅🧈

Ingredients (3 to 4 servings)

potatoes 500 g
cauliflower 300 g
green peas 200 g
carrot 1 large
bell pepper 1
onion 1 large
tomatoes 2 to 3
tomato puree 250 ml
garlic and ginger paste 1 to 2 tsp
oil 1 tbsp
butter 40 to 60 g plus extra for serving
pav bhaji masala 1 to 2 tbsp
turmeric 1/2 tsp
chilli to taste
salt to taste
water as needed
lemon 1
coriander to finish
pav buns 6 to 8

Method

Boil the vegetables until tender. Cook potatoes, cauliflower and carrot until soft, add peas near the end. Reserve a little cooking water.
Heat oil and some butter on a large pan. Add onion and cook until golden.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry briefly until fragrant.
Add tomatoes or tomato puree, turmeric, chilli and salt. Simmer a few minutes.
Add the cooked vegetables and mash directly in the pan. Loosen with a splash of reserved water if needed for a creamy texture.
Stir in pav bhaji masala and cook 5 to 8 minutes while mashing. Finish with the remaining butter.
Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and taste. Adjust salt, chilli or masala.
Slice the pav buns and toast in a little butter until golden.
Serve the bhaji with toasted pav, top with a knob of butter and finish with coriander.