By Anadi Misra · Updated · originally published
By Anadi Misra · Updated · originally published
By Anadi Misra · Updated · originally published
About this recipe
Make authentic homestyle Bombay Pav Bhaji at home with this easy recipe. Buttery, spiced vegetables served with toasted pav make the perfect Indian brunch everyone will love.
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Pav bhaji is near and dear to my heart, and I think all North Indians will agree on this! I like to call pav bhaji an “Indian sloppy joe” because I really think it is! Although this is meatless, you have a thick and rich gravy and you serve it up on some toasted bread! I’ve never actually had a real sloppy joe’s, but I’m sure the satisfaction of enjoying it is exactly the same as indulging in some pav bhaji!
You’ll see that this recipe is actually incredibly easy! I’m keeping it very simple here by mainly focusing on the tomato and potato goodness! As I’ll discuss later in this post, there are many variations that you can experiment with by switching up the ingredients. But here we’ll stick to the basics, and this is my favorite way to prepare pav bhaji!
Pav bhaji can be enjoyed as a fantastic brunch or as a satisfying dinner. Growing up, no matter what time of day you’re having pav bhaji, you’re going to fall in love with this recipe and want to make it again!
Pav bhaji simply translates to “pav,” which is the bread that’s served, and “bhaji” refers to the curried vegetables. Pav bhaji is a popular street food item served in North India. The main flavor profile comes from the tomato-rich gravy with some mashed potatoes! We’re also going to be adding some traditional Indian spices.
As mentioned earlier, you can add a variety of veggies to your pav bhaji. However, on the streets, the main focus is in the potatoes and in onions. I’ll be preparing mine in a similar fashion in this recipe!
Here’s what you’ll need to prepare an excellent pav bhaji:
1. Boil the potatoes and peas in a pressure cooker. If using an Instant Pot, slice potatoes in half, insert a trivet to the pot and add the potatoes and peas directly on the trivet.
2. Set the Instant Pot to Sealing mode and cook in Steam mode for 11-12 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
3. Peel the potatoes and transfer both potatoes and peas to a large bowl. Lightly mash the potatoes and peas and set aside for use later.
1. Heat 2 Tbsp of butter in a pan and once molten, add cumin seeds and onions. Sauté until onions become soft and turn a light golden brown.
2. Add garlic paste and green pepper and sauté until peppers have softened, and rawness of the garlic has cooked off.
3. Add tomatoes, salt and half of the deggi mirch. Mix well and continue cooking until tomatoes cook down and become soft. Stir ever so often to ensure they don’t stick to the pan and burn.
4. Add the mashed potatoes and peas and mix well to combine. Then, make a well at the center of the pan and add 2-3 Tbsp of butter. Add the rest of the deggi mirch and mix in with the butter.
5. Cook the spice until fragrant, about 30 seconds and then mix in with the bhaji.
6. Add water, about 1/2 Cup at a time until you have a wet consistency. Mix well and then start mashing the bhaji with a potato masher until completely smooth.
7. Turn heat to low and simmer, add more water if required to match the consistency of your liking. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
8. Sprinkle with pav bhaji masala and mix well. Let bhaji simmer while you prepare the pav.
9. Heat a tawa pan on medium low heat and add 1-2 Tbsp of butter and let it melt. Slice the pavs in half and add to the pan. Coat each side with butter, adding more as necessary to completely butter the pav. Toast lightly, until pavs are warmed through.
Top your pav bhaji with a generous dollop of butter on top! Add a squeeze of lemon juice and top with a lemon wedge. Finish with some freshly chopped cilantro, and your pav bhaji is complete and ready to indulge in!
You can use many breads to serve your pav bhaji. “Pav” is actually a type of bread, which is a type of bun. Now, I don’t get pavs here in Canada, so there are other options you can serve with! Here are some ideas:
I kept my recipe very simple to make with minimal ingredients. However, if you’re looking to add more vegetables to your pav bhaji, here are some ideas of vegetables you can incorporate:
Was there a vegetable I missed in this list? Let me know in the comments if you prefer your pav bhaji with veggies or plain! I’ve also seen cheesy pav bhaji! I’ve never tried it myself, but Instagram pictures definitely make my mouth water! I’m a sucker for going by what I know and the tradition, but perhaps one day I’ll try adding cheese to my pav bhaji and see how it goes! If you’re not already following me on Instagram, I recommend that you do because you’d be first to see when I do add some cheese to my pav bhaji as I share all of my cooking experiments and recipe sneak peeks in my stories and posts!
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Make authentic homestyle Bombay Pav Bhaji at home with this easy recipe. Buttery, spiced vegetables served with toasted pav make the perfect Indian brunch everyone will love.
Instant Pot
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15 min
Prep
40 min
Cook
55 min
Total
4
servings
medium
Level
Tap any quantity to scale
Boil the potatoes and peas in a pressure cooker. If using an Instant Pot, slice potatoes in half, insert a trivet to the pot and add the potatoes and peas directly on the trivet.
Boil the potatoes and peas in a pressure cooker. If using an Instant Pot, slice potatoes in half, insert a trivet to the pot and add the potatoes and peas directly on the trivet.
Set the Instant Pot to Sealing mode and cook in Steam mode for 11-12 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
Set the Instant Pot to Sealing mode and cook in Steam mode for 11-12 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
Peel the potatoes and transfer both potatoes and peas to a large bowl. Lightly mash the potatoes and peas and set aside for use later.
Peel the potatoes and transfer both potatoes and peas to a large bowl. Lightly mash the potatoes and peas and set aside for use later.
Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan and once molten, add cumin seeds and onions. Sauté until onions become soft and turn a light golden brown.
Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan and once molten, add cumin seeds and onions. Sauté until onions become soft and turn a light golden brown.
Add garlic paste and green pepper and sauté until peppers have softened, and rawness of the garlic has cooked off.
Add garlic paste and green pepper and sauté until peppers have softened, and rawness of the garlic has cooked off.
Add tomatoes, salt and half of the deggi mirch. Mix well and continue cooking until tomatoes cook down and become soft. Stir ever so often to ensure they don’t stick to the pan and burn.
Add tomatoes, salt and half of the deggi mirch. Mix well and continue cooking until tomatoes cook down and become soft. Stir ever so often to ensure they don’t stick to the pan and burn.
Add the mashed potatoes and peas and mix well to combine. Then, make a well at the center of the pan and add 2–3 tbsp of butter. Add the rest of the deggi mirch and mix in with the butter.
Add the mashed potatoes and peas and mix well to combine. Then, make a well at the center of the pan and add 2–3 tbsp of butter. Add the rest of the deggi mirch and mix in with the butter.
Cook the spice until fragrant, about 30 seconds and then mix in with the bhaji.
Cook the spice until fragrant, about 30 seconds and then mix in with the bhaji.
Add water, about 1/2 Cup at a time until you have a wet consistency. Mix well and then start mashing the bhaji with a potato masher until completely smooth.
Add water, about 1/2 Cup at a time until you have a wet consistency. Mix well and then start mashing the bhaji with a potato masher until completely smooth.
Turn heat to low and simmer, add more water if required to match the consistency of your liking. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Turn heat to low and simmer, add more water if required to match the consistency of your liking. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Sprinkle with pav bhaji masala and mix well. Let bhaji simmer while you prepare the pav.
Sprinkle with pav bhaji masala and mix well. Let bhaji simmer while you prepare the pav.
Heat a tawa pan on medium low heat and add 1–2 tbsp of butter and let it melt. Slice the pavs in half and add to the pan. Coat each side with butter, adding more as necessary to completely butter the pav. Toast lightly, until pavs are warmed through.
Heat a tawa pan on medium low heat and add 1–2 tbsp of butter and let it melt. Slice the pavs in half and add to the pan. Coat each side with butter, adding more as necessary to completely butter the pav. Toast lightly, until pavs are warmed through.
Serve Pav Bhaji immediately, topping the bhaji with more butter, chopped cilantro, along with the pav and wedges of lemon.
Serve Pav Bhaji immediately, topping the bhaji with more butter, chopped cilantro, along with the pav and wedges of lemon.
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