Pav Bhaji Recipe. Homemade Bombay pav bhaji recipe

Bombay Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is one of the famous Indian street side snack which is served all over India, specially in Bombay now Mumbai. Pav bhaji is one of my favorite snacks but I always end up making it for Lunch or dinner instead of preparing it in the evening. Well pav bhaji is one of the most common snack which I am sure is prepared in almost all homes in Mumbai.

Best is when you have Pav bhaji at sea side with the waves splashing at the shore and you watching those beautiful scenic moment having pav bhaji with loads of Butter on it ( not to forget that ). Trust me no Fine dinning can give you such peaceful moments. Well but the pav bhaji should be tasty and delicious. And for that I always make sure I prepare pav bhaji at home more than I binge it outside for those instant cravings. The best part of preparing pav bhaji at home is that we can adjust the adding of butter on it at the time of serving, I like it adding not too much nor too less.

For me preparing pav bhaji is more easier and quicker than cooking any other meal. As on one side I add all my vegetables in cooker and make it whistle. On the other hand I start with the roasting of masala. It hardly takes time to combine it and let it roast for few minutes. Lastly at the time of serving just need to fry the pav’s in butter . You can experience it too, a quick and easier method of preparing Bombay bhaji pav with delicious and mesmerizing taste.

You may also like my other Snack recipes

INGREDIENTS :

2 onions finely chopped
3 tomatoes peeled and finely chopped
3 potatoes
1/4 kg peas
100 gms – 125 gms cauliflower
2-3 green capsicum ( 150 gms shimla mirch )
2-3 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsp kashmiri red chilly powder
3-4 tbsp heaped butter
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4-5 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
1/2 tbsp crushed dry fenugreek leaves
oil
Lemon wedges
salt to taste

For pavs :

8 pavs ( ladi pav)
Butter
Pav bhaji masala ( OPTIONAL )
3-4 tbsp freshly chopped coriander leaves.

HOW TO MAKE BOMBAY PAV BHAJI

In a large bowl add salt and keep aside. Now chop all the cauliflower florets and drop into the salted water.
Peel all the green peas, wash and keep aside. Peel the potatoes, wash and keep aside. Wash and chop roughly shimla mircha and keep aside.
Now in a cooker add washed , drained green peas, potatoes chopped into thick pieces, shimla mirch chopped into thick pieces, and drained cauliflower florets. Add 1-2 cups of water with salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder. Close the lid and pressure it till 3-4 whistles on high flame or till the veggies are completely done.
Off the gas, once cool open the lid and check if the cauliflower’s florets, green peas and potatoes are completely done. ( do not worry about green capsicum as it will be done in just one whistle itself ). They should be such that if you press them they should mash up completely. Drain and keep aside the vegetables and vegetable stock ( if any ) both separately.
In a kadhai or huge tawa/ griddle drizzle 3-4 tbsp oil along with 1-2 tbsp butter ( you can add more ), add chopped onions and fry till the onions are translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
Add tomatoes and cook till the juice has dried up. Now add salt, a pinch of turmeric powder, bhaji pav masala and red chilly powder. Mix well and roast the masala.
Add little water say about 1/4 cup vegetable stalk which we preserved before, mix and roast the masala.
Add the vegetables, Mix well and keep mashing it with the help of bhaji pav masher or with the help of the spatula. ( press the vegetables with the back of spatula, as they are so soft that they will be smashed quickly)
Roast and cook till the oil separates, adjust salt as per your taste and add 3-4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves & crushed fenugreek leaves ( optional ). Off the gas.
Side by side in a pan add 1 tbsp butter and spread out 2 ladi pav sprinkle some bhaji pav masala ( optional ) and coriander leaves. Fry till it is a bit crisp, flip add 1-2 tbsp of melted butter again and fry till it is a bit crisp this side too. Repeat with all the pav’s and serve hot with bhaji.
In a small bowl, add finely chopped 1-2 onions and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. Keep aside.
Transfer the bhaji in a serving bowl or plate, sprinkle few chopped coriander leaves again, add a huge blob of butter and serve hot with lemon wedges, chopped onions and hot buttery pavs.

COOKING TIPS:

Increase or decrease the amount of red chilly powder as per your preferences.
Increase or decrease the amount of pav bhaji masala as per your preferences.
Increase or decrease the amount of butter as per your preferences.
You can even add red food colour to give a vibrant red color to your pav bhaji.
You can even add other veggies too such as beet root, carrots, bottle guard and so on.
I always add kashmiri red chilly powder as per my taste, say about 2 tsp as the kashmiri red chilly powder is not that spicy and give colour to my bhaji but you can add as per your preferences.
For better taste you can even sprinkle some bhaji pav masala on chopped onions that is served along with bhaji pav for more flavor.
For more flavor you can sprinkle some pav bhaji masala over pav while frying in butter or just fry the pav’s with butter without the bhaji pav masala.