Pav bhaji

Name: Pav bhaji
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 500 g Potato, peeled, in chunks; 200 g Cauliflower, small florets; 100 g Peas; 1 medium Bell pepper, green bell pepper, finely chopped; 1 medium Onion, finely chopped; 4 medium Tomato, finely chopped; 100 g Butter, salted; 70 g to start, 30 g to finish; 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste; 2 piece Fresh chilli, green, finely chopped; 2 tsp Chilli powder, Kashmiri; 2 tsp Ground coriander; 1 tsp Cumin, ground; 1 tsp Garam masala; 1.5 tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Lemon juice; 8 piece Bread rolls, soft white pav or dinner rolls, joined in a tray if you can; 60 g Butter, for the pav and to top; 1 medium Red onion, finely chopped; 1 piece Lemon, in wedges; 1 handful Coriander, leaves, chopped

पाव भाजी

Mumbai street pav bhaji: potato, cauliflower, peas and pepper mashed on a hot pan with tomato, butter and spice, eaten with butter-toasted soft rolls.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: पाव भाजी.

Start cooking

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Rest: None
Total: 1 hr
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Medium heat
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

Pav bhaji is a spiced vegetable mash eaten with soft bread rolls toasted in butter. The vegetables, mostly potato with cauliflower, peas and green pepper, are boiled soft, then mashed straight into a pan of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and a lot of butter, with pav bhaji masala and Kashmiri chilli for colour. Street cooks do it on a huge flat iron tawa with a metal masher, scraping and mashing until the bhaji is thick, glossy and red-brown. At home a wide heavy frying pan and a potato masher do the same job. Finish with lemon, raw onion, coriander and more butter than seems reasonable.

What you'll need

20 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 20 ready

4 servings

Bhaji
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Bhaji

Potato, peeled, in chunks500 g
Cauliflower, small florets200 g
Peas100 g
Bell pepper, green bell pepper, finely chopped1 medium
Onion, finely chopped1 medium
Tomato, finely chopped4 medium
Butter, salted; 70 g to start, 30 g to finish100 g
Ginger garlic paste15 ml
Fresh chilli, green, finely chopped2
Chilli powder, Kashmiri9.9 ml
Ground coriander9.9 ml
Cumin, ground4.9 ml
Garam masala4.9 ml
Salt7.4 ml
Lemon juice15 ml

To serve

Bread rolls, soft white pav or dinner rolls, joined in a tray if you can8
Butter, for the pav and to top60 g
Red onion, finely chopped1 medium
Lemon, in wedges1
Coriander, leaves, chopped1 handful

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Boil the potato, cauliflower and peas in salted water for about 15 minutes until very soft. Drain, keeping a mug of the cooking water, and mash roughly.
18 min
Step 2
Melt 70 g butter in a wide heavy frying pan and cook the onion for 6 to 7 minutes until soft. Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chilli for 1 minute, then the green pepper for 3 minutes.
11 min
Step 3
Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for about 8 minutes, mashing as you go, until pulpy. Stir in the chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin and garam masala with 2 tbsp water and cook 1 minute.
9 min
Step 4
Tip in the mashed vegetables and keep mashing everything together in the pan over medium heat for about 10 minutes, adding the cooking water a splash at a time, until the bhaji is thick, smooth and glossy. Stir in the remaining 30 g butter and the lemon juice and taste for salt.
10 min
Tip: Mashing in the pan rather than in a bowl is the point. The vegetables fry slightly in the butter as you go.
Step 5
Split the pav through the middle without separating the halves completely. Spread the cut sides with butter and toast them in a hot frying pan for 1 to 2 minutes until golden, pressing down.
5 min
Step 6
Serve the bhaji hot with a knob of butter on top, chopped red onion, coriander and a lemon wedge, and the warm pav on the side.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 783 kcal
Protein: 16.1 g
Carbs: 105 g
Fat: 34.5 g
Saturated fat: 20.7 g
Fibre: 11.8 g
Sugar: 11.4 g
Sodium: 771 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat
Milk

Vegetarian
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Fresh tomatoes → Tinned chopped tomatoes
Use a 400 g tin and cook it down a few minutes longer.
Pav → Soft brioche buns or milk rolls
Anything soft, white and slightly sweet works. Crusty bread does not.

Tips

A pinch of the bhaji spice mix sprinkled on the butter before toasting the pav is how the stalls do it.
Leftover bhaji keeps three days in the fridge and goes into toasted sandwiches.

History & culture

Pav bhaji is Mumbai's evening street food, cooked at stalls on Juhu and Chowpatty beaches and outside offices and colleges. A plate comes with two buttered pav, chopped onion, a lemon wedge and a cube of butter melting on top. It is fast, cheap and filling, and most Indian cities now have their own version.

The story goes that pav bhaji began in the 1860s, when the American Civil War sent Bombay's cotton trade soaring and traders working late needed a fast meal that street cooks could make from whatever vegetables were left. Pav, the soft roll, is itself a Portuguese legacy, its name from the word pão, and Bombay's bakeries were long run by Goan and Irani families.

Traditional — Every Mumbai stall uses a packet pav bhaji masala, a blend heavy on coriander, cumin, dried mango, black salt and fennel. If you can buy one, use 2 tbsp in place of the ground coriander, cumin and garam masala here. Some stalls add a little beetroot for colour.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Pav bhaji take?

1 hr all in — 20 min prep, 40 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Medium heat.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Nut-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Saucepan, Frying pan, Chef's knife, Cutting board.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.

What can I use instead?

Fresh tomatoes → Tinned chopped tomatoes. Use a 400 g tin and cook it down a few minutes longer. Pav → Soft brioche buns or milk rolls. Anything soft, white and slightly sweet works. Crusty bread does not.

Any tips from this recipe?

A pinch of the bhaji spice mix sprinkled on the butter before toasting the pav is how the stalls do it. Leftover bhaji keeps three days in the fridge and goes into toasted sandwiches.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Leftover bhaji keeps three days in the fridge and goes into toasted sandwiches.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.