Pav Bhaji is a street style fast food made with boiled and mashed vegetables and fried on a flat with loads of spices and aromatics, tempered with butter and served hot with toasted bread rolls.
If any of my schoolmates are reading this post will relate to all the nostalgic moments we had with the Pav Bhaji served at our school canteen. It is not that I remember each and everything of my school days, but the very thought of our school canteen pav bhaji is totally different. That was the first time I was introduced to this street food and that too in a country like Oman.
I studied at Indian School Muscat, which is the most brilliant institution in the Gulf region, and for me, the best part was the canteen and this Pav Bhaji. I had to save money for this one as it costs slightly more than other snacks. As soon as I reach the threshold I would treat myself to this finger-licking palatable snack which was almost like lunch for me.
They served the bhaji on a paper plate slightly bigger than my palm. The bhaji had that reddish rich color with the right amount of spices and the best of all was the chunks of unmashed potatoes which I liked to relish more than the pav. I would borrow a disposable spoon and finish off the bhaji which was served generously with 2 small pavs. The taste and the memories are so vivid even if it was almost two decades ago.
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If we go back to the historical background of Pav Bhaji, it originated in Maharashtra in the1850’s as a midnight meal for textile mill workers. The cooks made bhaji with the leftover vegetables and added lots of butter and spices. They served this bhaji with bread or pav. This is how it started and now pav bhaji is the most popular street food on every corner on Mumbai streets.
How to make Pav Bhaji Masala Powder at home?
Preparing your favorite spice mix powders at home is not rocket science. It can be one of the healthy and hygienic ways of cooking any kind of food at home without depending on store-bought spices, which are always packed with additives and artificial colors.
The spices involved in preparing pav bhaji masala powder are the most basic ones and are available in your kitchen pantry all the time. So next time when you wish to make pav bhaji, just put some extra effort into making this spice mix, I promise it only takes 15 minutes to do that… because homemade spices always have an edge over the commercial ones.
By making your own spice mix you can control the level of spice and other ingredients, for example, many of us do not like the strong garam masala flavor or maybe any one of the garam masalas.
I know people who keep complaining that they can’t stand the flavor of cinnamon. There are many who do not eat spicy food and the store-bought powders are high on spice and heat from chilies. In this recipe, I have used byadgi chilies which are mild and not too spicy.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete recipe of this spice mix.
Here are some tips to make Street Style Pav Bhaji:
Always add more potatoes and fewer other vegetables. Avoid using vegetables like cabbage and beans as you will not get a smooth gravy-like texture for your bhaji. Most of the street side pav bhaji walas use only potatoes and some time along with green peas.
Also, remember to use more onion and tomatoes to give a sweet and sour taste to the curry. If the bhaji looks too dry, add the vegetable stock which used in cooking the vegetables. Always serve the bhaji hot topped with lots of butter, chopped onion, and also drizzle some extra pav bhaji masala powder for more flavor.
Other variations for Pav Bhaji:
Nowadays the street vendors serve Bhaji with a huge amount of grated cheese and they call it Cheese Pav Bhaji. Jain Pav Bhaji is also very popular with no onion and no garlic with boiled plantain instead of potatoes.
Khada Pav Bhaji is a version where the vegetables are cooked but not mashed and kept chunkier. Many people make a shortcut pav bhaji by cooking the whole thing in a pressure cooker instead of frying in a pan or kadhai.
If you like to pin this recipe, you can use the below picture created especially for Pinterest users. And also you can watch a quick video below to see the whole procedure of making a Street Style Pav Bhaji At Home.
Watch this video on How To Make Pav Bhaji At Home
STREET-STYLE PAV BHAJI
Ingredients
For Homemade Pav Bhaji Masala Powder
- 10 dry red chilies kashmiri
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds Badi Saunf
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 green cardamom
- 3 pieces of cinnamon sticks of 1 inch each
- 6 cloves
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 tablespoon dry mango powder amchoor
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
For Boiled Vegetables
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
For Pav Bhaji Masala
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomato
- ½ cup boiled green peas
- 2 tablespoon Pav Bhaji Masala Powder or as per taste
- 2 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 green chilies optional
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoon butter
For Garnish
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
Instructions
For homemade pav bhaji masala powder
- Heat a pan and dry roast dry red chilies, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorn, whole spices mentioned in the ingredient list. Roast for 2 minutes cool and grind to a fine powder. To this powder, add dry mango powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Mix well and store in an air-tight container.
For Pav Bhaji masala curry
- Boil and lightly mash the vegetables like potato, cauliflower, and carrot. Set aside.
- Heat a saucepan or kadhai. Add butter and fry chopped garlic till it turns light brown. Then add chopped onion and fry till soft (do not brown the onions, just till it turns pink).
- Add chopped green chilies and tomatoes. Fry for 2 or 3 minutes till tomatoes are well cooked.
- Then add 2 or 3 tablespoons of pav bhaji masala powder depending on how spicy you like. Fry for a couple of minutes.
- Now add boiled and mashed vegetables along with boiled green peas, salt, lemon juice, and chopped coriander.
- Cook the masala on low flame with the lid for 5 to 7 minutes and keep stirring.
- Serve this masala hot by garnishing it with chopped coriander, butter, and chopped onion along with bread rolls fried in butter.
Video
If you have any queries regarding the recipe, do mention it in the comments section and I shall get back to you.
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