Pav Bhaji Recipe
(An iconic Indian street food dish consisting of mashed vegetable curry (bhaji) served with buttered soft buns (pav))
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Ingredients
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Bhaji (vegetable curry)
Pav (buttered buns) & serving
Method
Bhaji (vegetable curry)
- 1
Prep and cook vegetables
Place diced potatoes, cauliflower florets, carrots and peas in a large pot. Add water (enough to just cover the vegetables) and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are very tender, about 12–15 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and roughly mash the vegetables with a potato masher or the back of a spoon; set aside.
- 2
- 3
Cook tomatoes and peppers
Add chopped tomatoes and chopped capsicum to the pan. Cook until tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes saucy, about 6–8 minutes. If using very firm tomatoes, add 2–3 tablespoons of reserved cooking liquid to help soften.
- 4
Add spices
Reduce heat to medium-low and add pav bhaji masala, turmeric, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir and cook the spices for 1–2 minutes to bloom their flavors, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- 5
Combine mashed vegetables
Add the mashed boiled vegetables to the spiced tomato-onion mixture. Stir to combine. Add up to 1 cup of reserved vegetable cooking liquid (or water) to reach a thick, slightly loose consistency suitable for mashing. Simmer for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 6
Mash and finish
Using a potato masher, masher with a flat edge, or the back of a large spoon, mash the mixture in the pan until smooth but with some texture — traditional bhaji is slightly coarse. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, kasuri methi, chopped cilantro, lemon juice and remaining salt. Taste and adjust seasoning or spice. If bhaji seems too thick, add a splash of reserved cooking liquid to loosen. Simmer 2–3 more minutes so flavors meld.
- 7
Pav (buttered buns) & serving
- 8
Prepare pav butter
Mix the softened unsalted butter with 1/2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala (optional) in a small bowl until smooth.
- 9
Toast pav
Heat a large flat skillet or griddle over medium heat. Slice pav buns horizontally without separating completely if desired. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the prepared flavored butter on the cut sides of each bun. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and place buns buttered-side down; toast until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Flip and heat the other side briefly, about 30–45 seconds. Repeat in batches for all buns.
- 10
Serve
Spoon hot bhaji into a serving bowl, place 2 toasted pav alongside each serving. Garnish bhaji with a knob of butter (about 1 teaspoon), chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and lemon wedge. Serve immediately so pav remains crisp and bhaji hot.