RecipesVegetarian and Vegetables

Pav Bhaji recipe

“One of the most popular Indian Street foods, Pav Bhaji has a medley of spicy mashed veggies topped with lots of butter and served with soft dinner rolls and diced onion, so yummy!” Many thanks to Nikibakes for the tasty recipe.

Dairy Free
Gluten Free
Kosher - KLBD
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pav Bhaji recipe
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Ingredients

For the pav bhaji masala
  • 4 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 5 dried red chillies, adjust to taste
  • 8 cloves
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 3 black cardamom
  • around 2 inches cinnamon stick
  • 1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp amchur
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp kala namak salt
For the bhaji
  • a handful baby potatoes, boiled
  • 1-2 long green peppers, or a bell pepper, chopped
  • a small handful frozen green peas
  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
  • 2 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
  • 7 garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 green chillies, finely chopped, adjust to taste
  • a handful cherry tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup tomato puree
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 200ml water
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp or to taste pav bhaji masala blend (see above)
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, optional
  • 2 tbsp dried parsley

“One of the most popular Indian Street foods, Pav Bhaji has a medley of spicy mashed veggies topped with lots of butter and served with soft dinner rolls and diced onion, so yummy!”

Many thanks to Nikibakes for the tasty recipe.

Method

01
First make the pav bhaji masala:
02
Dry roast your coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilies, cloves, bay leaves fennel seeds, black cardamom, and cinnamon stick in a pan on medium heat until fragrant, around 3 to 4 minutes.
03
Let it cool and then transfer your spices to a spice grinder. Stir in your turmeric powder, ground black pepper, amchur, ground ginger, and black salt.
04
Grind until powdered and well combined. Store pav bhaji masala in an airtight container at room temperature and use it as required. This makes around 100 grams of pav bhaji masala.
05
Then make the Bhaji:
06
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot on medium heat. Once the butter melts and the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
07
Add the finely chopped ginger, garlic, and green chilli. Cook the ginger-garlic-green chilli for 1 minute.
08
Add chopped tomatoes, peppers, peas, and potatoes, and mix well. Let the tomatoes cook for 2 minutes.
09
Add your tomato puree, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover the pan and let the tomato cook for 6 minutes until softened and completely cooked.
10
Add the pav bhaji masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, red chili powder, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. You may add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar here (optional).
11
Stir in the boiled veggies and mix. Using a potato masher, mash the veggies until thoroughly mixed with the masala.
12
Add the remaining 3/4 – 1 cup water and mix with half of the chopped onions (save the other half for serving raw). I used an immersion blender to blend the veggies to a paste-like consistency at this point but this is optional. You may keep them as such.
13
Cover the pot and set the heat to low. Let the bhaji simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
14
Serve on your wide plate and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter add a generous amount of dried parsley and garnish liberally. Serve with freshly diced red onion, extra pats of butter (if desired!), and buttered bread rolls.