Pav Bhaji
A thick, buttery mash of spiced vegetables served with soft, pan-toasted buns. It's a filling street-food favourite that's easy to make at home and feeds a crowd.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large heavy-based pan or flat tawa, deep pot or pressure cooker, potato masher
Method
Put the potatoes, cauliflower, carrot and peas in a deep pot with 400 ml water and 0.5 tsp of the salt. Cover and boil until the potatoes and carrot break easily when pressed with a spoon.
Drain, keeping the cooking water. Mash the vegetables roughly with a potato masher, leaving a few small chunks for texture. Set aside.
Heat the oil and 30 g of the bhaji butter in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring, until soft and light golden at the edges.
Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and cook for 1 minute until the raw smell goes. Add the capsicum and cook until it softens.
Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chilli powder, pav bhaji masala and the remaining salt. Cook, pressing the tomatoes with the back of the spoon, until they collapse and the butter starts to separate at the edges.
Add the mashed vegetables and 200 ml of the reserved cooking water. Mash everything together in the pan with the masher until thick and mostly smooth.
Simmer on low heat, stirring often and adding more cooking water if it catches, until the bhaji is thick, glossy and spoonable. Stir in the remaining 30 g butter, the lemon juice and half the coriander.
Slice the pav horizontally without cutting all the way through. Melt the toasting butter on a tawa or frying pan over medium heat and toast the pav cut side down until golden and lightly crisp. Work in batches.
Serve the hot bhaji in bowls topped with a small piece of butter if you like, the remaining coriander and chopped red onion. Serve with the buttery pav and lemon wedges.
Cooking tips
- Mash the vegetables while they are still hot. They break down much more easily and give a smoother bhaji.
- Cook the tomatoes until the butter separates at the edges. This gives the bhaji its deep colour and rounded flavour.
- Keep the bhaji slightly looser than you want it. It thickens as it stands and when it is reheated.
- Toast the pav on the same pan after removing the bhaji. Any leftover masala on the pan adds flavour to the buns.
Substitutions
- No pav bhaji masala: mix 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp garam masala, 0.5 tsp dried mango powder (amchur) and 0.5 tsp black pepper.
- Use dinner rolls, burger buns or soft bread slices in place of pav.
- Swap the cauliflower or carrot for pumpkin or beetroot (a small piece gives more colour). Use the same total weight.
- Use oil or ghee in place of butter, though the flavour will be less rich.
Serve with
"Serve with toasted pav, chopped raw onion, lemon wedges and extra butter. A cold glass of lassi or a sweet, milky chai goes well with it."
Storage
Cool the bhaji quickly and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Keep the pav separate and use it within a day.
Reheating
Warm the bhaji in a pan over low heat with a splash of water, stirring until it is steaming hot all the way through. Add a small piece of butter and a squeeze of lemon before serving. Toast fresh pav just before eating.
Nutrition per serving, estimated
Estimated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands and portion size.
You might also cook
IndianPalak Paneer
Spinach blanched and puréed with onion, garlic and ginger, then simmered with golden cubes of paneer.
IndianAppam
Soft, bowl-shaped rice and coconut pancakes from Kerala, with a fluffy white centre and crisp lacy edges. Start the batter the day before for a gentle sweet-sour flavour.
Medu Vada
Crisp-shelled, fluffy-centred South Indian doughnut fritters made from ground urad dal, black pepper and curry leaves. A satisfying breakfast to dunk in chutney and sambar.
Rava Dosa
Thin, lacy, crisp semolina crepes flavoured with cumin, pepper and curry leaves. No fermenting is needed, so you can go from pantry to plate in under an hour.
Indian kitchen
IndianMisal Pav
A Maharashtrian-style breakfast of tender sprouted beans in a spicy coconut and onion gravy, topped with crunchy farsan and served with buttered, toasted pav. Filling, bold and easy to build in layers.
IndianSabudana Khichdi
Soft, separate pearls of tapioca tossed with crunchy peanuts, potato, cumin and green chilli. A light, gluten-free breakfast that comes together quickly once the sabudana is soaked.
Soft Steamed Idli
Light, fluffy steamed rice and lentil cakes from South India, made with a naturally fermented batter. Serve them hot with coconut chutney and sambar for an easy, filling breakfast.
Masala Dosa
Thin, crisp fermented rice and lentil crepes wrapped around a turmeric potato and onion filling. Start the batter a day ahead, and you'll have a weekend breakfast that's worth the wait.