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Pav bhaji in a pot with a dollop of butter and garnished with coriander leaves

How to Make Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji

This Mumbai street-style pav bhaji is a must-try, especially if you want to give your leftover veggies a delicious, spicy makeover! By the end, you’ll be licking every last bit of gravy off your fingers - it’s that good!
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 8-10 cloves of garlic paste
  • 3 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 medium green peppers, chopped
  • 2 green chillies paste
  • 8 medium tomatoes chopped
  • 7 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed) with salt
  • 1 medium size cauliflower - boil florets with salt and turmeric powder in a separate pot (see notes)
  • 1 cup boiled peas
  • ½ small beet - boiled and grated
  • 1-2 cups water as desired consistency
  • 1 tablespoon butter to garnish
  • 1 handful fresh coriander to garnish
  • 1 lemon wedges on the side

Spices:

  • 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
  • 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli
  • 1 tablespoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon salt per taste

Instructions
 

Cooking and Chopping the Vegetables:

  • Chop onions, tomatoes, green peppers and coriander separately and set aside.
    3 medium onion, chopped, 8 medium tomatoes chopped, 2 medium green peppers, chopped
  • Boil 4 veggies: boil potatoes, beet, cauliflower and peas separately in a pot/pressure cooker. (See Note 2)
    7 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed) with salt, 1 medium size cauliflower - boil florets with salt and turmeric powder in a separate pot (see notes), ½ small beet - boiled and grated, 1 cup boiled peas

For Gravy Base:

  • Heat butter & oil in a pan, crackle jeera, and sauté garlic paste.
    2 tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera), 8-10 cloves of garlic paste
  • Add onions & capsicum; cook for 2-3 minutes. Mix in boiled veggies, spices, and green chilli paste.
    2 green chillies paste, 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala, 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ½ - 1 teaspoon salt per taste
  • Pour 1-2 cups hot water and use a masher to mash the bhaji to your desired consistency (I love mine street-style thin!) while you mix. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes.
    1-2 cups water as desired consistency
  • Do a taste check and adjust seasoning to your preference, lastly garnish with fresh coriander, butter, and a dash of lemon juice.
    1 tablespoon butter to garnish, 1 handful fresh coriander to garnish, 1 lemon wedges on the side
  • Serve piping hot with buttery, toasted pav.

Notes

  1. Using beet to bring out that deep red colour without using any excessive red chilli powder or artificial colouring and you can’t taste the beet at all if that is your concern!
  2. Don’t boil all veggies together especially if using cauliflower as this tends to leave a strong unusual smell and will infuse it to all other veggies alongside it so best to boil this separately in a pot. And for green peppers sauteing them is best than boiling it for that subtle crunch.
  3. You don’t need to mash boiled veggies directly except for potatoes – once we assemble it all into the pot we will mash it together so it is even and prevents from an excessive lumpy texture.
Keyword mumbai sreet style pav bhaji, pav bhaji, street style pav bhaji