Instant Pot Mumbai Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji served in a steel plate with buttered pav and onion on the side

5 from 5 votes

Pav Bhaji is a popular dish from Mumbai made up of spiced mashed vegetable curry (bhaji), served piping hot with a soft bread roll (pav) with a butter,finely chopped onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Maharastrian

Keyword curry, instantpot, pavbhaji, pressure cooker recipe, under 30 minutes

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 267kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

Equipment

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

Measurements Used - 1 cup = 250 ml

2+2 tablespoon butter or oil
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium green OR red bell pepper chopped
4 medium tomatoes finely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 medium potatoes peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium carrot diced
8 cauliflower florets (about 1 cup)
½ cup green peas I used frozen peas
½ cup water
2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala available in Indian grocery store
1 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For Pav:

12 pav or dinner rolls
¼ cup butter

For Garnish

¼ cup onion chopped
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (coriander leaves) to garnish

Instructions

Instant Pot Method:

Firstly, press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Add in the ginger-garlic paste, onions, and chopped capsicum/bell pepper. Saute until onions turn light brown.
Next, add in the finely chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are soft.
Then add potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, salt and water. Mix well.
Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).
Open and mash the Bhaji with a potato masher or use an immersion blender and coarsely grind the ingredients.
urn on the SAUTE again and add the red chili powder, pav bhaji masala, Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), lemon juice, salt, and butter (optional but recommended). Let the bhaji boil for 2 minutes.
Serve Bhaji with pav or bread rolls ( Apply some butter and toast bread before serving). Garnish Pressure cooker Pav bhaji with butter, chopped onions and cilantro.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method:

Firstly, heat the butter in a stovetop pressure cooker. Add in the ginger-garlic paste, onions, and chopped capsicum/bell pepper. Saute until onions turn light brown.
Next, add in the finely chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are soft.
Then add potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green peas, salt, and water. Mix well.
Cover the cooker with a lid and cook for two whistles or about 12-15 minutes on medium heat.
Once the pressure has released naturally, open and mash the Bhaji with a potato masher or use an immersion blender and coarsely grind the ingredients.
Again turn on the heat and add the red chili powder, pav bhaji masala, kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), lemon juice, salt, and butter (optional but recommended). Let the bhaji boil for 2 minutes.
Serve Bhaji with pav or bread rolls (Apply some butter and toast bread before serving). Garnish stovetop pav bhaji with butter, chopped onions, and cilantro.

Notes

Variations

There are a lot of variations to make this pav bhaji.

Jain Pav Bhaji – No Onion, Garlic, or underground vegetables like potatoes are used for making this dish.
Cheese Pav Bhaji – A lot of Mozzarella or processed Cheese is added just before serving the Pav Bhaji.
Keto Pav Bhaji – Is made with the core ingredient cauliflower along with bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, ginger-garlic, butter, and pav bhaji masala. Will be sharing the recipe soon.
Vegan Pav Bhaji – Use Vegan Butter or Oil to make Vegan Pav Bhaji.

Tips

Add a generous amount of butter while making this dish, this is one of the secrets to making delicious pav bhaji. Use Amul Butter to get authentic Mumbai pav bhaji flavor.
A lot of street vendors use artificial colors to make pav bhaji red. Use Kashmiri red chili powder to get that rich red color. Also, you can use red bell pepper instead of green bell pepper. Another tip is to use vine red tomatoes for this recipe.
Toast the Pav/dinner rolls with butter before serving.

I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition