Mumbai Pav Bhaji (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
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.
Servings 6
Calories 166kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 + 1 tablespoon oil + butter
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 4 medium tomatoes chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 medium potatoes peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 8 small cauliflower florets (about 1 cup)
- 1 small green bell pepper diced (about ¾ cup)
- ½ cup green peas I used frozen peas
- 1 medium carrot diced (about ¾ cup)
- ¼ cup beetroot (cut into small pieces)
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons pav bhaji masala
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For Garnish
- ¼ cup onions chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons coriander leaves finely chopped
For Pav:
- 12 pav (or dinner rolls)
- ¼ cup butter
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press the SAUTÉ button on the Instant Pot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the finely chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions turn soft and light golden.
- Next, add the finely chopped tomatoes and spices like red chili powder, turmeric, salt, pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are soft.
- Then add potatoes, cauliflower, green bell pepper, green peas, carrots, beetroot, and water. Mix well.
- Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the same steps as the Instant Pot. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook for two whistles or about 12-15 minutes (if on a stovetop pot) on medium heat. All other steps remain the same. - Once the pot beeps, wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE (NPR).Mash the bhaji with a potato masher or use an immersion blender and coarsely grind the ingredients.
- Turn on the SAUTE again and add the Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), optional but recommended, lemon juice, and salt if required. Let the bhaji boil for 2 minutes.
- Next, add butter (optional but recommended) and garnish with coriander leaves
- Slice each pav horizontally. Heat an iron skillet or tawa over medium heat and spread a little butter. Place the pav cut-side down and toast both sides until golden brown and lightly crisp.
- Serve the toasted pav with the bhaji. Garnish the pav bhaji with a dollop of butter, finely chopped onions, fresh coriander leaves, and a squeeze of lime, if desired.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 999mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2550IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg