Anupama's Kitchen
Pav Bhaji – A Special Bombay Dish
Do you struggle to feed veggies to you young kids? Have you tried all the tricks and don’t get success? If yes, then this recipe is a wonderful way for them to eat the veggies as it is unbelievably delicious, and kids don’t see veggies in the wholesome form.
Pav Bhaji is Mumbai’s staple food and mostly known as street food or fast food which originated as a Maharashtrian dish. The Bhaji in Marathi means vegetable and Pav means bread. This dish originated in the 1850s during British rule as a lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Mumbai. Pav bhaji is a combination of various healthy mashed veggies spiced up with masalas, topped with little butter, garnished with coriander, finely chopped onion, and a slice of lemon, and served with lightly toasted dinner rolls or small buns. Gluten free people can eat this dish without bread and still will be extremely healthy.
Prep Time
20 Minutes
Soak Time
20 Minutes
Cook Time
15 Minutes
Serving Size
Serves 8 -10
This is the one dish which people of all ages can enjoy and can make an exceptionally healthy version of it. I used to make it most of the time for my kids when they were growing up as it was the smartest way to have them eat various veggies, but still unbelievably delicious and yummy. Also, it is very versatile as you can use any veggies which are in your kitchen. In restaurants or on street carts, they add lots of butter, but you can cut that with the recipe which I have provided. You can use raw bananas instead of potatoes and make this dish without onions if you wish.
For postpartum moms, you can make this recipe after 7 days of delivering a baby. For pregnant moms, you can have it every week as long as you can enjoy it.
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Potatoes Boiled and Mashed
- 1½ Cups Finely Chopped Onions (Not Sweet Onions)
- 2 Cups Finely Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 Medium Green Pepper Roughly Chopped
- ½ Cup Cauliflower Roughly Chopped
- ½ Cup Carrots Roughly Chopped
- ¼ Cup Petite Peas (Not Sweet Peas)
- 1 Cup Other Veggies – French Beans, Beet Root, Cabbage, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Pumpkin, etc.
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 4 Tablespoons Ghee or Oil of your choice
- 2 Tablespoons MDH Brand’s Pav Bhaji Masala
- 2-3 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
- Salt to taste
- Fresh Finely Chopped Cilantro
- Small Amount of Ghee to drizzle while serving
Instructions
- STEP 1 – Prepare All Veggies
- Wash all vegetables under water. Boil the potatoes; peel the skin and mash them nicely.
- Steam all veggies in a pot. Then drain any extra water. Mash the veggies and keep it aside.
- STEP 2 – Making Bhaji
- Place a heavy, big pan on low heat, add ghee and let it melt.
- Add chopped onions and sauté them till they become translucent.
- Add chopped tomatoes and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes till onion and tomato mixture is nice and soft.
- Add Ginger-Garlic paste, Pav Bhaji masala and red chili powder.
- Stir well and let simmer for 1 minute, be mindful not to burn. Nice aroma will come when it is ready.
- Add the mashed potatoes and mashed veggies. Stir well all nicely and let simmer for 5 minutes with constantly mashing the mixture with potato masher.
- When nice aroma starts coming, add half the chopped cilantro and ghee or butter and lemon juice.
- STEP 3 – Making Spicy Pav or Breads
- In a pan, take some butter or ghee and add dash of red chili powder and roast some dinner rolls or whole grain bread if you like.
- STEP 4 – Serving Pav Bhaji
- In a nice serving dish, add the pav bhaji and garnish with some finely chopped onions, a lemon slice and cilantro, drizzle with little ghee and dinner rolls. You can just eat the bhaji as it is or with hot rice.