Pav Bhaji is very popular Indian street food. Spicy mashed vegetables with loads of aromatic spices and butter, crispy toasted pav, we simply love the Mumbai Pav Bhaji. Here's how to make Mumbai Pav bhaji recipe, that is lower GI than regular pav bhaji, less fatty and more nutritious.
I have tried so many sinfully delicious Pav bhaji recipes, that are simply irresistible. But when it comes to making it on regular basis healthy Pav Bhaji recipe is what I make most of the times. So I guess that makes this recipe qualifies to call it a healthier Pav bhaji.
If you like to try other Mumbai street food recipes
Ragada Pattice recipe, Batata Vada recipe, Mumbai Vada Pav recipe, Misal Pav recipe,  Masala toast recipe,
Mumbai Masala Pav, Dahi Sev Puri Chaat recipe.
Well! this is not your pav bhaji recipe dripping with butter and served with pav that is almost drenched in butter and toasted on the same tava on which bhaji is warmed by street food vendors in Mumbai. One of my favourites is Sardar Pav Bhaji and Canon Pav bhaji is another favourite. As much as I love to eat that Mumbai street style Pav bhaji, I simply can't eat that on regular basis. None of us these days. So I devised my own method of making pav bhaji recipe. That satisfy the cravings, and there is lesser guilt because this is a healthier recipe.
I adapted the regular recipe of Mumbai Pav bhaji slightly to make it little healthier than regular restaurant style pav bhaji recipe which is floating in butter. It tastes almost similarly spicy and flavourful. The texture is creamy, just like the regular street-side Pav Bhaji Recipe. And, if you are feeling indulgent just add a blob of butter to top it... like the foodie boy did and you have your buttery and spicy bhaji with pav.
The heart of any good Indian recipe is the masala. In this recipe too, the taste of pav bhaji masala matters a lot. I used to make my own pav bhaji masala but now with so many good brands available I mostly rely on masala from supermarket shelves. Talk about being lazy 😀
How to Make Pav Bhaji recipe Healthier
I reduced the number of potatoes in bhaji drastically and replaced it with pumpkin which adds more nutrition and texture as well. This also reduces the GI (glycemic index) of pav bhaji considerably. But, you still have to mind the portion. If you don't know that potato is replaced with pumpkin you will not find much of a difference.
Go On! try it once... and you will know that healthy Pav Bhaji exists. But for that, you also have to get rid of too much butter like I did :). You can skip Pav and enjoy just the bhaji with a squeeze of lime and little bit toppings and it was still so good.
How to Make Homemade Pav Bhaji Masala
As I said I used homemade pav bhaji masala till quite some time. But Now I use either locally sourced fresh bhaji masala or a pack from the supermarket shelf. In case you do not find pav bhaji masala in your area. You can use my homemade Pav bhaji masala recipe.
Ingredients for Bhaji Masala
- 2 Tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1Tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1Teaspoon black pepper seeds
- ½ Teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf
- 2-3 red chillies
- ½ inch cinnamon/dalchini
- 2 cloves/laung
- 1 teaspoon mango powder/amchur
Method
- Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, red chilli and cloves on slow heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Allow it to cool and grind to a powder. Add mango powder, turmeric powder and mix well.
How to Make Pav Bhaji- Recipe
- If you are making authentic Mumbai bhaji, Ingredients for pav bhaji change slightly.Use a generous amount of butter and do not add pumpkin, use potatoes for that.
- Fresh pav bhaji masala is best, but if you can source from local that is next best thing. You can make your fresh masala using Pav bhaji masala recipe given above
- Garnishing and assembling pav bhaji is also important. Top hot bhaji with lime juice, cilantro/fresh coriander leaves and sev for the crunch. If you can handle the heat, chopped green chillis as well.
- Pav buns used for this are Mumbai ladi pav which is soft rolls. But if you do not have pav bun available, you can use regular dinner rolls or burger buns without sesame seeds.
- While toasting pav/bun add some pav bhaji masala on griddle or tava to add more spice.
Pav Bhaji - How to Make Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
- 100 g onion finely chopped
- 150 g Tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 green chili chopped
- 150 g potato diced
- 300 g pumpkin after peeling and dicing
- 1 capsicum finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 100 g Shelled peas
- 100 gm cauliflower finely chopped
- 100 g Baingan/Eggplant
- 2 tablespoon Pav bhaji Masala
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili powder
- tablespoon Fresh coriander for garnish
- teaspoon lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoon sev
- 6 Pav Buns
Instructions
- Pressure cook the vegetables for bhaji, except for peas and capsicum in 1.5 cups of water and some salt.
- Heat up the butter in a thick bottom pan or kadhai.
- To the pan add chopped onion and green chili. Saute them for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Tip in the chopped tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, salt and red chili powder and cook tomatoes on slow medium heat till they are mushy.
- Add capsicum and peas and cook for 3-4 minutes. Now add pressure cooked vegetables along with water in which they are cooked.
- Now add 3 more cups of water and allow the bhaji to simmer till it becomes thick gravy-like consistency.
- Now toast the sliced pav buns with some butter. Top the bhaji with lemon juice, coriander leaves and some sev and chopped onion and enjoy as it is or with toasted pav buns.
- If you are feeling indulgent add a blob of butter like my husband and son did 🙂
Nutrition
preseela satpati
healthy pav bhaji wow! i am going to try it right away
Tina
Looks yumm!
Vinita yadav
Very nice pav bhaji recipe
Awesome Dairy
Pav Bhaji is my all time favorite. I cannot wait to try it, thanks for sharing such an easy recipe.