Pav bhaji is among Mumbai's most loved street foods. The recipe was invented in Mumbai's textile mill district, where the workers needed a quick, filling meal during short lunch breaks. Street vendors started making pav bhaji by mashing leftover vegetables with spices on a hot tawa and serving it with pav (bread). It started as a worker's lunch and has now become one of Mumbai's most famous street foods.
The dark, rich red colour of street-style pav bhaji comes mainly from three ingredients: Kashmiri chili powder, slow-cooked red capsicum, and ripe tomatoes. No artificial colours or dyes are needed. This recipe adds the exact same street-style colour to your homemade pav bhaji.
Some Popular Types of Pav Bhaji:
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Classic Mumbai Pavbhaji: It’s the original, buttery, and bold recipe
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Cheese bhaji: Topped with good-quality grated cheese, popular among cheese lovers
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Paneer Bhaji: Crumbled paneer added to the bhaji
- Jain Bhaji: It’s made without adding onion, garlic, or potato.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
For the bhaji:
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3 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
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2-3 onions, finely chopped
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3 medium-sized boiled potatoes
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1 cup cauliflower
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½ cup green peas
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1 red capsicum, finely chopped
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1 green capsicum, finely chopped
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1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
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3 tsp butter (plus more for serving)
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2 tsp pav bhaji masala
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1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
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½ tsp turmeric powder
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1 tsp cumin coriander powder
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½ tsp any tastemaker of your choice for finishing
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Salt, lemon, and fresh coriander leaves
For the pav: 8 pav, butter, a pinch of pavbhaji masala mix.
How to Make Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji
Step 1: Boil the Vegetables
Fill a pressure cooker with water. Add the vegetable pieces, such as potato, cauliflower, and peas. Add salt to taste. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook the vegetables for 2 whistles.
Turn off the gas and let the steam release. Open the cooker and drain extra water. Mash the cooked vegetables roughly.
Step 2: Heat the kadhai/Tawa and Start the Base
Take a wide tawa or heavy kadai. A wide tawa provides a flatter surface to mash the vegetables later. Place it on the stove with a medium flame and let it heat for a couple of minutes.
Add 2 teaspoons of butter. Let the butter melt without burning.
Step 3: Build the Flavoured Gravy Base
Add the ginger-garlic paste to the hot butter, stir, and cook the paste for about 30 seconds. Now add the finely chopped onions. Stir them on the tawa and let them cook on a medium flame.
Stir the masala every couple of minutes. Cook onions and ginger-garlic until they turn a nice, even golden colour.
Step 4: Add the Rich Red Colour to the Pavbhaji
Add red and green capsicums to the caramelized onions. The red capsicum isn’t added just for colour; it adds a natural sweetness that balances the masala flavours well. Sauté everything over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Step 5: Add Tomatoes and Cook the Base
Add ripe, chopped tomatoes along with a pinch of salt, which helps the tomatoes release their water more quickly. Stir everything together, then cook over medium heat.
Let the tomatoes cook until they turn fully soft and mushy. Mash them while cooking on the tava/kadhai. This step will release their juice and help thicken the base.
Step 6: Add the Spices
Now the spices go in, add spices in the order given below:
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1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
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½ tsp Turmeric Powder
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1 tsp Cumin Coriander Powder (Dhana Jeeru)
Mix everything together, and sauté the masala for a couple of minutes. The colour of the mixture will noticeably deepen. It’s a sign that your masala is cooked properly.
Step 7: Bring the Bhaji Together
Add the mashed vegetables, potatoes, cauliflower, and peas to the tawa, along with 1 cup of warm water and 2 tsp of Pavbhaji Masala. Mix everything with a flat masher.
This is the most important step. Keep mashing the boiled vegetables into the gravy as it cooks. This gives your Mumbai-style bhaji a glossy, smooth texture.
Step 8: Finishing
Add 1 slice of butter or cheese, ½ tsp finishing masala of your choice, a few drops of lemon, and some freshly chopped coriander.
Adding Aakhri Masala as a finishing spice lifts the aroma of the entire bhaji and gives it that final restaurant-style taste.
How to Toast the Pav the Mumbai Way
Heat a flat tawa on medium flame. Grease a pan with butter, then sprinkle Pav Bhaji Masala over the melted butter. Cut the pav in half, place it on the tawa, and press it lightly.
Serve the bhaji hot along with roasted pav, chopped onions, and lemon. Add a small cube of butter on top and let it melt.
Watch Chef Smit Sagar Make Mumbai’s Most Popular Kali Pav Bhaji
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get the deep red colour of street-style pav bhaji?
For the rich red colour, use good-quality Kashmiri chilli powder, ripe red tomatoes, and a finely chopped red capsicum (bell pepper). Mix all these ingredients, then cook the masala slowly in oil/butter so the natural colour releases fully.
Should I use Kashmiri or regular chilli powder for pav bhaji?
Go with Kashmiri chilli powder. It gives your bhaji a deep red colour with very mild heat. Regular chilli has more heat, and it turns your bhaji orange-brown. Choose the good-quality Kashmiri chilli, so the natural red colour stays rich and vibrant.
Can I use store-bought pav bhaji masala mix?
Yes. A good mixture saves your time and gives you a consistent flavour. Choose the masala mix made with whole spices and free from artificial colour or preservatives. Most Pav Bhaji Masala mixes contain multiple spices.
How can I make pav bhaji without much spice for kids?
You can make a less spicy bhaji with a deep red colour by adding Kashmiri chilli powder and skipping the extra chilli powder. Add 1 tsp of fresh cream or malai in the end. The colour stays deep and rich, but the spice level drops.
Can I make pav bhaji in a pressure cooker?
Yes, you can. Pressure cook all the vegetables for 2 whistles. It’s necessary to finish the masala step on a wide tawa/kadai. The open tawa step gives your bhaji the authentic street-style finish.
What are the differences between pav bhaji and tava bhaji?
Pavbhaji is the Mumbai version. It has a thicker, fully mashed gravy. Tava bhaji is a Surti and Gujarati-style gravy cooked on a flat iron tawa with pieces of vegetables and a stronger finishing masala.
What vegetables can I add to pav bhaji?
The original base is potato, cauliflower, and peas. You can also add carrot, beetroot, or capsicum in larger quantities. Beetroot gives a rich colour and mild sweetness to your bhaji. Avoid strongly flavored vegetables, as they can overpower the masala.
