Best Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji Recipe (Step-by-Step)
About this recipe
Craving real, buttery, spicy Mumbai Pav Bhaji? This step-by-step recipe delivers that rich, deep-red, restaurant-style mashed vegetable curry served with buttery toasted pav.
The secret to chowpatty-style pav bhaji is two things: properly caramelising the tomato base, and the masala blend. Tangry Pav Bhaji Masala uses Kashmiri chilli for natural colour, with coriander, cumin, fennel, black pepper, and dry mango (amchur) giving it the tangy edge that stops all that butter from tasting heavy.
Below you will find the full method — including the in-pan mashing technique — to get a smooth, deeply flavoured bhaji at home in under 45 minutes.
Best Mumbai Street Style Pav Bhaji Recipe (Step-by-Step)
Rich, buttery, deep-red mashed vegetable bhaji with butter-toasted pav.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Course
- Street Food
- Cuisine
- Indian
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient to tick it off as you cook.
Instructions
The Flavor Base: Heat 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large flat pan or tawa. Add the minced onion and sauté for 5 minutes on medium-high until golden brown. Adding oil keeps the butter from burning at high temperatures.
Aromatics: Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute until raw smell goes away. Add the finely minced capsicum and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Tomato reduction: Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook on medium heat for 6–7 minutes, pressing with a spoon, until the tomatoes turn mushy, release their juices, and oil/butter separates from the corners. This slow reduction builds the sweet, caramelized body of the bhaji.
Bloom Masala: Lower the heat, sprinkle Tangry Pav Bhaji Masala and extra Kashmiri chilli powder. Stir-fry for 30 seconds so the blend opens up in the hot fat before the vegetables go in.
Mash direct: Add the boiled potatoes, cauliflower, and green peas, along with ¼ cup of warm water. Use a flat metal potato masher to press and mash the vegetables directly in the pan until smooth and creamy yet retaining a tiny bit of texture.
Simmer: Add another ½ cup of water and 2 tbsp of butter. Simmer on low-medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently so the starch doesn’t burn. The bhaji should have a thick, pourable, velvety porridge-like consistency.
Present: Stir in lemon juice and fresh coriander. Turn off the stove. Toast pav buns on a buttery hot tawa with a dusting of extra pav bhaji masala, and serve hot together!
Expert Tips
- Secret to the red colour: Use deep red, ripe tomatoes. Their acidity reacting with the Kashmiri chilli in the masala is what produces that crimson restaurant look naturally.
- Double Butter: Adding butter once with onions and again during the final simmer incorporates the dairy fats into the vegetable fibers, resulting in a silkier mouthfeel.
- Tangry Pav Bhaji Masala is also superb for seasoning spiced vegetable tawa pulao, masala khichdi, or cheesy bread-rolls.
Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with butter-toasted pav, finely chopped raw onion, a lemon wedge and an extra pat of butter on the bhaji. A glass of chaas alongside cuts the richness.
Storage & Reheating
Bhaji refrigerates well for 3 days and genuinely tastes better the next day as the spices settle. Reheat with a splash of water and a little butter. Freezes for up to a month. Toast pav fresh each time.
Made with Tangry — authentic Jaipur spices
Buy Tangry Pav Bhaji MasalaRatings
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