'Pav Bhaji' is the most effective way to eat lots of vegetables!
vegetable-forward dish + an emotional rollercoaster + some side effects
A few months ago I shared that the most effective way to eat lots of greens is in a Punjabi dish called Saag because each serving contains large quantities of delicious greens.
Today I want to talk about the most effective way to eat lots of different vegetables together. That would be a beloved North Indian style street food dish called Pav Bhaji. Specifically, the bhaji is where the magic happens when many vegetables come together in one perfect bowl of deliciousness.
Despite my upbringing in a North Indian household, I did not discover Pav Bhaji until about 10 years ago when a friend who grew up in Delhi introduced me to it. This just wasn’t on my parent’s radar, unfortunately. And how I now wish it was!
What is Pav Bhaji and why is it heaven?
The literal translation is pav = bread and bhaji = cooked vegetables. But oh my it’s much much more than that.
It’s a heavenly combination of buttery soft pillowy bread that melts in your mouth and velvety mashed vegetables laced with spices that sing. Each bite is like a firecracker as loud flavors explode on your tongue and you just can’t get enough!
Restaurant or street food style versions of Pav Bhaji typically have lots of butter, extra spices and sometimes food coloring such that the bomb of salt and fat hits you hard as you savor a super duper yummy red-ish colored dish. However, I prepare a healthier version at home that has a balanced amount of salt, fat, spices, etc.. My version is both yummy and easy on the tummy!
How do you make Pav?
Yes, clearly this is a first and important question. And I wish I had a straightforward answer for you. Except, I don’t.
My three attempts to make Pav have failed spectacularly and after that I just gave up. In one attempt, the Pavs that came out of the oven were like bricks. I laughed and cried simultaneously and starting throwing them against the wall in an effort to make myself feel better. Yup, I went through yet another emotional rollercoaster in the kitchen, which is an expected hazard of free style cooking.
I now exclusively rely on the excellent chefs at my local ethnic stores who line their shelves with beautiful pillowy Pavs for me to enjoy. I am sure you can succeed where I failed. If you’d like to try, I recommend googling a recipe with good reviews, e.g. this one. Alternatively, you can buy dinner rolls or Hawaiian rolls as a substitute; I do so sometimes since in my world vegetables are the real star of the dish anyway!
So, in a nutshell - I don’t make Pav, I buy them. But hey, you do you.
How do you make Bhaji (aka the star of the dish)?
Bhaji is my favorite part of this entire dish for so many reasons.
It is delicious and nutritious.
It is versatile and flexible and customizable with regards to the kinds of vegetables you use in it. Add your favorite veggies in and leave out the ones you don’t like. One of my unexpected wins here has been the addition of zucchini which lends more creaminess to the dish.
A tip: sometimes I collect leftover vegetables from the fridge like cauliflower or carrots or bell pepper that are approaching the end of their shelf life. I chop them and freeze them. Once I have enough quantity, I use them to make this bhaji.
It provides a blank canvas to my free style home cooking lifestyle and lets me experiment and be creative, while simultaneously forgiving any mistakes.
It is pretty easy to make.
Typically this bhaji is made from combining vegetables like potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, peas, etc. but I find that it can handle any leftover vegetable in your fridge. My guess is this dish was created for the sole purpose of using leftover vegetables and became a nationally treasured street food in the process.
A few simple steps is all it takes:
Chop the vegetables - cut the vegetables into smaller pieces; they don’t have to be pretty or equal in size, just chopped enough so they fit into a pot.
Soften the vegetables - take any combination & quantity of vegetables you have and soften them by either boiling or pressure cooking. I usually put everything in an instant pot and nearly over-cook the veggies so they are ultra soft (~20m pressure cook with natural release). If you have extra water after cooking, remove it from the veggies and set it aside in case it’s needed later.
Mash the vegetables - using a masher or a handheld device of your choice mash the vegetables so they are like baby food consistency (trust me, they will become tasty soon!). Some people prefer these less mashed with some chunky texture (including me).
Flavor the vegetables - at this stage the vegetables are a pretty bland mush of something even a baby might not eat. We have to add lots of flavors to the mashed veggies. For this, the dance sequence and singing spices of a routine North Indian dish comes into play. I let cumin seeds dance in hot oil in a pan for ~30 seconds and then sauté onions, garlic, ginger for ~5-7 mins on medium heat. Next come in tomatoes and green chilies with a bit of salt that are cooked for another 5-7 mins. Once these aromatics are fully softened and have developed good flavors, I add spice powders like turmeric, coriander, cumin, and mango and let these cook for ~2 mins (get creative with spices here!). Next come in the mashed vegetables that get mixed thoroughly and simmered with a lid on top for ~10 mins until all the flavors are infused properly. This is where you may want to add the reserve water saved from earlier if the consistency is too thick for your liking.
A tip: you have to play around with the amount of aromatics and spices and texture you enjoy in this dish. Some people prefer to add more of tomato vs onion, some prefer to have it super spicy, and some prefer this to be quite runny. I enjoy this best when it is tangy from using more tomatoes than onions, moderately spiced, and slightly thicker consistency.
Add vibrancy to the vegetables - While the veggies are pretty tasty at this stage, adding some finishing touches will elevate their flavors even further for an enhanced meal experience. I add generous amounts of chopped cilantro and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.
How do you eat Pav Bhaji?
Pav tastes best when it is lightly toasted with butter on both sides, regardless of whether you purchased them or made them yourself. Bhaji tastes heavenly with some butter on top that slowly melts into the vegetables.
Addition of accompaniments like raw onions and lemon juice on top of the bhaji or cucumber or yogurt or mint chutney on the side also help elevate and add a variety of flavors and texture in each bite.
Typically a piece of Pav is broken by your hand and the Bhaji is scooped up into the Pav for your mouth to savor the entire bite. But you can eat this however you like! You can make sloppy Joe style sandwiches with Bhaji spread between the top and bottom Pav pieces. Or you can break up the Pav and spread it on top of the Bhaji and eat the delicious combination with a spoon.
Sometimes I make this Bhaji and enjoy it in non-traditional ways. For example, place it on regular sandwich or sourdough bread to enjoy a morning toast. Or make a sandwich with some cheddar cheese (sometimes grilled!). Use the bhaji as filling for tacos. Scoop up the bhaji with tortilla chips to eat Indian-style loaded nachos. The possibilities for enjoying this bhaji are endless!
What are some side effects of eating Pav Bhaji?
You might start dancing - the flavors tingling on your taste buds may translate to involuntary body movements that are delightful.
You might start sweating profusely or your face might turn red, depending on the spice level and your tolerance.
You might get lost in a food coma, but the welcome kind!
So, eat Pav Bhaji at your own risk! But I think it will be more than worth it.
Dish Debrief
Is this my winner or disaster? Big win!
How would I rate this dish out of 10? 100 out of 10
What would I change next time? keep trying different vegetable combos
Would I make this again? absolutely!!
Mouth watering dish indeed!!
Love that you covered this. I love making pav bhaji at home too but also sprinkling some grated cheese in while the butter is melting. I’m going to try adding the zucchini! Normally I use cauli, carrots, potatoes and peas.