A popular street food from India, Pav Bhaji is a mix of vegetables and a special blend of spices; served with toasted dinner rolls.
This Instant Pot version is easy and quick without compromising the taste!
What is better than Pav Bhaji made from scratch? A recipe that makes it in one pot! The Instant Pot is the BEST way to make the recipe really quickly without compromising on the taste! Once you try this recipe; you will not go try another recipe; I promise.
Mumbai style Pav Bhaji is a great weekend dinner recipe. Made with a lot of vegetables, pav bhaji masala, butter and spices; this recipe is colorful, tasty and makes a great meal with toasted pav (Indian dinner rolls).
Jump to:
What is Pav Bhaji
Those who have visited Mumbai in India would know that Pav Bhaji is a dish that is served all over the city. From roadside trucks to fast food restaurants and from fine dine to fusion restaurants; everybody serves a variation of this dish. People of all ages enjoy this and most people have their own knack of making it PERFECT.
The dish involves two parts; Pav meaning Indian dinner rolls and Bhaji which is a made from vegetables, masala and lots of butter. There are restaurants that boast of using over 100 grams in every plate of bhaji and those who claim they were the inventors of the dish.
Not just restaurants; this dish is enjoyed by making it at home too. A popular recipe for weekend dinner, get togethers, birthday parties and so on; every household has their version of the dish.
Why make Pav Bhaji in the Instant Pot?
The traditional recipe to make pav bhaji is on a pan or on a large tava. However, that recipe involves a lot of steps like boiling the vegetables, sautéing everything in butter and seasoning with spices. Instead, the instant pot version needs just one pot and the recipe has a cooking time of just about 30 minutes.
Another reason to make it in the Instant Pot is to make it far less messier. While making in a shallow pan or tava, the bhaji splutters around a lot and makes quite a mess. The instant pot is deep and avoids the bhaji from spluttering out.
There are several recipes for pav bhaji using a pressure cooker. The recipe is similar to this version made in the instant pot. So one can use a stove top cooker to make the same recipe. Only change would be the time required; which would be more in the pressure cooker.
Making restaurant style Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji has a few ingredients that are mandatory. Potatoes (or a starch like raw bananas), tomatoes, butter and a special spice blend called Pav bhaji masala. The other ingredients are optional and can be substituted. Apart from the mandatory ones, I use green peas, onions, peppers, garlic, ginger and cauliflower.
Restaurants serve a version that is bright red. Most places add food color to get that tinge. However, I do not add any color. Instead I use a special kind of chili called Kashmiri chili that gives a bright color without adding a lot of spice. Besides, the SECRET to get the color right is adding a little bit of Beetroot. Once cooked, the pink beet turns red/brown giving the bhaji the required color! You can add that or red color to get the bright bhaji. You can skip them both too and yet get a flavorful bhaji.
Bhaji is a mix of various ingredients that absorb flavor over time. The best way to make pav bhaji taste awesome is to make it a few hours before serving. Make the bhaji and let it stand for some time. The flavors deepen, the consistency becomes awesome and the bhaji tastes even better compared to the time it was made.
The proportion of vegetables in the recipe is important. If there is too much potato then the bhaji will be be super thick and taste bland with the spices in the recipe. Adding a lot of peas will sweeten the bhaji if the peas are sweet. And lastly, adding extra tomatoes will yield a watery bhaji that is not the best version. So make sure you have the proportions such that you like the final result.
I served these with pav made from scratch. I like to make them at home using this recipe. They are perfectly spongy and taste just like the pav from Mumbai!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vegetables: Most common vegetables used in pav bhaji includes potatoes, peas and cauliflower. However, a lot of people do add cabbage, beets, carrots, eggplant etc. for various reasons, we stick to the authentic mix in this recipe.
- Beetroot: This is the perfect ingredient to make the pav bhaji red in color. As it cooks with the rest of the spices and vegetables, it gives a distinct color. Try and include this in the recipe.
- Onion, Peppers: The flavoring agents in the recipe are definitely onions and peppers. When sautéed in butter, they make a very flavorful base for the recipe.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes also contribute to the base for the bhaji. They are naturally sour and give a great flavor. However, use tomato purée if you like.
- Aromatics: Garlic, ginger and chili are the best aromatics for the recipe. I like to use freshly ground ginger and chili paste along with some of this red garlic chutney. They have a great balance of spice, flavor and color for the recipe.
- Pav Bhaji Masala: A signature blend of spices, this store bought masala is almost a no compromise ingredient. It has to be there to make pav bhaji. However, the same can also be made at home.
- Spices: As we do have a host of aromatics and masalas, we only use some salt and red chili powder in the recipe. Salt for flavor and Kashmiri chili powder for the vibrant color.
- Butter: The best pav bhaji is made in butter. However, switch or mix oil with butter for a healthy-ish version. Make with just oil for a Vegan version.
- Pav: We have to serve the bhaji with butter toasted pav. They can be store bought or made at home. This Egg-free Pav recipe is my favorite.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- In the base of the Instant Pot add 1 tablespoon butter. Set the mode to 'Sauté' and normal.
2- Once the butter starts to melt, add diced onions and peppers. Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3- Once the onions and peppers are soft, move them to the side and add 1 more tablespoon of butter.
4- Add ginger chili paste, garlic chutney, 1 teaspoon red chili powder and pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook till the garlic loses its raw flavor.
5- Next add in tomatoes and mix well. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
6- Deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup water.
7- Now add the chopped vegetables, grated beetroot and salt. Mix and press 'Cancel' on the Instant Pot.
8- Set mode to 'Pressure Cook', pressure level to 'High' and time to 6 minutes. Close the lid and move valve to sealing. Once the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release for 10 minutes. After that release the remaining pressure by moving valve to venting. When the pin drops, open the Instant Pot.
9- Mash everything using a potato masher or immersion blender.
10- Set the mode back to 'Saute' and add the remaining butter and remaining red chili powder.
11- Cover using a glass lid to avoid the bhaji from spluttering. Let the bhaji boil for 2-3 minutes and press 'Cancel'. The bhaji will cook further from the heat of the pot. Open the lid, mix well and remove in a bowl.
12- Serve topped with chopped onion, cilantro and lime juice. Add some more butter if desired. Serve with this Pav bread.
More Street Foods
I love seeing when you share my recipes!
Tag me on Instagram @herbivorecucina or mention #herbivorecucina so I can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.
Instant Pot Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 2 medium Onion (chopped fine)
- 2 medium Green pepper (chopped fine)
- 3 medium Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- ½ cup Green Peas
- 3-4 florets Cauliflower
- 3 medium Tomatoes (Puréed)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger chili paste (grated)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Chutney (grated)
- 2 inch Beetroot (grated)
Other Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Pav Bhaji Masala
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 3 tablespoon Butter
- 1½ teaspoon Salt
- 4-5 stalks Cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
Instructions
- In the base of the Instant Pot add 1 tablespoon butter. Set the mode to 'Sauté' and normal.
- Once the butter starts to melt, add diced onions and peppers. Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Once the onions and peppers are soft, move them to the side and add 1 more tablespoon of butter.
- Add ginger chili paste, garlic chutney, 1 teaspoon red chili powder and pav bhaji masala. Mix well and cook till the garlic loses its raw flavor.
- Next add in tomatoes and mix well. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup water.
- Now add the chopped vegetables, grated beetroot and salt. Mix and press 'Cancel' on the Instant Pot.
- Set mode to 'Pressure Cook', pressure level to 'High' and time to 6 minutes. Close the lid and move valve to sealing. Once the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release for 10 minutes. After that release the remaining pressure by moving valve to venting. When the pin drops, open the Instant Pot.
- Mash everything using a potato masher or immersion blender.
- Set the mode back to 'Saute' and add the remaining butter and remaining red chili powder.
- Cover using a glass lid to avoid the bhaji from spluttering. Let the bhaji boil for 2-3 minutes and press 'Cancel'. The bhaji will cook further from the heat of the pot.
- Open the lid, mix well and serve topped with chopped onion, cilantro and lime juice. Add some more butter if desired. Serve with this Pav bread.
Leave a Reply