It is made using a variety of vegetables, pav bhaji masala, and lots of butter. This one-pot dish is a dump-and-cook type of recipe! Served with lemon wedges, chopped-up onions, and garnished with cilantro, you grab a hot, buttered piece of pav (dinner rolls), dunk it in the bhaji, and enjoy! Pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food dish originally from Mumbai. If you’ve never heard of this dish – “pav” just means bread and “bhaji” is a thick mashed vegetable curry. I have shared a very detailed post on the Authentic Pav Bhaji recipe last year. As promised in that post, I am here with the Instant pot version pav bhaji. The great thing about making bhaji in the instant pot is that it’s SO simple. You put ALL of the ingredients in a pot and cook. That’s it!
Why do I Love making pav bhaji in the instant pot?
It is much faster to make compared to stovetop pav bhaji (authentic version).Even though made in the instant pot, it tastes similar to the stovetop version.Perfect for a crowd or get-to-gather. This pav bhaji recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Ingredients required
Butter: I cannot imagine my pav bhaji is made/served without butter. Butter is an essential ingredient. But if you are vegan substitute with oil.Pav bhaji masala is the second essential ingredient here, so it has to be good in quality and taste. I recommend using the Everest or Badshah brand. You can use homemade pav bhaji masala powder too.Potatoes: It is the essential ingredient to make creamy bhaji. So do not skip or reduce the number of potatoes here.Veggies: I have used cauliflower, peas, bell pepper, and beetroot. Beetroot is added to give color to the bhaji.Aromatics: You will need lots of onion, tomatoes, and garlic.Other spices: Other than pav bhaji masala, I have also added turmeric powder, salt, and Kashmiri red chili powder.For serving, you will need finely chopped onion, lime wedge, cilantro, some butter, and Pav bread.
Step-by-step process
Turn on the sauté button of the instant pot.Heat oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in the inner pot of the instant pot.Once hot, add garlic and onion. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Now add 1 tablespoon Pav bhaji masala, salt, and turmeric powder. Saute for 10 to 15 seconds.
Then add bell pepper and tomatoes. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.Add remaining vegetables – potato, beetroot, cauliflower, and green peas – 1 cup of water. Mix everything very well.Now close the instant pot with its locking lid, set the vent valve in the sealing position, and turn off the instant pot from the sauté button.Now press the pressure/manual button and set the time for 15 minutes under high pressure.
Once the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally.Open the pot. Select the normal Sauté setting and mash all the veggies with a potato masher.Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon pav bhaji masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Mix well.Cover the pot with a glass lid (or another non-locking lid that fits), as the bhaji will start to splatter, and cook until heated through about 5 minutes.Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pav bhaji masala, and chili powder if needed.Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot. Sprinkle with the cilantro.Instant Pot Pav Bhaji is ready.
Toast the Pav
To toast the pav, melt butter in a pan on medium heat. Sprinkle some pav bhaji masala and some cilantro on top of the butter halves the bun (pav) from the middle, and then place the buns on the pan.Press to toast the pav until crisp and golden brown from both sides.
Serve the Pav Bhaji
To serve the pav bhaji, place a spoon full of hot bhaji on a plate. Sprinkle onion, and cilantro and add a dollop of butter. Serve with toasted pavs and a side of a lemon wedge. Enjoy.
To make this recipe, proportion is everything. The ratio of tomatoes and onions to other vegetables is very important.A generous squeeze of lemon juice is just before serving.Use fresh garlic and fresh tomatoes.If you want the pav bhaji to taste just like Mumbai street style or fast food restaurant then do not compromise on the amount of butter used.Don’t forget lots of cilantro and chopped onions while serving the pav bhaji!Toast the pav in an ample amount of butter and serve immediately.
More Indian Street food recipes
Green pav bhajiPani PuriDabeliFrankieVada Pav
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