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Mumbai Pav Bhaji Recipe Instant Pot | Pav Bhaji Recipe Mumbai Street Style

Pav Bhaji Recipe Instant Pot - Pav bhaji, a popular Indian street food is a medley of mashed & spiced vegetables enjoyed with pav or dinner rolls.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course / Side dish, Snack / Street food
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Pav Bhaji Instant Pot, Mumbai Pav Bhaji, Pav Bhaji
Servings: 6
Author: Padma Veeranki

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 2 tbsp Butter Divided
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 inch Ginger Minced
  • 4 Garlic Pods Minced
  • 2 Green Chillies Finely Chopped
  • 1 Large Onion Finely Chopped
  • 3 Medium Potatoes Peeled & Cubed
  • 1/2 Head of Cauliflower Cut into big florets
  • 1 Small Capsicum Chopped
  • 3/4 Cup Green Peas Frozen or Fresh
  • 1 Large Carrot Peeled & Cubed
  • 3 Tomatoes Roughly Chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala Homemade or store bought, Divided
  • 1 to 1.5 Cups Water
  • Handful Fresh Coriander Finely Chopped, divided
  • 1/2 tsp Kasoori Methi Crushed

For Pav:

  • 10 Pavs or Dinner rolls
  • 2 tbsp Butter

To Garnish:

  • 1/2 Red Onion Finely Chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Coriander Finely Chopped

Instructions

How to make Pav Bhaji in Instant Pot?

  • Start instant pot in sauté mode and heat butter (I used a mix of oil & butter) in it. You can just use only butter to enjoy the real Mumbai bhaji taste.
  • Add cumin seeds, finely chopped ginger, garlic & green chillies. Sauté for a minute & then add chopped onion.
  • Sauté for about 2 minutes until translucent.  Then add in all the vegetables, turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and sauté for another 2 minutes.  
  • Add pav bhaji masala and some coriander. Mix well.
  • Then add 1..5 cups water and mix well, scraping loose any browned bits from the pot bottom.
  • Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing position. Press the Cancel button to reset the cooking program, then select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cooking time for 6 minutes at high pressure.
  • When the instant pot beeps, release the pressure naturally for 2 minutes. Then, perform a quick release by moving the Pressure Release to Venting. Open the pot.
  • Select the normal Sauté setting and mash all the veggies with a potato masher to the desired consistency.
  • Add a teaspoon of Pav Bhaji Masala & half a teaspoon sugar. Let the bhaji boil for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.
  • Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot.
  • Crush & sprinkle some kasoori methi. Garnish with some coriander & add in a dollop of butter. Bhaji is ready to be served.

How to make Pav Bhaji in Pressure Cooker?

  • The vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, peas) are boiled until very soft in a pot or a pressure cooker. Then separately in a fry pan, masala with onions and tomatoes is prepared and then the boiled mashed vegetables are added to the masala.
    Click HERE to get the detailed recipe to make Pav Bhaji in the pressure cooker.

Toasting Pav Buns:

  • Heat the pan on medium heat. Meanwhile cut the Pav or Dinner Rolls into half (not all the way through, keep the two slices intact). Once the pan is hot, add little butter,
  • Place the Pav on it. While the bottom side is getting toasted, apply butter on top.
  • Once the bottom is light brown, flip with spatula and toast the other side.
  • Close the Pav, remove from the pan, and serve with bhaji.
  • Optionally, you can apply some bhaji to the inner side of the bu and toast. Check video for this. Pav or Dinner Rolls are ready to be served with the bhaji.

How to serve Pav Bhaji?

  • Spoon 1-2 ladles of the bhaji onto plates or into a bowl. Sprinkle some chopped red onions, coriander and top with a dollop of butter. Serve the toasted buns along with lime wedges on the side.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Be generous on butter while making pav bhaji. It tastes better with butter. It makes bhaji smooth and rich. However you can prepare it will oil or even a mix.
  • Use good tasting pav bhaji masala for make it at home.
  • Potatoes are must, it makes the base of the bhaji. Now you can play with other veggies. Use what you like and what you have in the refrigerator. 
  • Do not over mash the bhaji. We do not want a smooth puree kind texture. It should have a grainy texture.
  • For a spicier bhaji, add more pav bhaji masala or red chili powder.
  • The real Mumbai pav bhaji is always made with butter.  However you can prepare it will oil too.
  • I recommend using Kashmiri chilli powder, as that enhances the colour of the bhaji. About 1-2 teaspoons based on your taste. 
  • Vegan Variation: Use vegan butter or oil to make the bhaji and toast the pav.