Pav Bhaji Recipe (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Pav Bhaji Recipe (Instant Pot & Stovetop)

Instant Pot Pav Bhaji Masala is the most popular Indian street food recipe! Bhaji means mixed vegetable and pav means it's served with bread! Loaded with veggies and layered with butter, this snack can easily be made vegan and takes just minutes in the Instant Pot.

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Asian, Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Servings people

Calories 433.41kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

2 tablespoon vegan butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 serrano peppers
4 tomatoes
½ cup green beans chopped
½ cup carrots chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
½ cup green peas
½ cup beetroot chopped
2 potatoes
1 cup cauliflower
1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
Salt
1 tablespoon vegan butter
2-3 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
2 teaspoon chilly powder
½ cup crumbled tofu optional

For garnish

½ cup cilantro chopped
1 onion chopped
1-2 lemons

Bread

12 water rolls

Instructions

Instant pot

Turn on the Instant pot in saute mode. Add vegan butter to it. Once the pot beeps, add cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onions, and serrano peppers. Saute for 30 seconds.
Then add the roughly chopped tomatoes along with salt. Cook till they turn mushy and soft.
Add the veggies like beets, carrots, green peas, and green beans. Mix and cook for 30 seconds.
Then add the remaining veggies like cauliflower and potatoes along with salt and turmeric powder. Add vegetable stock or water and give it all a good mix.
Cancel the saute mode and close the instant pot with its lid. Cook in manual mode for 6 minutes with the valve in seal position.
Release pressure manually when it beeps and open the lid. Mash this mixture coarse using a potato masher or an Immersion Blender.
Turn on the saute mode and add crumbled tofu, pav bhaji masala, chilly powder, and salt if needed.
Before serving, garnish it with lots of chopped cilantro, and onions along with some lemon juice.

Stovetop

Blanch/steam/cook the peas, cauliflower florets, potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Alternately, you can also boil them with a little water and a pinch of turmeric powder in the pressure cooker.
Drain (but keep the water) and mash coarsely. The water that you just drained can be used as vegetable stock and added later in this recipe as needed.
Heat butter in a pan. Temper cumin seeds and once they crackle add slit serrano peppers, minced garlic, and ginger. Fry for a minute and then add chopped onions. Saute till they turn translucent.
Then add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Saute it well till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
Next, add the chopped bell peppers and continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Then add the dry spices like turmeric powder, chilly powder, and pav bhaji masala. Mix and fry for another minute.
Add more butter at this stage. Then add the mashed veggies. Add paneer/tofu as well. Mix it all together and add little water. Simmer and bring to a boil.
Then, turn off the flame and garnish with chopped cilantro, chopped onions, and lemon juice.

Prep the bread

Instead of serving the bread as is, pack it with more flavor by toasting the pav with salted butter.
Heat a griddle and add some salted vegan butter to it.
As it melts, sprinkle black salt and a tablespoon of the bhaji or the masala. This step is optional but great if you can do it.
Slit the pav in the middle and place it on the griddle. Cook both sides of the bread in spiced butter. Prepare as many pavs as you want in a similar fashion.

Video

Notes

Feel free to add or skip any veggies you like. This recipe is totally customizable. You can totally make a carb-free version by not using potatoes and peas.

Butter is significant to pav bhaji masala. Do not skimp it unless you're cooking a leaner version. If your not a vegan, then use regular salted butter.

The consistency of the bhaji is important. It should be thick and not too runny. Add water or stock accordingly. You can also garnish it with a fried green chilly if you like it hotter.

If cooking in the Instant Pot, the cooking time will remain the same even if you double or triple the pav bhaji recipe. The Pot will just take longer to come to pressure.

Nutrition