Across the United States, everyone has their favorite version of Chili–a thick stew made with peppers, beans (debatable), meat, tomatoes, and spices. My favorite version is Pav Bhaji. It’s an Indian style buttery, mashed vegetable curry served with spiced buns. And it is DELICIOUS.
I know what you’re thinking. Pav Bhaji isn’t chili. And you’re right.
It may not be a traditional chili, per say, but when I began cooking and learning about Indian cuisine it was a familiar comparison for me. Chili and Cornbread? …Nah! I want Bhaji with some spiced Pav 😉
I’ve also learned over the years that if people can find something familiar about a dish they’ve never had, they’re more likely to try it. And this is a recipe that you should definitely try!
I grew up eating my Mom’s version of chili (which I have to say may be the best actual chili I’ve ever encountered). Her’s included tomato sauce, pork and beans (trust me, it works!), lots of beef and absolutely no chunky vegetables. Man, it’s tasty! But once I met Piyush, the chili had to change!
Because Piyush is Indian and Hindu, beef is not something he eats. Mom tweaked her recipe a little and substituted the beef with ground turkey or venison. Once Piyush took a bite–even he was in awe! He said it reminded him of Pav Bhaji–a wildly popular Indian street food found all over Mumbai (he grew up in Mumbai).
Since Piyush and I have been married, I have changed my mom’s chili even more. I’ve added chopped veggies and about 5 different kind of beans. And every single time Piyush takes his first bite, he always says the same two things.
“This isn’t as good as your moms.”
and
“This reminds me of Pav Bhaji. You should make me Pav Bhaji.”
So…finally–after 3 years of marriage–I have made him Pav Bhaji. [Update: we’ve been married almost 11 years now!]
And he was happy.
Actually, more than happy! He told me that my version tasted as good and even better than what he used to get on the streets–mostly because he thought they used way too much butter. They use a LOT of butter!
Pav Bhaji simply means “buns and vegetables.” It is quite easy to make and has an incredible flavor—no doubt from all the butter used to make the dish!
Because I had never tasted pav bhaji, I did a little research online, watched videos [UPDATE: I’ve also been to India and talked with the street vendors to learn a few tricks] and quizzed Piyush about the vegetables, the spice mix…and even the taste of the buns. I decided to use a pre-made masala (spice mix), simply because my tongue would have no idea what the final dish was supposed to taste like. I purchased the masala from the local Indian market–and according to Piyush, the flavor was spot on.
I never really use recipes when I cook Indian food–but I always write down what I’m doing, just in case it’s awesome and I want to replicate it later [Update: no, I don’t. But I should]. This is definitely one of those dishes! In fact, if food didn’t have calories…and we could eat whatever we wanted; I think I would eat this every. single. day. It is that good. Seriously.
I don’t miss the meat. I don’t miss the beans. Nope. This vegetarian (vegan–with modifications) chili is now my absolute favorite. It’s even better than mom’s. ((Sorry, Mom!))
It is also simple to make.
You boil vegetables and mash them…then cook some more vegetables and mash them, too.
Then you add spices, aromatics…and butter. Lots of butter. I used a bit over 1/2 cup butter for this entire dish (just over 1 stick)—buns and all.
Piyush tells me that the pav bhaji you would get on the street would have nearly that much just for one serving! Yikes!
Let’s get cooking!
If you want to try your hand at making buns from scratch–this is a very non-traditional recipe, but goes great with the mashed vegetable curry–bonus! you can use the water from boiling your potatoes!
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THIS RECIPE WAS UPDATED SLIGHTLY ON 4/13/20 FROM AN EARLIER VERSION.
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Street Style Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
Bhaji [Mashed Vegetable Curry]
- 1 large potato- peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup cauliflower- cut into small pieces
- 2 large carrots- peeled and diced
- 10 tbsp butter, divided cut into 2 tbsp. portions
- 1 medium green bell pepper (capsicum)- diced
- 2 roma tomatoes- diced substitute 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes-I like fire-roasted
- 1/2 cup green peas (I use frozen sweet peas)
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic paste (fresh would be ideal!)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger paste (fresh would be ideal!)
- 1 medium onion, diced red or white works fine
- 2/3 tsp. turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp pav bhaji masala, more as needed for flavor (I used a pre-made spice mix, available at Indian grocers or online)
- 1 tsp paprika- for color, optional add more as needed/desired
- 1 small handful fresh coriander (cilantro)- chopped leaves and stems
- chili powder- to taste
- 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
- 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (Juice of 1/2 small lemon)
- 4 cups water (including water reserved from boiling veggies)
Pav (spiced buns) Recipe:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small handful of chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems
- 1 tsp pav bhaji masala
- 6 Dinner rolls, cut in half Kings Hawaiian Dinner Rolls, or similar style buns/rolls--we also love the Aldi Brioche buns. We like that they impart a bit of sweetness.
Instructions
Bhaji [Mashed Vegetable Curry]
- Put the potato, cauliflower and carrots into a medium sized sauce-pan. Add water to the pan and put over medium-high heat. Allow the water to boil and cook the vegetables until they are very tender and the potato can easily be cut into. Drain. (reserve the water and use it to thin the curry later). Mash the vegetables and set aside. I like to use a potato ricer to do this. If you don't have one, the back of a fork or a more traditional potato masher works fine.
- In a large skillet or fry-pan heat 2 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Once it melts, add green bell pepper, tomatoes and peas. Toss in a little water and stir everything. Cook until the pepper becomes soft and the tomatoes break down--adding water as necessary (to keep veggies from sticking). About 8 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp. ginger and 1 tbsp. garlic pastes, turmeric, and 2 tbsp. of butter. Cook, stirring constantly for approximately 3 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the tomato mixture (it might still be a little chunky--that's okay!) and add a little more water (you don't need much). Bring to a boil.
- Add another 2 tbsp. of butter, 1 tbsp pav bhaji masala, 1/2 tsp. salt and chopped cilantro. Let this cook for a minute or so then add a little more water (just to keep things from sticking). Keep mashing and cook until all the veggies are very tender.
- Add mashed potato mixture and continue to mash everything together. Once the mixture begins to get a little dry, push it to the sides of the pan and create a well in the center. The mixture should stay on the edges of the pan, if not, keep cooking to evaporate more moisture.
- Inside of the well, Add 2 tbsp. butter, chopped onion, 1/2 tbsp. ginger paste, 1/2 tbsp. garlic paste, chili powder, 1 tbsp. pav bhaji masala, fenugreek leaves, asafoetida, paprika and lemon juice. Cook until the onion becomes soft--but not brown--and the spices are fragrant.
- Stir everything together, add a little water to keep the mixture from sticking, and mash until the vegetables become almost like a paste. There should be a few little chunks; but you should not be able to easily distinguish the vegetables from one another. Add 2 tbsp. butter and stir. Add water, if needed, to reach your desired consistency. Taste for salt and add as required.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, raw onions, wedges of lemon and spoons with a little blob of butter.Serve with Pav (buns) that have been cooked with butter and spices (see recipe below)
Pav (spiced buns) Recipe:
- Add 2 tbsp. butter to a large skillet. Once it melts, swirl it around to coat the pan. Sprinkle 1 tsp. pav bhaji masala to the pan along with a small handful of chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves--be sure to sprinkle evenly across the pan.
- Add the buns to the skillet--cut side down. Move them around a little so each piece gets some butter mixture on it. Allow to toast over medium heat for a minute or two.
- Flip the buns and let the top/bottom toast for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and pair the top pieces with the bottoms.
It looks delicous!
My husband and I LOOOOOOVED this! He is highly carnivorous and has no religious restrictions on beef so I added ground beef to it and put a half the water recommended (I think my large potato may not have been large enough). I want to try it with veggies only and will let you know how it is. Thank you so much for posting this. My friend at the Indo-Pak food store got excited when I asked him to assist me with finding the spices. I went to the store slightly after twilight and he told me that at this time in India they sell pav bhaji on the street, and he totally got misty. lol
Klika,
I’m happy to hear you and your husband loved the pav bhaji! It’s addictive!!!
That’s stunning! Ironically, your version of pav bhaji is now one of the first to come up on Google image search. 😉
I totally feel for you about the “I’ve never tasted X but made it anyway” thing; I am a white European married to an immigrant Indian and have not actually tasted the “authentic” versions of some of the stuff that I cook for us these days.
One of the ingredients that my husband’s family regularly uses in pav bhaji is shredded cabbage. I also use a very tiny amount of cooked beetroot to give a reddish-brownish hue to the dish, can’t taste the beetroot in the final product at all. I don’t think I’ve met an Indian who doesn’t use ready made pav bhaji masala for this so you were probably right to get the masala from the store.
Thank you for the comment, Melissa! Adding cabbage to the pav bhaji sounds like a wonderful idea, and I love that you use a little beetroot to color the dish…genius!
I agree, I haven’t found anyone who makes the masala themselves either…I’d like to give it a go sometime though!
What a hearty and healthy chili! Love all of the ingredients and the flavors! I beat those buns are good with this!
ohhh – one of my favorites…I love all street food! Pani Puri being the love of my life (outside of my family ofcourse….uh hum)
This looks fantastic! Every year, I think, “this will be my year to really learn to cook Indian food.” I’ll have to give this a try soon, and get that effort off to a great start. Where did you find asafetida around the twin cities?
You should learn! It’s easy!
Well, I’m in Rochester; but I was able to find asafetida at my local Indian grocer. I know there are a few Indian grocers up in Mpls, St. Paul and surrounding areas too.
I’m so impressed that you were able to “crack” this recipe so quickly. Looks like those Pav buns really make the dish. I’ll have to give this a try sometime when friends are coming over, as I don’t think my girls are adventurous enough yet. Great post!
The buns really do make the dish. My mouth waters just thinking of them, actually!
I think Piyush was surprised I “cracked” this dish so fast too…I really think the key is in the spice mixture (which, unfortunately, I can’t take any credit for).
Better than Mom’s… Really??? I’ll be the judge of that one 🙂
Michelle…it’s true. Although, I bet it’s too “spicy” for you! 😉
Oh my god, this looks very tempting. I Love Pao bhaji, i make them quiet often, however never added fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) before. Cant wait to try this.Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m slightly obsessed with methi. It goes in almost everything I make… Haha
Looks truly rich and tasty!
Why are you and Michelle up at 3:10 am and 4:33 am? S’pose you’ll sleep all day. haha Have a good one, love ya, oh and by the way that pav-bhaji etc does look good.
haha grandma, the times aren’t central time…I’m not sure if I can fix that. I think it was closer to 11pm. If I made the pav bhaji for you, would you try it? Love you! 🙂
Wow! This is probably one of the best looking pav bhaji I have seen. I am sure it tastes that way too. And you nailed the whole experience with Thums up.
I do love me some Thums Up. lol
Although I prefer it ice cold. It was hard to find it ice cold in India.
Hi Shari,
Pav Bhaji is a favorite street food of mine, love your recreation of it. I am no fan of Thums Up though, too “hard” for me – give me Pepsi or Coke any day.!
Nominated you for a Liebster Blog Award. I’ve discovered your blog recently and think it’s awesome.
Thank you 🙂 I’m glad you like the blog! I love yours too! …the design is so cool!
Mmmm, this sounds like a great “chili” indeed. The spiced buns have me very intrigued, sounds fantastic!
Haha how cute! This is the first time I’ve heard of Pav bhaji being described as “indian Chili”, and I have to say it seems kind of appropriate! 🙂 Pav bhaji has to be hands down one of my favorite things in the world. Having spent 23 years in Mumbai I’ve sure eaten a lot of it! And now in the U.S. I just learnt to make my own! The pictures look amazing!
beautiful!
Looks amazing and makes me incrediably hungry! Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you love it! This is definitely one of my favorite recipes on my blog!
Love pav bhaji! One thing is I find American buns a bit pasty/dough-ey. So I use firmer bread like small ciabatta rolls or long Ciabatta rolls from Panera bread and cut it into smaller pieces. May I mention that dry fenugreek leaves are sold as Kasuri Methi in Indian stores? It’s not quite the same as fresh fenugreek leaves which we use in Indian dishes as well…