Pao Bhaji

Pao bhaji tastes great and it’s hot, and spicy and has a lot of health benefits as well. I have made this Pao Bhaji several times already now and every time my family loved it. I hope you give it a try and enjoy eating it with your loved ones!

Thai Coconut Curry Tofu

I love Indian street food and especially Pao bhaji. It is a very famous dish in Mumbai. This dish is indeed the “King of Indian Street Food.”

This hot, lip-smacking vegetable is possibly one of the best methods to convince your kids to eat their vegetables.

At least twice a fortnight, I prepare this delightful vegetable dish at home.

Pao Bhaji

Cooking a meal at home gives you an amazing feeling and the sense that you’ve eaten something made with fresh ingredients, prepared with proper hygiene, and free of the chemicals found in processed food products. Even while making pao bhaji requires some prep work, it’s still incredibly simple to make this delectable dish at home.

Every street vendor and many families typically use the same basic ingredients. The basic masala for this recipe consists of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and a blend of common spices.

Personally, I like to use peas, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and capsicum in my pao bhaji recipe. At my house, they are a staple. However, you are free to substitute any other vegetables you think would be great in this mouthwatering dish

This homemade Mumbai-style Pao Bhaji is very delicious! It is the simplest and best option for dinner on busy weeknights.

If you’ve never had this before, you’re missing out on an incredible experience.

If you want to make this dish, then scroll down to the recipe card and follow the simple step-by-step instructions. But I suggest you don’t skip the information included in the blurb.

Ingredients

• Cauliflower – This dish’s ideal flavor and texture come from cauliflower. Street vendors often avoid using cauliflower in their Pao Bhaji recipe because it is relatively expensive. However, adding cauliflower at home is a great way to boost the dish’s nutritional content.

While I’ve only ever cooked pao bhaji with white cauliflower, there are certainly several colors and sizes available in grocery stores nowadays. Give any a try.

• Potato –Street vendors commonly use this vegetable in their Pao Bhaji recipe. Potato, a hard veggie, combines well with masalas. Use your preferred kind, such as Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, or Russets, to make this pao bhaji. Cut them into uniform-sized cubes to ensure that they cook at the same rate.
• Peas – This recipe calls for the use of either fresh or frozen green peas. They enhance the flavor and texture of this dish. Always choose fresh peas over frozen ones when they are in season. When using either of the two in this recipe, you could notice a slight difference. I always like fresh peas. When green peas are in season, I store them in bulk and use them as needed.
• Carrots – Street vendors in Mumbai do not typically add Carrots to their recipe. However, you can include carrots when making them at home. I went to the store and bought fresh carrots. They’re not only delicious but nutritious as well.
• Capsicum – Basically smooth in texture, pao bhaji gains a pleasant crunch with the addition of capsicum. In India, It is commonly made with green bell peppers which are more flavorful than yellow or red varieties. It’s important to be cautious when adding red capsicum as it can make the dish too sweet.

• More Ingredients

• Onions – The onion serves as the base for this recipe and calls for finely sliced onions to be used.. Red onions are always my preference over white ones. They have an excellent flavor and caramelize nicely in the cooking process.

• Tomato puree – In pao bhaji, tomatoes are prominently featured. Again, tomatoes serve as the basic ingredient to give this dish its tangy flavor and bright red color. I used fresh tomato purée. You may use store-bought for intense red color and flavor.
• Ginger garlic paste – I used storebought ginger garlic paste for convenience, however, fresh ginger garlic is better for a strong flavor. You can even use garlic and ginger powder to flavor your dish.
• Salt – The most crucial flavor enhancer in any dish is salt.
• Red chili flakes – My personal favorite ingredient! Add the perfect heat! You may replace it with paprika or cayenne pepper.
• Turmeric – One of nature’s most potent anti-inflammatory agents. To enjoy the benefits of turmeric and improve the flavor (and appearance) of your food, use it frequently when cooking.
• Dry fenugreek leaves – You don’t want to ignore this ingredient! Trust me when I say this because they add such amazing flavor and aroma to the dish!
• Coriander powder – Ground coriander seeds, often known as coriander powder, have a sweet, fragrant, and somewhat lemony flavor.
• All spice powder – A well-known Indian spice mixture with energizing ingredients including cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and black pepper.
• Oil – Although I usually advise using avocado oil when cooking, you can use vegan butter or another type of cooking oil.

How To Make Pao Bhaji?

1. Cut and boil the veggies in some water.
2. In a separate pan, heat some oil and add cumin seeds, and onions.
3. Fry onions until slightly golden and add in ginger garlic paste.
4. Fry and add tomato puree.
5. Add all the spices and fry until the oil separates.
6. Mash all the veggies nice and fine and add in the masala.
7. Let it cook on low flame, add in dried fenugreek leaves and mix.
8. Add in chopped capsicum, mix, cover, and cook on low flame for 8-10 minutes.

How To Serve Pao Bhaji?

• Indian street food vendors often serve this dish with a generous helping of butter, onions, and lemon juice.
• Serve this bhaji with pao (gluten-free slider buns). You may toast the buns with some vegan butter.
• You can enjoy this dish with bread, boiled rice, or on its own.

Chef’s Notes

• I used cauliflower, potato, peas, carrot, and capsicum. You may use any vegetable you like; these are my favorite for bhaji.
• Depending on your preferences, you can change the number of spices. To prevent the spices from burning while cooking, add a small amount of water.
• Carrots are a great addition but becareful not to use too many or the pao bhaji may become overly sweet.
• You can also use this pao bhaji as a stuffing for parathas, samosas, a wrap, tacos, and much more.

Other Indian-Inspired Recipes to Try:

• Mixed Vegetable Masala
• Bombay Potatoes Recipe
• Rajma Chawal
• Vegan Chickpea Flour Pancakes
• Gram Lentil Fried (Chana Daal Fry)
• Aloo Gobi Masala (Potato Cauliflower Curry)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pao Bhaji Gujarati?

An Indian fast-food meal called pao bhaji consists of a rich vegetable curry (bhaji) that is paired with a soft toasted bread roll (Pao).

What Does Pao Bhaji Taste Like?

Pao Bhaji is a flavorful and hearty dish consisting of a delightful combo of spicy mixed veggies, served with butter-toasted bread rolls, crunchy onion, and lemon wedges.

What Goes Well With Pao Bhaji?

You can make pulao or another type of rice dish, such as biryani, to accompany pao bhaji. The feast must-have desserts. Furthermore, serving Gulab Jamun, Jalebi, and Mung Dal Sheera after pao Bhaji would be perfect.

Is Homemade Pao Bhaji Healthy?

Yes, this homemade version is quite healthy. As you have seen I have made this dish with some modifications to make it more nutritious. I used more veggies, replace butter with healthy avocado oil, and used very few spices.  Vegetables contain a considerable number of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, and are antioxidants.

How Do You Fix Spicy Pao Bhaji?

There are several reasons why food turns out too spicy: the red chili flakes may be too hot, or you may have just dropped too much cayenne pepper into your dish.

Relax!

To lessen the spiciness, you can add more vegetables, some dairy, lemon juice, or nut butter, or you can serve it with more starch side dishes.

Give this recipe a try. It’s incredibly delicious and super easy. I hope you like it. As always, I would love to hear from you. So, if you tried this recipe or any other from my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below

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