This post is updated with better pictures and some extra tips on the recipe

Usually a significant part of my summer is spent in my hometown of Mumbai with my parents and eating a year’s worth of Mumbai’s street food within a week. Since this summer turned out the way it did, I simply had to make pav bhaji from scratch (because pavs available outside Mumbai are sad). I enjoyed it while reminiscing about all my pav bhaji meals back home.

It is all about the butter

If you are on a diet or not fond of butter then don’t read any further. The most important ingredient is the unbelievable amount of butter that goes in. I remember the Juhu & Chowpatty beach pav bhaji where the guy would always have a large slab of butter continuously melting on the tava. The pavs will be roasted in this butter or rather soaked in the butter. When you have that butter dripping pav with the spicy butter topped bhaji, you are usually convinced that ‘agar dharti pe swarg hai, tho yahein hai, yahein hai’. (If there is heaven on earth, then it’s here, it’s here).

The amount of butter specified in the recipe is the basic minimum. You can add more, rather you should. The butter soaked pav with the buttery bhaji is what makes it the most popular street food. So do not scrimp on the butter.

The vegetable medley

As expected potatoes are a primary ingredient in the bhaji for the pav but it has quite a few other vegetables too. I believe it is to convince you that you are eating healthy. There is cauliflower, french beans, carrots, capsicum and capsicum in addition to tomatoes and way too much onions. All these vegetables are cooked together and then mashed together to get the smooth ubiquitous bhaji.

The pav bhaji masala

The spice mix is another key ingredient in the pav bhaji. It elevates this dish from a simple mixed vegetable to heavenly deliciousness. Though It can be substituted with garam masala, I would not recommend it. The pav bhaji masala gives it its unique, distinct taste and flavour and must not be missed.

You can simply make this bhaji and eat it with store bough pavs or even regular sandwich bread. I love to bake the pavs myself and will post the pav recipe soon. Now let us enjoy this bhaji recipe

If you like street food then these are some other dishes you will enjoy. Do check out Bhajiya pav, Jini Dosa and Ragada Patties

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I am updating this post with new pictures and write up along with a group of like minded bloggers at Foodies Redoing OldPosts

This is my entry for the Blogging Marathon under the theme – Street Food

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for other marathoners doing this BM.