Pav bhaji

Pav bhaji, or pao bhaji (Marathi : पाव भाजी pāʋ bhājī) is a staple food of India, consisting of a thick spicy vegetable curry (bhaji) served with a soft, buttered bread roll (pav). It is typically served either as a street snack or main dish, and originates from the city of Mumbai in Maharashtra.

History

The dish originated as a fast lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Mumbai. Pav bhaji was later served at restaurants throughout the city. Pav bhaji is now offered at outlets from simple hand carts to formal restaurants in India and abroad.

Preparation

Pav bhaji is a spiced mixture of mashed vegetables in a thick gravy served with bread. Vegetables in the curry may commonly include potatoes, onions, carrots, chillies, peas, bell peppers, egg plant, cabbage and tomatoes. Street sellers usually cook the curry on a flat griddle (tava) and serve the dish hot. A soft white bread roll is the usual accompaniment to the curry, but this does not preclude the use of other bread varieties such as chapati, roti or brown bread.

Variants

Variations on pav bhaji include:

• Cheese pav bhaji, with cheese on top of the bhaji
• Fried pav bhaji, with the pav tossed in the bhaji
• Paneer pav bhaji, with paneer in the bhaji
• Mushroom pav bhaji, with mushrooms in the bhaji
• Khada pav bhaji, in which vegetables are in chunks rather than mashed
• Jain pav bhaji, without onions and garlic and with plantains instead of potatoes
• Sada pav which only consists of pav
• Sada bhaji which only consists of bhaji
• Kolhapuri pav bhaji, using a spice mix common in Kolhapur
• Masala pav bhaji, with garam masala in the bhaji
• Beetroot pav bhaji, adding beetroot to the classic pav bhaji
• Chinese pav bhaji, using ingredients used in Chinese dishes such as Vinegar, soy sauce
• Moong sprouts bhaji, pav bhaji with moong sprouts

References