The Recipe · No.708 · Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji, and Where to Source It

The dish is defined by two things: the mash, where you cook the vegetables soft and break them down right in the pan with the back of a masher so it turns thick and rough, not pureed smooth, and the butter, which goes in with an unreasonable hand both into the bhaji and onto the griddled pav.

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Published July 2026 · Sourcing verified 5 Jul 2026

Prep20 min
Cook30 min
Makes4 servings
CuisineIndian
Part One
The Ingredients — and where to get them
Potatoes
The starchy base of the mash; boiled soft, then broken down in the pan. A floury potato mashes creamiest.
3 large
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Mixed vegetables
Cauliflower, peas, carrot, and bell pepper, cooked soft and mashed in. Fresh or frozen.
3 cups
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Butter
The soul of the dish; in the bhaji and on the pav. Use it generously.
6 tbsp
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Pav bhaji masala
The specific spice blend that names the dish; nothing else stands in for it.
2 tbsp
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Soft rolls
Fluffy dinner rolls split and griddled in butter. A pillowy pav soaks up the butter.
8
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One list, with a link to where to buy each one.
Part Two
The Method
  1. Boil the vegetablesBoil the potatoes and vegetables until very soft, then drain.
  2. Build the baseCook onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato in butter until jammy, then stir in the pav bhaji masala.
  3. Mash it inAdd all the vegetables and mash them into the base with a masher until thick and rough. Simmer with more butter.
  4. Griddle the pavSplit the rolls, toast them cut-side down in butter until golden, and serve with the bhaji, chopped onion, and lime.
Part Three
The Toolkit

Wide pan · Potato masher · Griddle

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