Pav bhaji

Not to be confused with Bhaji.

Pav Bhaji

Alternative names	Bhaji-pav
Course	native staple food
Place of origin	India
Region or state	Mumbai, Maharashtra
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Bread, mixed vegetables
Variations	Red Pav Bhaji Black Pav Bhaji Green Pav Bhaji Khada Pav Bhaji
Media: Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji, Paw bhaji or Pao bhaji (Marathi : पाव भाजी pāʋ bhājī) is a main course staple food of Mumbai, India consisting of a thick spicy vegetable curry (bhaji) served with a soft buttered bread roll (pav). It originated in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra.^[1][2]

History

The dish originated as a fast lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Mumbai.^[3][4] Pav bhaji was later served at restaurants throughout the city.^[4][5] Pav bhaji is now offered at outlets from simple hand carts to formal restaurants in India and abroad.^[6][7]

Preparation

• 
  Pav bhaji being prepared on an iron tava
• 
  A pav bhaji stand at Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

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 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 cheese 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^[8] and with plantains instead of potatoes^[9]
• Kolhapuri pav bhaji, using a spice mix common in Kolhapur
• Masala pav bhaji, with garam masala in the bhaji

References

1. Najmi, Quaid (6 November 2013). "Meet Mumbai's rags-to-riches Restaurant King". The New indian Express. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
2. liza (20 May 2023). "Culinary Hack: Making Delicious Pav Bhaji at Home Without Spending Hours - Desher Barta". Desher Barta. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
3. Patrao, Michael (23 October 2009). "Taking pride in our very own pav". Deccan Herald. The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
4. Patel, Aakar (4 August 2011). "What Mumbaikars owe to the American Civil War: 'pav bhaji'". Live Mint. HT Media Limited. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
5. Munshaw-Ghildiyal, Rushina. "A feast of flavours". Hindustan Times. HT Media Limited. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
6. Pathak, Anil. "'Bhaji pav' to invade NY's Times Square". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
7. Rajesh, Monisha (1 March 2012). "10 of the best street foods in Mumbai". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
8. Dalal, Tarla (2010). Mumbai's Roadside Snacks. Mumbai: Sanjay & Company. p. 60. ISBN 978-81-89491-66-6. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
9. Kumar, Shikha (26 November 2016). "In search of the perfect pav bhaji". Hindustan Times. HT Media Limited. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.