Instant Pot Pav Bhaji

Recipe for Mumbai style pav bhaji made in the Instant Pot. This is an easy to make and flavor packed dish. Serve with toasted buns & enjoy!!

Author: Pavani

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Pressure Release:: 10

Total Time: 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: maharashtrian

Servings: servings

Ingredients

To make Bhaji:

¼ cup Unsalted Butter*, divided use, plus more for toasting pav
1 Medium Bell Pepper (any color), seeded and finely chopped
1½ teaspoons Ginger+garlic paste
2 Large Potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cups Cauliflower florets*
½ cup Green Peas
1 cup Tomato puree
¼ teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
To taste Salt
½ cup Water, plus more as needed
2~3 teaspoons Pav bhaji masala
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
3 tablespoons Cilantro, finely chopped

Other Ingredients:

12 Slider buns or 6 Burger buns
As needed Onion, finely chopped
As needed Cilantro, finely chopped
As needed Lemon wedges

Instructions

Make Bhaji:

Select Sauté on Instant Pot and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the bell pepper and cook for 3~4 minutes, stirring occasionally, and cook until tender. Stir in ginger+garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
¼ cup Unsalted Butter*, divided use, plus more for toasting pav, 1 Medium Bell Pepper (any color), seeded and finely chopped, 1½ teaspoons Ginger+garlic paste
Add the chopped potatoes, cauliflower, green peas, tomato puree and mix well. Stir in turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Add ½ cup water and stir to combine, making sure to scrape the bottom to loosen any browned bits.
2 Large Potatoes, peeled and chopped, 3 cups Cauliflower florets*, ½ cup Green Peas, 1 cup Tomato puree, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric, 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, To taste Salt, ½ cup Water, plus more as needed
Place the lid on, lock it, and close the steam valve. Set the timer for 5 minutes on high pressure.
When the timer sounds, natural release the steam for 10 minutes; quick release the reminder.
Open the instant pot, mash the veggies with a potato masher into a coarse paste. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, pav bhaji masala and give a good mix. If the mixture looks too thick, add ½cup more water.
Select 'Saute' and cook for 5~6 minutes for all the flavors to combine. The mixture will bubble and splutter at this point, so make sure to have a lid handy to cover the pot, if needed.
2~3 teaspoons Pav bhaji masala
Taste the bhaji and adjust the seasoning. Add more chili powder, pav bhaji masala or salt as needed. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well and keep the bhaji warm.
1 tablespoon Lemon juice, 3 tablespoons Cilantro, finely chopped

Prep Pav:

On a tawa or griddle, melt 1 teaspoon of butter and stir in ⅛ teaspoon pav bhaji masala. Place the buns cut side down and cook until they are lightly toasted. Repeat with the remaining buns.
12 Slider buns or 6 Burger buns
Serve immediately with the bhaji topped with finely chopped onions, cilantro, lemon wedges and a generous blob of butter.
As needed Onion, finely chopped, As needed Cilantro, finely chopped, As needed Lemon wedges

Video

Notes

Feel free to use any variety of potatoes. Russet, yukon gold or red would work.
You can use either fresh or frozen cauliflower florets. Frozen cauliflower rice is also great alternate.
Green, red, yellow or even orange bell pepper would work in this pav bhaji recipe.
Use either 3~4 medium fresh chopped or ground tomatoes or canned tomato puree.
I like using unsalted butter because I can control the salt in the dish. But you can also use salted butter if that is all you have.
Pav bhaji masala is a must in my opinion. But if you don't have any then use 2 teaspoons garam masala and 1 teaspoon chaat masala instead.
I recommend using Kashmiri red chili powder for its vibrant color. But you can also any chili powder you have on hand.
Bhaji can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat before serving. Leftover bhaji can be frozen for up to 2 months.
To make vegan pav bhaji, substitute with vegan butter or oil.

Nutrition

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