Pav Bhaji is a fast food dish from Mumbai (Bombay), India, consisting of a vegetable curry (bhaji) cooked in tomato gravy and served with a soft bread roll (pav). While Bhaji is a traditional Indian name for a vegetable dish, the Pav or Pao was the Portuguese word for bread, which was introduced by them during their brief presence in Mumbai around the mid-1500s.
Origin of Bhaji
The origin of this dish traces back to textile mill workers in Mumbai in the 1850s. They had lunch breaks too short for a full meal, and a light lunch was preferred to a heavy one, as the employees had to return to strenuous physical labor after lunch. The dish was invented to fulfill the requirements of lunch for those textile mill workers. They needed cheap, easy, quick-to-prepare, and light, yet nutritious food. A vendor created this dish using items or parts of other dishes available on the menu. Roti (a bread) or rice was replaced with pav, and the curries that usually go with Indian bread or rice were amalgamated into just one spicy concoction: the “bhaji.” It also became a favorite late-night street food. Since then, it has been neatly absorbed into Indian fast food, soaking up the butter and spicy curry that Indians love.
Initially, it remained the food of the mill workers. However, over time, the dish found its way into restaurants and spread over Central Mumbai as well as other parts of the city, and eventually, the whole of India. And, now it’s in the U.S.!
Did You Know?
Nearly 15 million people eat Pav Bhaji every other day in Mumbai alone!
Pav Bhaji is cruelty free. (No animals are killed) We love our planet!
Pav Bhaji is not only tasty but nutritious. It’s 100% Vegetarian!
How is Pav Bhaji Made?
Bhaji is made from a tasty and nutritious blend of vegetables, including potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots, and onions. It is blended with bhaji masala, a mix of spices that is similar to chaat masala but a little hotter.
The bhaji is served with Pav – soft, buttery buns.
As an added treat, the bhaji can be topped with cheese!
At Pav Bhaji Hut, we make our authentic Bhaji from scratch on original Indian Tawa with 100-percent Amul butter. our Pav Bhaji Masala is completely custom made in Mumbai. Most of our ingredients, such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, etc., are sourced locally, and we use non-GMO organic ingredients whenever possible.
