Instant pot pav bhaji With step by step photos. A quick and easy method of preparing delicious pav bhaji using an electric pressure cooker or instant pot.
There are some times when I prepare pav bhaji in the instant pot. so I thought I will share this method too. It is easy and does save time. Plus the bhaji also tastes good. So when in a hurry or when you have unexpected guests, you can consider making pav bhaji in the instant pot.
The recipe is similar to the way I prepare it in a pan or on a tawa (griddle). If you plan to make the recipe in a pan, then do check this Mumbai style Pav bhaji.
In the instant pot the cooking method is different. Unlike the street-side stalls where this dish is made on very large tawa or griddle, in the instant pot everything is cooked together. Now this one pot cooking method does save time and makes things easier.
Some tips
- Oil can be used instead of butter.
- Less or more butter can be added as per your requirements.
- Kashmiri red chili powder gives a nice color, so do consider adding it. If using any other red chili powder or cayenne pepper, then add less of it.
- You can add your choice of veggies.
- Pav bhaji masala is an essential spice blend. In case you do not have pav bhaji masala, then add 2 teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon dry mango powder.
I prefer to serve the bhaji garnished with coriander leaves and topped with butter. I would also suggest keeping chopped onions + coriander leaves and lemon wedges in the plate while serving.
How to make instant pot pav bhaji
1. Firstly chop all the veggies and keep them ready. You can add your choice of veggies. I have used a mix of potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, french beans, peas and capsicum. Chop the carrots, beans, cauliflower, potatoes in small cubes or pieces so that they get cooked faster.
2. Switch on the instant pot. Press the saute button on less mode.
3. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons butter in the IP steel insert.
4. When the butter melts, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter and change color.
5. Then add ½ cup finely chopped onions.
6. Sauté onions till they soften and turn translucent.
7. Next add 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste and 1 or 2 chopped green chillies.
8. Stir and saute for a few seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
9. Then add 2 cups chopped tomatoes and ⅓ cup chopped capsicum (green bell pepper). Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
10. Add the chopped veggies and green peas.
11. Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder. If using any other red chilli powder or cayenne pepper, then you can add less of it.
12. Mix everything very well. Deglaze while mixing so that any ingredient stuck at the bottom of the pan is removed. The moisture from the vegetables helps in deglazing.
13. Add 2 cups of water. Stir again. Deglaze if required.
14. Press the cancel button. Now press the pressure cooker/manual button and set time to 7 minutes on high pressure.
15. When the beep sound is heard and the pressure cooking is complete, do a quick pressure release (QPR). When all the pressure is released, open the lid.
16. using a napkin or oven mittens, remove the steel insert from the instant pot. Place it on your kitchen counter. With a potato masher, begin to mash the cooked vegetables. Mash very well. You can even use an immersion blender and puree the veggies. Just make a semi-fine puree.
17. Now add 2 tablespoons pav bhaji masala and 1 to 2 tablespoons butter. You can skip the butter if you want. Mix very well.
18. Place the steel insert pan in the IP. Press the cancel button and then press the sauté button on normal mode. Set the timer to 3 to 5 minutes or more.
19. Simmer the bhaji for a few minutes, till it thickens a bit. Stir often, so that the bhaji does not stick to the bottom. If the bhaji looks very thick, then add some water.
20. Simmer till you get the desired consistency.
21. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix very well. Do check the taste and add salt, butter, Kashmiri red chili powder or pav bhaji masala if required. Cancel and keep the IP mode on warm.
22. For the pav, heat a tawa or griddle and melt some butter on it.
23. Place sliced pavs (dinner rolls) on it.
24. Let the pav soak the butter and become warm. If you want you can even lightly toast the pavs.
25. For serving pour the bhaji in a serving bowl or a serving plate. garnish bhaji with some chopped coriander leaves and top it with some butter. Also accompany chopped onions + coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Serve the butter toasted pav (dinner rolls) also with the bhaji.
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By Dassana Amit
Ingredients
veggies
- 2 cups chopped potatoes or 3 medium or 2 large potatoes or 250 grams potatoes
- ½ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium to large onion or 50 to 60 grams onions
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes or 300 grams tomatoes
- ¾ to 1 cup chopped cauliflower florets or 100 grams cauliflower
- ¾ cup chopped carrots or 1 medium to large carrot or 100 grams carrot
- ⅓ cup chopped capsicum (green bell pepper)
- ½ cup green peas - fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup chopped french beans - optional
other ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter - salted or unsalted
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste or 1.5 inch ginger and 5 to 6 medium garlic cloves crushed in a mortar-pestle
- 1 to 2 green chilies - chopped or 1 to 2 serrano peppers
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons kashmiri red chilli powder or ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
- 1.25 cups water
- salt as per taste
- 2 tablespoons pav bhaji masala
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter - to be added later
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves (cilantro)
accompaniments
- few chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) - for garnish
- ½ cup finely chopped onion + 2 tablespoons coriander leaves - mixed well
- 1 lemon - chopped in wedges
- butter - as required while topping bhaji
- 10 to 12 pav (dinner rolls)
- butter - as required for roasting pav
Instructions
preparation
- Firstly chop all the veggies and keep them ready. You can add your choice of veggies.
sauteing
- Switch on the instant pot. Press the saute button on less mode. Add 2 tablespoons butter in the ip steel insert.
- When the butter melts, add cumin seeds and let them splutter and change color.
- Then add finely chopped onions and sauté onions till they soften.
- Next add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies.
- stir and saute for a few seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Then add chopped tomatoes and chopped capsicum. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped veggies and green peas.
- Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons kashmiri red chilli powder. If using any other red chili powder or cayenne pepper, then you can add less of it. Also, add salt as per taste.
- mix everything very well.
- Add water and stir.
pressure cooking
- Press the cancel button. Now press the pressure cooker/manual button and set time to 7 minutes on high pressure.
- When the beep sound is heard and the pressure cooking is complete, do a quick pressure release (qpr).
- When all the pressure is released, open the lid.
mashing bhaji
- Using a napkin or oven mittens, remove the steel insert from the instant pot. Place it on your kitchen counter. With a potato masher, begin to mash the cooked vegetables. Mash very well. You can even use an immersion blender and puree the veggies. Just make a semi-fine puree.
- Now add 2 tablespoons pav bhaji masala and 1 to 2 tablespoons butter. You can skip the butter if you want. Mix very well.
- Place the steel insert pan in the ip. Press the cancel button and then press the sauté button on normal mode. Set the timer to 3 to 5 minutes or more.
- Simmer the bhaji for a few minutes, till it thickens a bit and you get the desired consistency. Stir often, so that the bhaji does not stick to the bottom. If the bhaji looks very thick, then add some water.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix very well. Do check the taste and add salt, butter, kashmiri red chili powder or pav bhaji masala if required. Cancel and keep the ip on warm mode.
roasting pav
- For the pav, heat a tawa (griddle) and melt some butter on it.
- On a low-medium flame, place sliced pavs on it. Let the pav soak the butter and become warm. If you want you can even lightly toast the pavs.
- Serve the bhaji garnished with coriander leaves and topped with butter.
- Also accompany chopped onions, coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Serve the butter toasted pav also with the bhaji.
Notes
- Chop the carrots, beans, cauliflower, potatoes in small cubes or pieces so that they get cooked faster.
- You can add less or more pav bhaji masala as per your taste preferences.
- If you do not have pav bhaji masala then add 2 teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon dry mango powder.
- Add your choice of vegetables.
- You can increase the amount of any veggie except for cauliflower and carrot. Do not add more cauliflower and carrot than what is mentioned in the recipe. Less quantities can be added.
- When simmering the mashed bhaji, stir often so that the bhaji does not stick at the bottom of the steel insert pan.
- While sauteing onions and tomatoes, you can increase the saute mode to normal if you want.
- Deglaze while mixing vegetables with the sauteed onions and tomatoes, so that any ingredient stuck at the bottom of the pan is removed. The moisture from the vegetables helps in deglazing.
Nutrition Info Approximate values
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Today I made a pav bhaji and it was fantastic. Thank you for the recipe.
welcome and thanks for sharing the feedback.
Hi Dassana,
Today I cooked Pav bhaji for my wife and she loved it.
Thnx for your recipes.
Keep posting such easy way to cook so that we husband can cook for his love.
Welcome Rajani. Glad to know that both of you liked this pav bhaji recipe. Will add more such easy recipes.
Hello Dassana,
This winter I have cooked pav bhaji three or four time so far using your recipe and it came out YUMMILICIOUS???? Thank you so much for your easily explained and step by step recipe.God bless you. Happy New year
Welcome Shabistan. Glad to know that you liked this pav bhaji recipe. Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback. Happy New Year to you and your family.
This looks fantastic, thank you for sharing. I have an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) and you can saute in it, which is handy. I love pav bhaji and have made it many times, but never yet in the Instant Pot. I don’t have time to do homemade masala, but for store-bought, I really like MDH brand. 🙂 Thanks again, can’t wait to try this in my new IP!
thank you. do try the instant pot pav bhaji and happy cooking.