Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji (Marathi: पाव भाजी) is a fast food dish from Maharashtra, India, consisting of a thick vegetable curry fried and served with a soft bread roll (Konkani:pav). The dish originated in the 1850s as a fast lunchtime dish for textile mill workers in Mumbai. Pav bhaji was later served at restaurants throughout the city. Pav bhaji is now offered at outlets from simple hand carts to formal restaurants in India and abroad.

Pav bhaji has many variations in ingredients and garnishes, but is essentially a spiced mixture of mashed vegetables in a thick gravy served hot with a soft white bread roll, usually cooked on a flat griddle (tava).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, with vegetable chunks in the bhaji

Jain pav bhaji, without onions and garlic and with plantains instead of potatoes

Kolhapuri pav bhaji, using a spice mix common in Kolhapur

White pav bhaji, with no garam masala or no chilli powder.