Pav bhaji
Encyclopedia
Pav Bhaji is a fast food
dish that originated in Marathi cuisine, and is native to Maharashtra
and is popular in most metropolitan areas in India, particularly in Pune
. Pav in Marathi
means a small loaf of bread. The word has been derived from Portuguese
pão
(lit., "bread"). Bhaji in Marathi means vegetable dish. Pav bhaji consists of bhaji (a thick potato-based curry) garnished with coriander
, chopped onion
and a dash of lemon and baked pav. The pav is usually buttered on all sides.
. The mill workers used to have 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. A vendor created this dish using items or parts of other dishes available on the menu. Roti
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'. Initially, it remained the food of the mill-workers. With time the dish found its way into restaurants and spread over Central Mumbai and other parts of the city via the Udipi restaurants.
Such is the popularity of this dish, that it is common to find it on the menu of most Indian restaurants serving fast food in Asia (especially Singapore, Hong Kong), America, UK (London), Switzerland and elsewhere.
The recipe for Pav bhaji varies greatly as it is essentially a fast food dish to be prepared quickly. The general procedure for making the bhaji remains the same. Potatoes are mashed on a flat griddle ( tava
), and made into a thick gravy after adding diced tomatoes, finely grilled onion, green peas and chopped capsicum
(green bell pepper). Other assorted vegetables like cauliflower and carrots are added. Garlic too is added at times to spice it up. A special blend of spices simply called the pav bhaji masala is added to this thick gravy. The gravy is then allowed to simmer on the pan for a few minutes and is served hot in a flat dish with a tablespoon of butter on top.
The pav is heated on the griddle and buttered generously. The Bhaji is garnished with coriander and diced onions.
In restaurants some more varieties are available including;
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
dish that originated in Marathi cuisine, and is native to Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and is popular in most metropolitan areas in India, particularly in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. Pav in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
means a small loaf of bread. The word has been derived from Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
pão
Pao
-People:* Pao Ching-yen , a Chinese, anarchist philosopher who lived in the early fourth century C.E.* Yih-Ho Michael Pao, an American entrepreneur and hydro-engineer-Fictional:...
(lit., "bread"). Bhaji in Marathi means vegetable dish. Pav bhaji consists of bhaji (a thick potato-based curry) garnished with coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
, chopped onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
and a dash of lemon and baked pav. The pav is usually buttered on all sides.
History
The origin of this dish is traced to the heyday of the textile mills in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. The mill workers used to have 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. A vendor created this dish using items or parts of other dishes available on the menu. Roti
Roti
Roti is generally a South Asian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also consumed in parts of the Southern Caribbean, particularly in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and...
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'. Initially, it remained the food of the mill-workers. With time the dish found its way into restaurants and spread over Central Mumbai and other parts of the city via the Udipi restaurants.
Such is the popularity of this dish, that it is common to find it on the menu of most Indian restaurants serving fast food in Asia (especially Singapore, Hong Kong), America, UK (London), Switzerland and elsewhere.
Preparation
Tava
A tava, tawa, saj, or sac is a large, flat or convex disc-shaped griddle made from metal, usually sheet iron, cast iron, sheet steel or aluminium. It is used in south, central, and west Asia for cooking a variety of flatbreads and as a griddle for meat...
), and made into a thick gravy after adding diced tomatoes, finely grilled onion, green peas and chopped capsicum
Capsicum
Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...
(green bell pepper). Other assorted vegetables like cauliflower and carrots are added. Garlic too is added at times to spice it up. A special blend of spices simply called the pav bhaji masala is added to this thick gravy. The gravy is then allowed to simmer on the pan for a few minutes and is served hot in a flat dish with a tablespoon of butter on top.
The pav is heated on the griddle and buttered generously. The Bhaji is garnished with coriander and diced onions.
In restaurants some more varieties are available including;
- Cheese Pav Bhaji, in which the bhaji had an additional garnishing of cheese
- Paneer Pav Bhaji, Prepared with paneer(cottage cheese) as one of the ingredients in the bhaji along with the vegetables.
- Mushroom Pav Bhaji, with mushrooms as one of the ingredients in the bhaji along with the vegetables.
- Khada Pav Bhaji, ('खडा'). Vegetables are not mashed, but small pieces cooked with masala gravy.
- Jain Pav Bhaji, replacing the potatoes with unripe bananas, as the Jains do not eat potatoes. Onion and Garlic is not added either.
- Kathyawadi Pav Bhaji with buttermilk, eaten particularly in the state of Gujarat.
- Dryfruit Pav Bhaji with added dry fruits.
A Versatile Dish
It can be eaten as a snack or as a meal in itself. It is often eaten as an evening snack between lunch and dinner, particularly in western India. In this part, Pav bhaji is available on hand carts and at kiosks. It is also available in hotels and eateries serving fast food. In recent years, Pav bhaji is also consumed as a light evening meal, and is also a party favorite.In popular culture and media
- Sanjay DuttSanjay DuttSanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
played the role of a pav bhaji vendor in the Hindi movie Vaastav. - In the TeluguTelugu languageTelugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
film Dubai SeenuDubai SeenuDubai Seenu is a 2007 Telugu film starring Ravi Teja in the lead role and Nayantara as Teja's love interest. The film is directed by Srinu Vaitla, who directed two other films of Ravi Teja, Nee Kosam and Venky. D.V.V. Danayya produces this film after the box office success of his maiden film,...
, Ravi TejaRavi TejaRavi Teja is an Indian Telugu film actor. He won the Nandi Award for Best Actor for the film Neninthe in 2008. He has participated in other films including Avunu Valliddaru Ista Paddaru, Idiot,Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi, Venky, Bhadra, Vikramarkudu, Krishna, Kick, and Mirapakaay...
and his friends opened a pav bhaji stand on the road in Mumbai, India.