Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is one of my favorite comfort foods.  It is commonly known as the Indian version of a sloppy joe.  Bhaji is a spiced, mashed vegetable dish that is typically eaten with fluffy buttery bread, aka pav.  Pav Bhaji is a common Indian street food made typically made with potatoes, peas, onions, and tomatoes and then topped with fresh lemon juice, cilantro and red onions.  However, there are many different variations that include spinach, eggplant, or even carrots. I get my masala from India, but the “Everest” brand Pav Bhaji Masala from the Indian grocery store also tastes good!

Everyone has their own recipe, but this one is unique because it omits one of the most common ingredients: potatoes.   A lot of people have been doing different low carb diets and one of the most common trends is replacing potatoes with cauliflower, and that is what I did here.  It still has all of the flavors without the heavyness.

There may be a lot of ingredients, but this recipe is simple and quick.  Once everything was prepped, the bhaji was ready in less than 30 minutes. One thing that helps cut down the prep time is using a chopper or food processor to cut up the onions and tomatoes. I also pulse the garlic in the food processor until I get the size I want.

I love garnishing the bhaji with fresh lemon juice, cilantro and diced red onions. To make this vegan, simply substitute the butter with vegan butter or olive oil!

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Pav Bhaji (low carb)

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 onion diced
• 3 tomatoes diced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 8 oz peas
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cauliflower large florets
• 1 eggplant large cubes
• 6 oz spinach chopped
• 3 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
• cilantro garnishing
• red onion garnishing

Instructions

• Pressure cook the cauliflower and eggplant on high for 8 minutes.
• Cook garlic and onion in butter for about 5-8 minutes until onions are translucent.
• Add in peas cook for an additional 5 minutes, until soft.
• Add in chopped spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
• Add pav bhaji masala and chili powder and stir.
• Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until soft.
• When the cauliflower and eggplant are done cooking, use a masher or immersion blender to mash the veggies.
• Add in the mashed cauliflower and eggplant to the pot.
• Turn the heat off, and mix in lemon juice and chopped cilantro.
• Top with butter and garnish with cilantro and red onion.
• Enjoy!