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Apart from the large number of people on the streets, one thing you will always discover in Mumbai is whether you wander through the bustling Colaba market or visit Juhu Chowpatty in the evening. It's none other than Pav. The fluffy, little buns are popular in all places in the city and the state of Maharashtra, whether it's a large, upscale restaurant in Bandra or a tiny food cart.
Pav provides the city with the fuel it needs to run day in and day out, just like life itself. People might be seen dipping the same pav in a buttery bhaji at a nearby restaurant for lunch and biting into a simple bun maska for breakfast on the go in the morning. But apart from being a street food, pav can be eaten as a dinner too since it pairs well with various curries and dishes that make for a filling meal. So, here are eleven ways you can enjoy pav for dinner.
Pav Bhaji
There is an intriguing backstory to this meal. At first, Mumbai was home to several mills and the working class. The employees' lunch breaks were extremely brief, and there was not enough time for them to sit down and finish their meal. However, they couldn't eat something too substantial right away because it would make them drowsy and hinder their productivity.
The pav bhaji was therefore created by street vendors. Despite being labelled as fast food these days, this meal is incredibly nutritious. At first, the bhaji was merely a mixture of different veggies that had been spiced up to enhance taste and served with pav. It was wholesome and satisfying. However, nobody is truly grumbling about the butter today.
Misal Pav
Misal Pav, a predominantly Maharashtrian dish, essentially consists of boiled lentils topped with a gravy made of chilly powder and matki. After that, some batata-chivda is added to the mixture, and occasionally sev is added as well. The misal pav that is often found in most workplace canteens, roadside stands, and centres is not the original recipe; rather, it is a variant that replaces the lentils with thick sev or gathiya, oily spicy water, and white peas or chickpeas. However, everything is OK as long as they have pav to wash it down. You can serve this dish with papad or an onion salad to enhance the experience even further.
Keema Pav
Next on the menu is a succulent meat dish that tastes best at Mumbai's Parsi cafés. A variety of spices are mixed with minced meat, which is then served with soft pita bread on the side. The flavourful keema that hits the spot when slipped into a slice of pav is made with tomato puree, ginger-garlic paste, and a few other ingredients. Onions and green chillies are served on the side. Although mostly eaten for lunch, you can enjoy keema pav as your dinner since it is quite filling and one of the most delicious ways to enjoy your favourite meat.
Bhurji Pav
The finest of both spicy bhurji and pav are combined in bhurji pav. When Parsis brought the dish to Mumbai, the city's residents fell in love. Anda Bhurji, the one meal that frequently satisfies the midnight needs of many, eventually started to be served with a pav since, well, anything eaten in Maharashtra without a pav simply seems so odd. In essence, bhurji pav is scrambled eggs with additional spices added, with the pav occasionally serving as a spice reducer.
Bhajji Pav
The Maharashtrian equivalent of pakoras is called bhajji or bhajjiyas. Even though crispy fried kanda or onion bhajjis are a straightforward evening snack, you can pack them inside a pav with some green chutney on the bottom and enjoy them as a light, wholesome dinner that you can prepare instantly.
Usal Pav
Curry prepared with sprouted lentils or beans, such as mung beans (moong), black-eyed peas (chawli), or white peas (vatana), is called usal pav. It is a softer, gravy-based dish. To make the usal curry, first sauté onions, tomatoes, and spices. Then, add the beans or sprouts and simmer until the beans are cooked through. Similar toppings of misal pav, such as farsan, onions, cilantro, and lime, are added to usal pav; however, the overall flavour and degree of heat are comparably milder.
Hariyali Pav Bhaji
A take on the classic pav bhaji, hariyali pav bhaji is cooked with spinach, peas, and bottle gourd, among other lush green vegetables. It is incredibly healthy and simple to make. Give it a try and wow your loved ones with this healthier variation. For the ideal weeknight meal, pair hariyali bhaji with masala chaas and homemade whole wheat pav.
Ulta Vada Pav
Simply flipped, all the components that go into making a standard vada pav become an enjoyable inside-out vada pav. Pav bread and aloo masala filling come together to create an intriguing and creative dish. In essence, the delicious and hot potato masala is tucked in between the pav bread and deep-fried till crispy. Put another way, it's comparable to the recipe for bread pakoras, except it's made using pav bread and aloo bonda masala instead.
Dabeli
Maharashtrians love the Gujarati dish dabeli. This is a Gujarati food, but Maharashtra has adapted it to suit their tastes. It is composed of two pieces of Pav with a potato filling in between. Dabeli is typically served with pomegranate seeds, onions, and chutney.
Samosa Pav
Samosa Pav is just a deep-fried pastry with potatoes and peas sandwiched between two layers of pav. While some may wonder why not eat the samosa, sandwiching it between pav makes it taste better. Additional chutneys and sauces are added to make the dish more flavourful and to add texture.
Masala Pav
When you order pav bhaji, you do not receive masala pav, which is made of fried pav mixed with spices rather than just butter. When two pavs are dipped into a mixture of finely chopped potatoes and onions that have been softly sautéed with spices, coriander, and occasionally pav-bhaji masala, it makes a satisfying dinner on its own.
