Pao Bhaji

Pao Bhaji is the soul of Mumbai — a dish born in the 1850s when textile mill workers needed a quick, filling, affordable lunch. Street vendors mashed together whatever vegetables were available — potatoes, tomatoes, peas, cauliflower, green peppers — into a thick, spiced curry (*bhaji*) and served it with soft, buttered Portuguese-style buns (*pao*) that had been introduced to Mumbai centuries earlier. The dish was originally cooked on large, flat griddles called *tavas*, and the signature technique of mashing the vegetables right on the griddle with a heavy *pav bhaji masher* became an iconic street-side performance. At Raunak, we stay true to the Mumbai original — a rich, buttery vegetable mash simmered with pav bhaji masala, served with two halves of soft pao bread toasted in butter.

The bhaji is a hidden vegetable powerhouse — potatoes, tomatoes, peas, cauliflower, and peppers deliver vitamins A, C, K, potassium, and dietary fiber. The dish is vegetarian and can be made vegan by substituting oil for butter.