Pav Bhaji Nachos – Indian Mexican Fusion
Indian Mexican Fusion – Pav Bhaji Nachos
There are a few Indian Mexican meals I like to make because these are two of my favorite cuisines. The first one up is pav bhaji nachos! This in an Indian Mexican fusion recipe combining the best of two popular dishes. It is easy to pull together and is a fun way to spice up the usual bean nachos. My family loved it!
What is pav bhaji? Pav bhaji is a popular Indian street food that literally means bread (pav) and mixed vegetables (bhaji). So it is basically spiced potato/veggie mix served with buttery, toasted buns. Usually topped with extra onions and in my house with some cilantro. It is often referred to as Indian sloppy joes. The mix can be used for burritos too, that’s what my sis did!
Some of the key ingredients
So, what do you need for this recipe? I’ve used pinto beans in place of potatoes. A variety of vegetables are added to the beans, you can use whatever you have on hand. Once mixed with the pinto beans and spices, you cannot really taste specific veggies. So this is a great way to use up what you have and also sneak in more veggies into your meal. is a blend of spices and is key in preparing the dish and giving the flavor. I used a homemade pav bhaji mix (my mom’s recipe) It combines spices like red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, black cardamom, dry mango powder among others. You can find the masala mix at any Indian store and it is also available on Amazon. Here is a link to one brand on Amazon. The other ingredients are listed below.
Vegan version
This is easily made vegan, nothing in the bean/veggie mix contains dairy. You would just have to substitute the sour cream for vegan sour cream (Kitehill is good) and use vegan cheese as a topping on the nachos.
Pav Bhaji Nachos Indian Mexican Fusion
Ingredients
For the bean/veggie mix:
- 1/2 cup cauliflower chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen peas washed
- 1/2 cup frozen broccoli washed
- 1/2 cup eggplant chopped
- 2 cans pinto beans 16 oz each
- 1/2 cup water adjust as needed to blend
To spice the mash:
- 1/2 cup sweet peppers diced
- 3/4 cup onions chopped
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp jeera cumin
- 1/4 tsp hing asafetida
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 3 tsp pav bhaji masala
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red mirchi pepper powder
For the sour cream drizzle:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 diced jalapeños
- 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Nacho chips or tortillas
- Salsa
Instructions
Step 1
- Prepare veggie/bean mash: Steam veggies. Add veggies, pinto beans, 1/2 cup water to blender and blend until smooth, thick paste. Add water slowly as needed to help blend together, don’t add too much at once else it will become watery.
Step 2
- Spice the veggie/bean mash: Heat oil in pan. Add jeera (cumin) and cook 1-2 minutes then add in hing (asafetida). Put heat to medium. Next, add onions and let cook 3-4 minutes. Then add sweet peppers and let both cook until onions are translucent. Add pav bhaji masala and cinnamon to mixture. After about 1 minute add in crushed tomatoes and mix. Last, add in veggie/bean mash, red mirchi (pepper) powder, salt to pan and mix thoroughly. Let cook and mix for 2-3 minutes, then taste to adjust for spice and salt preference. Turn off heat.
Step 3
- Sour cream drizzle: Blend sour cream, diced jalapenos, cilantro and salt.
Step 4
- Preheat oven to 325F. Use veggie/bean mash to spread onto nacho chips. Top with onions and jalapenos. Bake for about 8 minutes until cheese melts. Drizzle sour cream mix before serving with salsa.
