Poblano Pav Bhaji Burger Yum

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**Originally published Jun 2017, edited and updated Feb 2021.

Poblano What?!  A burger with Pav Bhaji?! Yep you heard it right.  A Pav Bhaji Burger….. with Poblano Peppers.  Pav Bhaji is a very popular dish in India and among Indians everywhere in the world.  Back in the 1800’s, workers would take leftover veggies and turn it into a curry.  These workers usually could not afford much so they became creative.  I piggy backed on that creativity and put my own spin to a classic Indian dish.
Growing up, whenever my friends asked me what it was, I would always say it’s an Indian version of Sloppy Joe’s.  Traditionally, Pav Bhaji has peas, potatoes, cauliflower and other mixed vegetables.  I changed up the veggies and made it a little thicker so I can turn it into a burger filling.
Before you get started though, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  It’s my Pav Bhaji Masala.  There are quite a few different spices that comprise of this masala but growing up, my Mom has always used a pre-made mix.  She’s always used it as her weapon to a successful Pav Bhaji so I figure, why change it up?

Ok, so here’s how I made the Pav Bhaji:

Steam the cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, and carrots.  These will need to be mashed so steam/boil the heck out of them!
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When the veggies are done steaming, mash them.  Reserve the liquid.  You’ll need to use it later.

Meanwhile, sauté onions in oil.  Then add in the ginger and garlic once the onions are translucent.  Just the smell of the onions, garlic and ginger sautéing is enough to make me hungry!
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Add in the tomatoes and cook it down until the oil separates.  Tip:  If you are making a gravy (especially Indian ones), it’s essential to add the tomatoes after the onions and any other veggies are cooked down.  The acid in the tomatoes prevent other vegetables from tenderizing for a gravy.
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Add salt, turmeric, pav bhaji masala, and cayenne pepper.  Mix it really well.
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This is what it should look like when the tomatoes have cooked down.  This is the basis of your gravy (hint – for a lot of Indian dishes, this is what you start with.  A lot of regional foods have basic ingredients in their dishes, i.e. Southern cooking has the Cajun trinity of bell peppers, onions, and celery.  Most Indians feel like they are missing out without tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic.  Well, at least the Indians in my family.)
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Add in the mashed veggies and mix well.
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Remember how I told you to reserve some of the liquid used to steam the veggies earlier?  Well, add it in at this point to thin out the Pav Bhaji.  As it cooks, the water will burn off so you’ll need some extra in there.  I just love the color and knowing I’m preserving some of the nutrients from the boiled veggies.
Also add in fresh lemon juice and mix well.  The fresh acid gives it a bright taste and tones down all those serious spices a notch.
Your Bhaji part for the Pav Bhaji is done at this point!

Let’s move on to the Poblano.
Grilling a Poblano is really easy though some may think it’s daunting.  Rub Olive Oil all over the Poblano and put it over the grill or open flame.  Roast it until it chars and the skin starts peeling.  Oh I love the smell of grilled Poblanos.  The taste is even better!
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When it is done grilling, peel off the skin and chop into slices.

Now all you have left to do is assemble the burger.

Toast the bun on the grill and immediately add some Pepper Jack Cheese.  You could add whatever your favorite cheese is – I just love the extra flavor and spice the Pepper Jack gives.  Adding the cheese right away helps it melt into the burger.
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Add a good helping of the Bhaji on to the cheese.
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Add some strips of the Poblano to top it off.

There you go! I hope you enjoy your Poblano Pav Bhaji Burger as much as we did!

From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this delicious Poblano Pav Bhaji Burger!

Here are the tools I used:

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Sapna

I'm Sapna, a foodie, blogger, wife, mom of two beautiful girls, and lover of spices.  I have a background in Nutrition and Dietetics, which I use to incorporate healthy options into all of my recipes.  I love traveling to new places, trying new food, and in turn, creating them in my kitchen to relive the magic. When I'm not in the kitchen, I love curling up with a good book, playing with my munchkins, running, hanging out with friends, and gardening.

2 thoughts on “Poblano Pav Bhaji Burger Yum

  1. My goodness these burgers are good! I almost didn’t get my hands on one because they were taken so fast.

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