Pav is the soft white bread roll behind Mumbai street food. It came to India with Portuguese bakers, and the name comes from pão, the Portuguese word for bread. Today it is the bread that makes pav bhaji, vada pav and misal pav work.
What good pav is like
Good pav is soft and slightly sweet. It is baked in a tray so the rolls join at the sides and tear apart with soft edges, and it squashes easily and springs back.
How to toast pav
Slice each roll across without cutting all the way through. Melt a knob of butter on a hot tawa or flat pan, press the pav in cut side down and cook for about a minute until golden. For pav bhaji, stir a pinch of pav bhaji masala into the butter first.
What to serve it with
- Pav bhaji: a buttery mash of vegetables cooked with spices, with chopped onion and a squeeze of lemon.
- Vada pav: a spiced potato fritter in pav, with green and tamarind chutney.
- Misal pav: a spicy sprouted bean curry topped with crunchy farsan.
- Butter and chai: toasted pav on its own is a quick breakfast.
Our pav
Our plain pav comes in packs of six, next to our kulcha in the bakery. For kulcha and chole, see the kulcha guide. If you would rather someone else cooked, read about the hot food at our stores.
