Pav Bhaji Masala is an essential spice mix that is needed to make the famous Mumbai street food Pav Bhaji. This recipe makes for an intense, fragrant and flavorful Pav Bhaji Masala.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 100 · 100 grams
  • Category: Spice Blend
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup cumin seeds ((jeera) - 26 grams)
  • 2 tablespoon fennel seeds ((saunf) - 15 grams)
  • 2 tablespoon coriander seeds ((sabut dhania) - 11 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon mace ((javitri) - 3 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon cloves ((lavang) - 6 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns ((sabut kali mirch) - 10 grams)
  • 2 black cardamoms ((badi elaichi) - 5 to 6 grams)
  • 3 star anise ((chakriphool) - 2 grams)
  • 1 small nutmeg ((jaiphal) - 5 grams)
  • 5 cinnamon sticks ((dalchini) - each of about 2 inches - 4 grams)
  • 5 to 6 dry red chilies ((sookhi lal mirch) - preferably kashmiri red chilies - 4 grams, seeds removed)
  • 2 tablespoon dry mango powder ((amchur powder))
  • 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder ((saunth))
  • 2 teaspoon black salt (or edible rock salt or regular salt - optional)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder ((haldi) - optional)

Method

Preparation

  1. First take all the whole spices in a plate or tray. Exclude dry mango powder, dry ginger powder, turmeric powder and black salt.
  2. Check and pick the spices for stones if any. Also check if there are molds on them.

Sun drying spices

  1. Keep the plate or tray with the whole spices in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
  2. Cover with a fine wired mesh lid or a muslin or loosely woven cotton napkin, so that dust does not fall on the spices, when they are being sun dried.
  3. During night, keep the plate or tray with the spices covered loosely with a lid in a dry place in your kitchen.

Making pav bhaji masala

  1. Before you begin, grinding the whole spices, take the nutmeg in a mortar-pestle and crush it coarsely. Keep aside.
  2. Now add all the whole spices in the dry grinder jar. You can also use a coffee grinder. Add according to the capacity of the jar.
  3. Then add the coarsely crushed nutmeg powder.
  4. Grind to a fine and smooth powder.
  5. Then add ginger powder, dry mango powder, black salt and turmeric powder.
  6. If you do not have black salt, then you can add edible rock salt or regular salt. You can even skip adding salt. Turmeric powder is also optional and you can skip it too.
  7. Again grind just to mix everything evenly.
  8. If you want, you can sieve the powder and grind the tiny bits left on the sieve.
  9. Let the pav hhaji masala cool at room temperature. You can spread it in a plate or allow it to cool in the jar itself. Then spoon the pav bhaji masala in a clean glass jar.
  10. Cover tightly and keep in a cool dry place. You can also keep the pav bhaji masala powder in the fridge or freezer.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.