Homemade pav bhaji masala powder made with a unique combination of spices. This recipe will yield you a very flavorful masala which you can use to make pav bhaji.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 5 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 14 · 14 servings
  • Category: Spice powder
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons coriander seeds ((dhaniya))
  • 2½ tablespoons cumin seeds ((jeera))
  • 2 teaspoons pepper corn ((can reduce to 1 tsp))
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds ((saunf))
  • 5 to 6 dried red chilies ((or replace with red chilli powder, adjust to taste))
  • 3 inch cinnamon ((dalchini, use ceylon cinnamon not cassia))
  • 10 cloves ((laung))
  • 2 small black cardamoms ((badi elaichi, masala elaichi))
  • 1 tablespoon amchur powder ((dried mango powder))
  • 1 star anise ((refer notes))
  • 4 green cardamoms ((optional))
  • 1 to 2 bay leaves ((optional))
  • ½ teaspoon dried ginger powder ((ground ginger, skip if you don't have))

Method

Preparation

  1. Clean the spices and discard stones or debris.
  2. To a pan, add star anise, black cardamoms, dried red chilies, coriander seeds, bay leaf (optional) and cinnamon. On a low heat, dry roast them until slightly aromatic & crisp, stirring constantly. Remove to a cooling plate.
  3. Add cloves, pepper corn, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and green cardamoms (optional). Cumin seeds tend to burn quickly so be cautious. Keep stirring and roast them just until aromatic & crunchy.
  4. Turn off the heat and remove from stove. Add the amchur & ginger powder to the hot pan so it begins to release the aroma and also helps in a better shelf life.

How to make Pav Bhaji Masala

  1. Cool all of these completely. Add them to a grinder jar or spice jar. If you want you can also add 1 teaspoon red chilli powder. Make a fine powder. Avoid grinding too long to prevent the spice powder becoming hot.
  2. If the pav bhaji masala is coarse, sieve it. Blend the coarse parts again.
  3. Store pav bhaji masala in an air tight glass jar. Keeps good for 6 months in the refrigerator. Here is the recipe to make Pav bhaji.

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.