This homemade pav bhaji masala recipe combines the perfect ratios of coriander, cumin, Kashmiri chili powder, black salt, and chaat masala to create a fresh and flavorful powder that will take your pav bhaji game to the next level.
Why this recipe works
- This recipe toasts whole spices to get a fresher taste than pre-ground spices. Toasting the spices brings out the essential oils in the spices and makes the flavor more pronounced.
- The spice blend uses Kashmiri chili powder to get a bright red color for the pav bhaji masala.
- The spice blend uses black salt and chaat masala which together add a tangy addictive flavor to the masala.
Ingredients
It's always important to understand what each ingredient brings to this pav bhaji masala so you can understand how you want to tweak this recipe and make it your own.
- Coriander Seeds - Adds warmth but also helps create a thick consistency in the masala.
- Black Peppercorn - Adds peppery heat.
- Cinnamon Sticks - Adds a back-of-the-throat warmth.
- Cloves - Adds sweetness and bitterness to the dish.
- Cardamom - Adds a floral and almost menthol sweetness to the dish.
- Cumin Seeds - Adds nuttiness.
- Fennel Seeds - Adds a refreshing licorice-y flavor.
- Kasoori Methi Leaves - Adds a maple-y herbal taste to the dish.
- Kashmiri Chili Powder - Adds heat and color to the dish. If substituting with another chili powder add ½ as much and use paprika to get color.
- Chaat Masala - Combo of black salt, mango powder, and other warming spices. Adds a bit of tang and warmth.
- Black Salt - Primary spice to add tang! Do not skip this spice in the blend because it will make this heavy dish pop with flavor!
- Turmeric - Helps slightly with color and adds a, earthy bitterness to the dish.
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Buy Now → Equipment
This recipe really needs a spice grinder in order to get the spices very fine. I do not suggest using just a mortar and pestle for this recipe as there are really tough spices that are hard to break down. However, if you are going down this route, make sure to sieve out the big pieces of spices to ensure
Kitchen Aid Spice and Coffee Grinder
Buy Now →Make ahead and storage
Pav bhaji masala can last 6+ months when stored in an airtight container. As the ground masala ages past 6+ months, the flavor of the masala will noticeably diminish. It is important when making the masala that you take care to ensure that the toasted spices are cool before grinding and that the spice mixture is cool before storing to prevent condensation that can decrease the shelf life of the masala.
Pav bhaji
Use your homemade pav bhaji masala to make delicious pav bhaji!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, pav bhaji masala is not the same as garam masala. Pav bhaji masala has a lot of the warming spices found in garam masala like cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper. However, pav bhaji masala also has heat from Kashmiri chili powder and tang from black salt (kala namak) and chaat masala which garam masala does not have.
Shaan or MTR brands are good substitutes if you are in a rush and can't make homemade masala. My recommendation is to add extra black salt in addition to these seasonings to really elevate the pav bhaji.
Pav Bhaji Masala
Product Reccs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (10 g) coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) black peppercorn
- 1 inch (2 g) cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons (5 g) fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon (2 g) kasoori methi leaves
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon black salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons (10 g) coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons (6 g) black peppercorn, 1 inch (2 g) cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, and 2 cardamom pods to a medium skillet.
- Turn the stove on to medium heat and constantly stir the spices to ensure they don’t burn and toast evenly on all sides. You are looking for the coriander seeds to slightly darken and to smell the fragrance of the spices. This will approximately take ~3-5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the spices to a small bowl.
- With the residual heat remaining in the pan, add the 1 teaspoon (2 g) cumin seeds and 2 teaspoons (5 g) fennel seeds and toast for another ~1 minute or until you smell the cumin seeds. If the pan has gotten too cool before you are able to add the seeds in, simply turn on the stove to medium-low heat.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the cumin and fennel seeds to the same bowl with the other heartier spices.
- Allow all the spices to cool before grinding or else the condensation from grinding hot spices will reduce the shelf life of the masala.
- Add the toasted spices in addition to the 1 tablespoon (2 g) kasoori methi leaves into the spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. If you have a small spice grinder, work in batches to ensure that the spices don’t spill out.
- Mix the freshly ground spices along with the 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 1 teaspoon black salt, and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder in a small bowl to combine.
- Transfer the pav bhaji spice mix to a container with a lid and use to make pav bhaji. The spice mix will last 6+ months when stored in an airtight container.
Notes and Tips
- Use this recipe to make pav bhaji.
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