Homemade pav bhaji masala powder recipe with step by step photos – a spice mix that is added to the famous Mumbai Pav bhaji.
This is a strong and aromatic masala and the pav bhaji that you will make with it, will only get better.
For the first time I made pav bhaji masala powder altering the proportions of garam masala that I use and adding some more ingredients to it. This masala is so good, that when I added it to the pav bhaji, the taste became phenomenal. It was very much like the pav bhaji served in Mumbai. Since the masala is strong, hence add only 2 to 3 teaspoons when making pav bhaji for 4 to 5 servings.
The recipe of pav bhaji masala powder is fairly simple and easy. A few suggestions before you begin:
- Take the spices. Then check if they have stones and are clean.
- Make sure there is no hidden mold growing in them.
- Also use fresh spices and not old ones.
- Sun dry or roast the spices in a pan or oven.
- While using cinnamon, use the true cinnamon (ceylon cinnamon) and not cassia. To know how to find the difference, you can read this post Here.
I usually sun dry spices when making spice blends like Garam masala or pav bhaji masala powder. You can sun dry for a couple of days (2 to 3 days). Then grind them in a dry grinder. Bottle and store.
If you do not get sunlight, then you can roast the spices one by one in the pan till aromatic. Or else you can roast them in an oven. The oven has to be set at its lowest temperature. The temperature can range anywhere between 50 degrees celsius/122 degrees fahrenheit to 80 degrees celsius/194 fahrenheit. Depending on the temperature range, you may dry them for about 6 hours to 15 hours.
I have mentioned the amount of spices to be used in grams as well as cups and tablespoon measurements.
Apart from adding the masala to pav bhaji, you can also use this in sabzis & stir fries. The masala can also be added to masala rice, tawa pulao and masala pav.
Few more spice blend recipes you may like are:
homemade pav bhaji masala powder
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cumin seeds (jeera) or 26 grams cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf) or 15 grams fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds (sabut dhania) or 11 grams coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon mace (javitri) or 3 grams mace
- 1 tablespoon cloves (lavang) or 6 grams cloves
- 1 tablespoon black pepper (sabut kali mirch) or 10 grams black pepper
- 5 to 6 grams black cardamoms (badi elaichi) or 2 black cardamoms
- 3 star anise (chakriphool) or 2 grams star anise
- 1 small nutmeg (jaiphal) or 5 grams nutmeg
- 5 cinnamon sticks (dalchini) - each of about 2 inches or 4 grams cinnamon
- 5 to 6 dry red chilies (sookhi lal mirch) - preferably kashmiri red chilies, 4 grams dry red chilies
- 2 tablespoon dry mango powder (amchur powder)
- 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder (saunth)
- 2 teaspoon black salt or rock salt or regular salt - optional
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi) - optional
Instructions
preparation for pav bhaji masala powder
- First take all the whole spices. Exclude dry mango powder, dry ginger powder, turmeric powder and black salt.
- Check and pick the spices for stones if any. Also check if there are molds on them.
sun drying spices
- Add the whole spices in a plate or tray. Keep in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
- Cover with a sieved lid or a muslin or loosely woven cotton napkin, so that dust does not fall on the spices, when they are being sun dried.
- During the day, I would keep the spices out. During night, I would keep the plate inside with a loose lid covering it.
making pav bhaji masala powder
- Before you begin, grinding the whole spices, take the nutmeg in a mortar-pestle and crush it coarsely. Keep aside.
- 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.
- Then add the coarsely crushed nutmeg powder.
- Grind to a smooth powder.
- Then add ginger powder, dry mango powder, black salt and turmeric powder.
- If you do not have black salt, then you can add rock salt or regular salt. You can even skip it. Turmeric powder is also optional and you can skip it too.
- Again grind just to mix everything well.
- If you want, you can seive the powder and grind the tiny bits left on the seive.
- Let the pav bhaji masala powder cool down. You can spread it in a plate or allow it to cool in the jar itself. Then spoon the powder in a clean glass jar.
- Cover tightly and keep in a cool dry place. You can also keep the pav bhaji masala powder in the fridge or freezer. This recipe yields about 100 grams of pav bhaji masala powder.
Preparation to make pav bhaji masala powder
1. First take all the whole spices. Just take the whole spices and not the powdered ones like dry mango powder, dry ginger powder, turmeric powder and black salt. Add the whole spices in a plate or tray. Keep in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
2. Cover with a sieved lid or a muslin or loosely woven cotton napkin, so that dust does not fall on the spices, when they are being sun-dried. During the day, I would keep the spices out. During night, I would keep the plate inside with a loose lid covering it.
3. In below pic spices after being sun-dried for 2 days. After getting sun dried, whatever moisture the spices may have is not there and they also become slightly crisp.
4. Before you begin, grinding the whole spices, take the small nutmeg in a mortar-pestle and crush it coarsely. Keep aside.
Making pav bhaji masala powder
5. 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.
6. Then add the coarsely crushed nutmeg powder.
7. Grind to a smooth powder. Tiny grits of the spices are fine in the masala.
8. Then add 1 tablespoon ginger powder.
9. Next add 2 tablespoons dry mango powder.
10. Next add 2 teaspoons black salt. If you do not have black salt, then you can add rock salt or regular salt. You can even skip it.
11. Lastly add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder. Turmeric powder is optional and you can skip it too.
12. Again grind just to mix everything well.
13. If you want, you can seive the powder and grind the tiny bits left on the seive. Let the powder cool down. You can spread it in a plate or allow it to cool in the jar itself. Then spoon the pav bhaji masala powder in a clean glass jar.
14. Cover tightly and keep in a cool dry place. You can also keep the pav bhaji masala powder in the fridge or freezer. this recipe yields about 100 grams of pav bhaji masala powder.
Hi Dassana,
I have tried innumerable recipes from ur website and all have been a great hot with my family. It’s like my bible for recipes.
However, when I made the pav bhaji masala powder yesterday, I was not happy with it. The recipe card says 2 black cardamoms, while the ingredient pics show 5 black cardamoms. So I used 5 and made the masala powder. It tastes very strongly of black cardamoms and is quite bitter. I skipped adding salt as well as turmeric powder to this mix.
Please help me how to correct the masala now.
thank you rashmi. i would suggest to always follow the recipe card. sometimes i add more ingredients in the pics of spices or vegetables etc just to make the photo look full or better. in the photo, i have made a typo and i will remove it. thanks for bringing it to my attention. also do add salt in the masala. it will balance the bitter taste.
to make the masala balanced now, dry roast or sun dry the following spices and add to the already ground masala – 3 tablespoons cumin seeds, 2 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf), 2 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon cloves, 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, 1 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 to 3 dry red chillies. also add 2 tablespoon dry mango powder and half tablespoon ginger powder and 1 tablespoon rock salt or salt. hope this helps.
Hi Dassana I have been following your blog for years and the passion you have for it all is just amazing… I am unsure if you have given this a thought as yet but are you contemplating on selling any of the spices you make… the authenticity of your recipes and the way you curate them and being particular about the produce you use and how you use it along with the techniques is not a cup of tea for rookies ……if you do consider selling spices I shall be your first customer
thanks a lot elle for this lovely comment and suggestion. we do not have such plans. its a different ball game entirely and many things have to be considered. if at all i do start such a business, i will update it on the blog too. but right now we do not have such plans. thanks again.
If you don’t get annoyed one more correction is that for 500 gm masala black cardmom is 25 to 30 or two .So please correct it.and bay leaves also missing.I have made this masala before two months.it is so good. Today wanted to make it again and found these corrections.
yogita, no problem. when increasing the quantity in the recipe card, only the first part gets changed. so for the black cardamoms, it will change to 25 to 30 grams. but the later part where i have mentioned 2 cardamoms remains constant.
this program that we are using is made in such a way. so the only the grams part gets changed and has to be used. regarding bay leaf, i have not used it in the recipe. hope this helps.
In the serving if I change to 500 gm then it gives proper changes but at last small mistake it shows yields 100 gm masala make it correct.
I can’t find a nice Pav bhaji masala please help me I bye from shop it’s no nice
this recipe is a very good recipe of pav bhaji masala. so you can try making this one.
Shall v keep it in sun for 2-3 days or can v fry those in dry kadai
prasanna, you can do either. both method will work.
This recipe is a keeper. It turned out much better than the store brought one. Thank you for sharing it.
thank you ruchi ?
Hi mam I like the pavbhaji masala it is superb.want ask u one thing that if I add some Curry leaves to above masala will it turns to be good.please answer
Thanks Yogita. I won’t suggest to add curry leaves. The flavor will change completely.
Hi! I’ve tried this masala and it is awesome.Phenomenal! Like you said,the pav bhaji got even better,just like the one served here in Mumbai.Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.Must try for all pav bhaji lovers out there.
thanks a lot meveera for this awesome feedback. happy to know.
as u mention in ur pav bhaji recipe that we hav to add 2-3tbsp of masala,but if I use homemade masala,then same quantity I hav to use….
no suvidha. homemade masalas are more strong and intensely aromatic than store brought ones. just add about 2 to 3 teaspoons for 4 to 5 servings.
I love your blog =). Thank you for this recipe!
welcome isareyes 🙂 thankyou.
Wow!!! homemade pav bhaji masala is just awesome. I need to try this soon.
Not just happiness, health is also homemade.. 🙂 Lovely sharing.
thanks puja
In the ingredient list you have mentioned coriander as methi, may be it was a miss…
where anusha. i cannot see it in the ingredient list as well in the post. let me know.
third line in ingredients – coriander seeds / methi dana.
got it. thanks varun. corrected.