For my authentic and delicious pav bhaji, I use this homemade pav bhaji masala spice blend. I make it with a combination of toasted and fresh-ground whole spices and a couple of powdered ones. Like all spice mixes it takes minutes to make and your food has much more flavor and aroma than if you were to use a store-bought blend.
Table of Contents
What is pav bhaji masala?
Pav bhaji masala is an aromatic blend of spices that is used to flavor pav bhaji, a popular street food from Mumbai, India. Like all Indian spice mixes, it has its own, distinct balance of sweet, smoky, tangy and hot spices, and it is a non-negotiable if you want to make and eat authentic-tasting pav bhaji - the kind you'd get at a street food stall or fast food restaurant in Mumbai.
The masala itself comes together in 10 minutes and you can tweak the spice level to your liking. If you have a few Indian spices in your pantry, including coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chili peppers, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon bark, fennel seeds, turmeric and dried mango powder, you likely already have everything you need to make pav bhaji masala powder.
I love pav bhaji and always made sure I stocked up on pav bhaji masala during my trips to the Indian store. But a couple of years ago, I was rattled by reports of possible carcinogen contamination in some top Indian powdered spice blend brands, including Everest and MDH - both popular picks for pav bhaji masala. The two specific spice mixes that were investigated did not include pav bhaji masala but that news was enough to turn me off buying any premade Indian spice mixes for good because who knows?
Now I make all of my own spice mixes and I kick myself for not doing so sooner because it's so easy. I've shared most of these recipes with you, including my garam masala powder, my curry powder, my chana masala powder and sambar powder. Try them for yourself and you'll find all of your Indian cooking tastes so much better.
Recipe card
Pav Bhaji Masala
Ingredients
Whole spices
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (dhania ke beej)
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds (jeera)
- 5-10 dried red chili peppers (use more or less per your spice tolerance)
- 10 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds (saunf. You can sub one tablespoon of the fennel with two star anise or chakkar phool)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- 1 tablespoon stone flower (dagad phool or patthar phool)
- 2-inch pieces cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 10 cloves (laung)
- 10 green cardamom pods (hari elaichi)
- 1 black cardamom pod (badi elaichi)
Powdered spices
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika, optional, for color)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 heaping teaspoons amchur (dried mango powder)
Instructions
- Place all the whole spices in a skillet.
- Turn heat to medium and toast the spices for five minutes or until the spices release their aroma and the coriander seeds are a couple of shades darker.
- Remove the toasted spices to a plate and immediately add the powdered spices - optional deggi mirch or paprika, turmeric and amchur. Mix the powdered spices into the whole spices when they are still warm so they toast lightly in the heat from the whole spices.
- Once all the spices have cooled, place them in a spice grinder or blender. Blend into a fine powder.
Notes
Ingredient notes:
- Stone flower. Stone flower, called dagad phool or patthar phool in India) is a lichen with a smoky, earthy flavor. It adds a wonderful warmth to any spice mix. If you can't source it, use two bay leaves instead.
- Amchur. Dried mango powder has a sweet and tangy flavor and it is critical in this recipe. You can substitute with anardana or pomegranate powder.
- Fenugreek seeds. Fenugreek seeds are bitter, and you need to use just a few, but they add delicious depth to this pav bhaji masala.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Pav bhaji masala FAQs
This pav bhaji masala is moderately spicy. You can reduce the number of chili peppers for a milder spice blend, or use up to 15 chili peppers to add more heat. You can also add more cayenne to the pav bhaji recipe for a spicier dish.
No, pav bhaji needs a very specific blend of spices that's very different from garam masala. You can use anything you want to in your kitchen, of course, but it just won't taste right.
It's always best to start out with less masala and add more after tasting. The spices will taste much more mellow after you've mashed up the pav bhaji vegetables, so add more after mashing, if needed. I add three tablespoons of this masala to my pav bhaji recipe.
Yes, you can use it to make a yummy rice dish, also sold as street food in India, called tawa pulao. You can also add it to vegetable sautés and other street food dishes, like masala pasta and aloo tikki.
Store the masala in an airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard in the pantry. You can also store Indian spice mixes in the refrigerator or freezer for a longer shelf life. Stored this way, the spice mix will taste fresh for a year at least and even longer.
Nimi says
Hi, on the recipe it says 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, I assume this is meant to say 2. Tablespoons? Please could you confirm
Vaishali Honawar says
It is two teaspoons!