
Homemade pav bhaji masala powder step-by-step recipe with photos.
About this recipe
Pav bhaji is famous street food from Mumbai and is popular across India. I can safely say there is no Indian who has not tasted this delicious street food. It has two main elements - soft, fluffy dinner rolls (called ladi pav or just pav), and a thick vegetable curry (called bhaji) made with mashed vegetables and a special spice blend called pav bhaji masala powder.
Pav bhaji masala powder is widely available in Indian stores all over the world but it is very easy to put together and can be made with just a handful of spices. It has a very unique flavour and is a blend of whole and powdered spices. Goes without saying, this dish tastes best with freshly made masala powder.
This masala powder is definitely the key to make the best tasting pav bhaji. It can also be used to make tava pulao, which is also a famous street food from Mumbai. You can also sprinkle this masala powder in your sandwiches to add a spicy twist. My recipe here gives 100 grams of powder. You may half or double the recipe as per your preference.
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Ingredients

Whole spices: Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom, and fennel seeds.
Powdered spices: Black salt, nutmeg, amchur, and garlic powder.
Step by step instructions
Heat a pan and dry-roast red chilli until they puff up and become crisp (step 1).
Next, add coriander seeds and cumin seeds to the same pan. Dry roast until they are aromatic and golden (step 2).
To the same mixture, add seeds of black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, and fennel seeds (step 3).
Set everything aside and let it cool down completely (step 4).

Grind into a fine powder in a spice grinder/coffee grinder or mixie (steps 5,6).
Once the whole spices are ground, add the powdered spices to the blender. Grind for a few seconds so that everything combines well (steps 7,8).

The recipe here gives 100 grams


Recipe card

Homemade pav bhaji masala powder
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 10-12 Kashmiri red chilli
- 3 black cardamom (discard skin and use seeds)
- 2 inch cinnamon
- 10 cloves
- 2 teaspoon peppercorn
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- 2 tablespoon amchur
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1 teaspoon black salt
Instructions
- Heat a pan and dry-roast red chilli until they puff up and become crisp. Set aside
- Next, add coriander seeds and cumin seeds in the same pan. Dry-roast until they are aromatic and golden
- To the same mixture, add seeds of black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, and fennel seeds. Roast for a further one minute
- Set everything aside and let it cool down completely
- Grind into a fine powder in a blender or mixie
- Once the whole spices are ground, add the powdered spices to the blender (amchur, garlic powder, nutmeg powder, and black salt)
- Blend for a few seconds so that everything combines well
- Store in an air-tight container
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