How To Make Pav Bhaji Masala At Home

I'm sure a lot of you are missing the street-style Pav Bhaji right now but nothing can beat the homemade one for me! And, what makes Pav Bhaji special at home is the specially ground masalas, right at home! Pav Bhaji Masala is one of the most essential masalas to have in an Indian Kitchen. It is not just used to make Pav Bhaji but is also savoured in other dishes. Its lockdown time and we know that most of you can't find this masala readily available in the market. But, with a few basic spices at home, you can make this fragrant masala at home!

Ingredients you'll need:

4 tbsp Coriander Seeds

4 tbsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Fennel Seeds

1 tbsp Black Peppercorns

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Dry Mango or Amchur Powder

12-14 Dry Red Chillies (if you want the same colour as the store-bought masala, use more)

10 Cloves

2 Cardamoms

1 Cinnamon Stick

2 Bay Leaves

How to Make Pav Bhaji Masala:

1. In a heated pan, on a low flame, dry roast coriander and cumin seeds.

2. Once slightly brown and crunchy in texture, set them aside.

3. Now dry roast red chillies, cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper.

4. Once roasted, set them aside to cool.

5. Now dry roast the fennel seeds separately. The reason we're doing this is that we want to keep the fennel seed fresh & from getting overpowered with other spices.

6. Once all the spices are cool enough, blend them up in a blender jar until a fine powder. (I like to keep my pav bhaji masala a little coarser than the ones you get in the market. Basically, not too fine in texture)

7. Once blended, you can add the turmeric and amchur powder and mix it well.

8. The pav bhaji masala is ready!

How to store Pav Bhaji Masala:

You can store pav bhaji masala in an airtight glass jar that can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.