Paav Bhaji Masala

 

Paav Bhaji is that food which takes the flavors of Mumbai to the world. It has many variations & Garnishes but essentially it is spicy gravy of mashed potatoes & vegetables cooked in butter.

It is a bit funny that a dish so uniquely Indian has half the ingredients that the Portuguese brought with them from the Americas including the quintessential Paav which originates from the Portuguese word Pao for bread.

This dish has some healthy versions cooked in homes across India but with a common ingredient that is none other than the heart of it all, the Paav Bhaji Masala.

I always recommend getting the choicest whole spices from your trusted market and making all kinds of ground spices at home to ensure purity and desired taste.

So lets learn how to make the Paav Bhaji Masala in under 15 minutes.

Ingredients and Proportions:
I perfected the recipe after numerous unsuccessful attempts. I wish to share my recipe with you today hoping the taste will make you go wow. 

As I have mentioned in my other Masala series blogs, each Masala/Spice Mix Powder has basically three types of ingredients:

1. Base
2. Aromatic Spices
3. Earthy Spices

In this recipe, we are going to use Red Chilies, Coriander Seeds & Cumin Seeds as a base, stone flower or black cardamom & fennel as earthy ingredients and cardamom, black pepper, cloves, bay leaves cinnamon as aromatic ingredients and last we shall use turmeric powder & dried mango powder as flavor enhancers.

The composition is as follows:

Base	Quantity	Earthy Spices	Quantity	Aromatic Spices	Quantity
Coriander Seeds	4Tbsp	Stone Flower	1 Piece of either one	Bay leaves	2 Pieces
Cumin Seeds	2Tbsp	Black Cardamom		Cloves	1 Tsp
Red Chilies Or Red Chili Powder	10 Pieces	Fennel Seeds	¾ Tbsp	Cardamom	2 Pieces
	1Tbsp			Cinnamon	2 Inch Stick
				Black Pepper	1Tbsp
Flavor Enhancers
Turmeric Powder			Dried Mango Powder

Earthy Spices

Aromatic Spices

Procedure:

The procedure after calculating & collecting all of the above ingredients in required mentioned proportions is quite simple. We have to dry roast the ingredients in a pan just enough to relieve them of their moisture. Dry roasting also helps in releasing the flavorful essential oils in the spices and makes them easy to grind. Try not to over roast the ingredients as this depletes the essential oils in them and you will be left with a bowl dust instead of a aromatic masala.

When you are making a large quantity of the masala, be sure to roast each of the ingredients separately.

The dry roasting can also be done in a microwave at 900Watts for 120secs. But remember to stop the microwave every 30sec and stir the ingredients.

Now we have to wait till the whole spices are completely cooled naturally. When they are completely cooled, grind the ingredients to a fine powder in a grinder with at least a 600W motor for proper grinding. And thus your awesome Masala is ready.

Pro Tips:

• Add a little salt to the whole spices before grinding (this will help with heat generated during grinding and avoid overheating which can lead to loss of essential oils).
• You can mix the Turmeric powder & Dried Mango Powder later to the grounded ingredients.
• You can use red chili powder instead of grinding red chilies.
• Do not forget to put the ground powder in an airtight jar.