Pav Bhaji Masala

Pav bhaji is thought to have originated in Mumbai in the 1850s–60s, when textile mill workers would have lunch breaks too brief to eat two separate meals, and vendors near the mills would mash together whatever vegetables were available into one filling meal, served on pav  the soft bread the Portuguese brought to Goa. A quick meal of leftover food became one of Mumbai's iconic street foods.

The masala behind it has the same "everything goes in" quality which is twenty-two ingredients, including three different salts (table salt, black salt and rock salt, each with a slightly different role) and triphala.

What is it?

Cold-ground and packed in an air-tight pouch, a blend of chilli, salt, black pepper, dry mango, cumin, black salt, cinnamon, rock salt, fennel seed, coriander, clove, star anise, bay leaves, dry ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, green cardamom, mace, triphala, caraway, black cardamom and asafoetida. It is not intended to be sprinkled on at the end of cooking.

What makes it special?

The three salts are the tip-off that this hasn't been simplified for convenience. Layer them instead of using just one: Table salt adds a tangy twist, black salt adds a sulphurous twist, rock salt adds a cleaner, milder twist. Dry mango and asafoetida add the tang and depth to it, while the warmth comes from clove, star anise, mace, nutmeg and both cardamoms, which make the real pav bhaji masala stand out from a run-of-the-mill chilli-and-coriander mix.

Why choose Shaman?

Each of the 22 ingredients is listed separately, including the three different salts that most brands would simply call salt. Cold-ground, so clove, mace, star anise and cardamom retain their oils, rather than cooking away before the pouch is sealed. No added colours, no added preservatives on a masala where many commercial versions rely on both to fake a rich orange-red without the ingredient list to back it up.

How do you use it?

Cook it down in butter, then add it to the mashed vegetable base (boiled potato, cauliflower, peas, capsicum and tomato) while it is cooking so the whole spices get into the base. Also works in a simpler mixed vegetable sabzi, or sprinkled onto buttered pav to make masala pav.

What foods go well with it?

Obviously, pav bhaji but also masala pav, mixed vegetable sabzi and any mashed or semi-mashed vegetable dish that needs the same rich and tangy depth.

What's in it?

No added colours, the deep red is due to the chilli and turmeric.

How is it made?

Like all the other blends in this series, clove, star anise, mace and both cardamoms are cold-ground, meaning that the oils that give them their aroma are preserved, rather than lost to heat before the pouch is sealed.

How can you identify good-quality pav bhaji masala?

Three things to check. First, it should smell rounded on opening  tangy from dry mango, warm from clove and cardamom, not just flat chilli heat. Second, the colour should be a deep red-brown with a mottled look, not a bright, uniform red suggesting added colour. Third, a true pav bhaji masala includes more than salt, chilli, and coriander. If that's all it has, the whole-spice depth is missing. This one ticks all three: a rounded aroma, natural mottled colour, and a full twenty-two-ingredient list.

What is the best way to store it?

Store cool and dry, away from direct sunlight. Refrigerate after opening  clove, star anise, and cardamom lose their flavour fastest with repeated air exposure.

Is it suitable for everyday use?

Yes, though at 11.8g of sodium per 100g, this is one of the saltier masalas in the range, close to the chaat masala. It's cooked into the dish in real quantity, not used as a finishing sprinkle. Taste before adding extra salt  the masala provides most of it. Made in a facility that also handles sesame, wheat, mustard, peanut, and cashew.