Poha Magic Masala

Name: Poha Magic Masala
Yield: Makes about 50g/1¾oz
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1½ tsp dried mango powder/amchur; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 black cardamom pod; pinch of asafoetida; 1 bay leaf; ½ tsp black salt; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ mace blade; 1½ tsp cumin seeds; a small piece of nutmeg; ½ tsp ground ginger; 1½ tsp fennel seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 3 cloves

Preparation info

Makes about
50 g

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Yatra

By Rohit Ghai

Published 2025

About

I came across this spice mix during a visit to Indore, one of the foodie cities in Madhya Pradesh, where I first tried the masala in a dish of Poha. It has a pungent, savoury taste, which intensifies the flavour of poha (flattened rice). I have used this spice mix for bhel puri and kebabs, too.

Ingredients

1½ tsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp

Asia
India
Madhya Pradesh
Spice Mix
Vegan
Gluten-free

Method

In a hot, dry frying pan, dry-roast the cumin, fennel and coriander seeds, black cardamom pod, cloves, nutmeg, mace and bay leaf over a medium heat until they begin to smell aromatic. Remove from the heat and spread over a plate to cool.

Transfer the cooled spices to a spice grinder along with the remaining powdered spices and grind to a fine powder.

Store in an airtight contain