Homemade Sandwich Masala Powder Recipe (Bombay Street-Style in 15 Minutes)
With just 7 ingredients and 15 minutes, you can make this Mumbai-style Sandwich Masala Powder at home. It will make your sandwiches taste even better!
Servings: 10 tablespoons
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppers (kali mirch)
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchoor)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Instructions
- Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, and cinnamon stick to a pan and dry-roast over low heat until slightly fragrant (4-5 minutes), stirring frequently.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the spices cool completely.
- Transfer them to a grinder or a small food processor along with salt, dry mango powder, and chili powder. Pulse 4–5 times in short bursts, then run continuously for 20–25 seconds until you get a medium-fine powder. A bit of texture is good. Sandwich masala should feel like coarse sand, not flour.
- Pour the masala onto a flat plate and let it sit for 5 minutes. This releases any residual heat from grinding. Then transfer to a clean, completely dry glass jar with an airtight lid.
This is the step everyone skips, and everyone regrets. Let the roasted spices sit for at least 10–15 minutes until they’re fully at room temperature. Hot spices release oil when ground, the powder turns clumpy, and your shelf life nosedives.
Video
Notes
Keep one grinder reserved for spices. If you grind both coffee and spices in the same grinder, the coffee will permanently swap flavors, and your morning cup will start tasting like cumin within a week.
Don’t substitute pre-ground spices for whole. Pre-ground cumin loses 70% of its aroma within three months of grinding. The whole point of this recipe is that everything is freshly ground together.
Taste before you store. Lick a tiny pinch off your fingertip. It should taste tangy first, then warm, then leave a slight savory finish. If it tastes flat, add another ½ teaspoon of amchur and pulse once more.
Nutrition
Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Sodium: 706mg | Potassium: 67mg | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1.9mg
