Chaat masala
Chaat masala is usually used in small amounts sprinkled over finished dishes to give them just a bit more kick. I often use it in my marinades for tandoori cooking as well.
There are some good commercial brands available at Asian markets and also some supermarkets. Like all of the spice blends I use in my cooking, I like to make my own. It’s just better.
To come up with this recipe I did a lot of experimenting. I tested commercial brands and tried to improve them. I think I’ve done it here.
Chaat masala has a quite distinctive flavour. The use of citric acid powder is used in a lot of commercial brands but I’ve chosen to use the more authentic amchoor (dried mango) powder which gives the spice blend a sharp citrus flavour. It’s available online and at Asian food shops.
Another important ingredient is the black powdered salt. Again, I have only seen this in Asian shops and a few gourmet spice shops. Black salt tastes terrible on its own with a strong sulphur flavour. You won’t want to add it to your fish and chips but it works well with the other ingredients in chaat masala. I don’t usually add salt to my spice blends but this eggy flavoured salt is a must.
- 3 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 4 tablespoons amchoor powder
- 3 tablespoons powdered black salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of asafoetida powder
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespon ajwain/ carom seeds
- Roast the whole spices in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they become fragrant.
- Allow to cool slightly and then grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and grind some more until you have a very find powder.
- Store in a cool, dark location for up to two months.
You are my go to Indian spice blend man, Dan! Thanks for this one. I need to hunt down that black salt, but I do have amchoor, asafoetida and ajwain in my spice pantry.
Hi Kevin
Great to hear from you. I’ve seen black powdered salt in a gourmet spice shop in Newport Beach. Sorry, can’t remember the name but I know they delivery. Weird stuff but good when mixed with the right spices. 🙂
Dan
You need to be very careful about whether you are getting the original black salt – which is normally called kala namak and has a very sharp sulfurous taste. Some people on the Internet are selling it as Himalayan salt. That is normally called saindha namak and it is very mild in flavor.The confusion is easily done because both of them are definitely not white in color, when they are ground. Himalayan salt is the normal salt which we eat in India, because we do not poison ourselves with refined salt full of extra added pieces of metal, to make it free-flowing table salt or Any added Iodine. If you are in an Asian shop, Always ask for kaa laa nuhmm makk (nam as in dumb, ak as in duck)You are going to get the original stuff then. This is of course a very important ingredient in any spicy salt combination.
I’ve never tasted this before and certainly never made my own spice, but i can imagine it’s much better than store bought. I will definitely give it a go. Must go shopping for goodies. Thank you.
Hi Sharon
Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoy making the different spice blends.
Dan
could I use sumac instead of amchur ?
Hi John
I guess you could try it. They taste completely different though. I love experimenting so go for it!
Thanks,
Dan
Sumac is totally different altogether. Amchur is actually powdered pieces of dried raw mango, much before they ripened and grew so juicy and delicious, in the sun. That is why, one cannot substitute sumac or even tamarind for amchur. All three of them are basically sour in taste, but they are different ingredients obtained from different plant species.