Chaat Masala: The Key Ingredient Of Indian Street Chaats

A well-known street food in India, chaat is made famous by the special spice known as chaat masala. A sensory delight, Indian cuisine. Aromatic traditional meals include tandoori chicken, saag, paneer, aloo chaat, and many others. These dishes include a rainbow of colours and flavours that are even more varied. Let's start with chaat masala, one of these sophisticated Indian spices. The Hindi and Urdu word "chaatna," which means "to lick," is the root of the term "chaat." A single bite of chaat masala can elicit a vast range of flavours, as the descriptive verb demonstrates. It has a wide range of flavours that can come in waves or all at once, including hot, tangy, salty, sweet, harsh, sour, and brilliant. 

Chaat masala is said to have been created by Shah Jahan's cooks, a Mughal ruler from the 17th century. One thing is apparent despite the lack of a conclusive origin story: people who enjoy Indian cuisine tend to have a particular fondness for the sour, tangy, unrivalled chaat masala. Black salt and amchur are the primary flavouring ingredients of chaat masala, which explodes into the palate with a distinct pungent, sour flavour. If you've never used amchur before, it is a dried mango powder with a very fruity, sour flavour.  

Here’s a simple chaat masala recipe 

This is a basic recipe, but after you've tried it a few times and are comfortable with the ingredients and flavours, you may play about with the spices, boosting some and lowering others to create your own unique blend. In order to assist you while shopping, both popular names for some spices are listed in the ingredient list. Several spices have different names in Hindi and English, and either one may be used on the container. If you require more chaat masala than what this recipe yields, simply multiply the components. 

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp cumin seeds 

1 tbsp coriander seeds 

1 ½ tsp fennel seeds, or saunf 

¼ cup dried mango powder, amchur powder 

3 tbsp black salt powder 

1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 

1 ½ tsp ground ginger 

1 ½ tsp ajwain seeds, or carom seeds 

1 tsp dried mint 

¼ tsp asafetida powder, or hing 

Method:  

A flat skillet or griddle should be heated to medium heat. Add the fennel, cumin, and coriander seeds once it is hot. The seeds should be dry roasted until they start to get a little darker and start to smell. For around 3 to 5 minutes, toast the seeds while stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Take the seeds from the griddle and lay them out to cool on a plate. In a dry, clean spice grinder, coffee grinder, or food processor, combine the dry roasted seeds with the dried mango powder, black salt, black pepper, ginger, ajwain seeds, dried mint, and asafetida powder. Pulse until a fine, smooth powder forms. Place in a cool, dark area after being transferred to a glass container with a tight closure. Enjoy using in your preferred recipes. 

How To Use 

For an additional kick, add chaat masala to almost any green salad. 

To give lemonade an immediate boost, add a pinch of chaat masala and toss it in. 

With a modest garnish of chaat masala, Indian vegetarian dishes taste really wonderful. After the food has finished cooking and the heat has been turned off, top the dish with a small amount of chaat masala and quickly cover it. After two to three minutes, serve.