An Indian spice blend with a very unique taste, chaat masala will take a dish from ordinary to extraordinary.
If you’re a fan of snack cuisine, Indian style, this brilliant mix of flavours is for you. Chaat masala is a super simple spice mix recipe and will change the way you approach Indian cooking.
How to make chaat masala
This recipe takes just a few minutes from start to finish. All you need to do is toast a specific selection of spices in a frying pan.
Once toasted, you add the spice mix to a bowl and then whizz them up with the help of a special gizmo…
K-Mojo DigiMaster
While it’s good to roll your sleeves up in the kitchen and get stuck in, sometimes you need all the help you can get. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of laborious tasks like grinding up spices.
It can be really taxing on the old wrists and I’m often left with big chunks of seed, rather than a fine fragrant powder.
That’s where the K-Mojo DigiMaster comes in. A state-of-the-art digital food processor, it’s got ten different functions, meaning you can juice, slice, chop, emulsify, knead, blend, grate, shred, whisk or grind till your heart’s content!
Of course, with this recipe, we are using the grinder attachment. With this super sleek, powerful gadget, it takes mere minutes to get your special spice mix down to a ground aromatic powder.
Not only is the K-Mojo DigiMaster powerful and effective, it also looks the part. A beautiful, elegant, compact design means it’ll slot right into your kitchen.
Power, speed, elegance and control. What else could you wish for in a modern kitchen appliance?
What is chaat masala made of?
Chaat masala is made from a variety of spices, each bringing their own unique taste into the mix.
Mint brings a subtle freshness, which balances well with the earthiness of the spices. Dried garlic, either crushed or powdered, brings its own deep unique flavour.
Ajwain or carom seeds have a very strong flavour – quite bitter. They smell almost like thyme, yet taste a little like oregano, with a slight anise undertone.
Asafoetida is a very strong, aromatic spice. It’s from the fennel family, but it brings a similar strong savoury flavour as garlic or onion.
Amchur powder is another crucial element. A lot of people will be wondering “what is amchur powder?” It’s actually another name for mango powder and is made from dried unripe mangos. It brings a citrus kick to the spice blend.
Black salt is another key part of chaat masala. Black salt, also known as kala namak or Himalayan black salt, has a sulphur-like smell. It’s very pungent and is much more like a spice than regular salt.
Some recipes call for tamarind or lemon juice to bring a sour dimension to the spice blend, both of which you can add to this recipe.
Is chaat masala the same as garam masala?
No, the two are very different. One is used to season curries at the end of cooking and the other is used to flavour savoury snacks. They are made from a very different mix of spices.
What can I substitute for chaat masala?
Many people think that, because of the name similarity, you can swap garam masala in for chaat masala. Chaat masala is pretty unique though, and hard to replace and garam masala is definitely not a good place to start.
Masala is a generic term for the mix of spices. Masala means ‘hot’, while chaat loosely translates to ‘snack.’ The two bring totally different flavours.
If you want a substitute for this recipe, your best bet is to start with ground cumin seeds, add some amchoor (dried mango powder), red chilli powder, black pepper and finally a little black salt.
If you only have basic spices, the key parts are cumin, salt, pepper and mango powder or lemon juice.
Is chaat masala healthy?
Yes, it’s a great source of vitamins and minerals, inducing iron and calcium. Also, the spices in this recipe contain lots of antioxidants with proven health benefits.
More great Indian recipes
- Aloo chaat – add your delicious spice mix to this traditional Indian recipe
- Mushroom pakora – this extremely tasty recipe will taste even better with your spice mix added in
- Potato bhajis – a classic Indian starter
- Mung bean curry – a nutritious and delicious vegan curry
- Mixed vegetable curry – if you’re a veggie curry lover, this one’s for you
Competition Question: What would you make with K-Mojo DigiMaster’s grinder attachment?
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Chaat Masala
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Makes 175g (1½ cups) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chaat Masala is a unique spice blend that is commonly used in Indian street food and snack recipes. Learn how to make chaat masala and use it in dishes such as Aloo Chaat.
Ingredients
- 18g (3 tbsp) cumin seeds
- 15g (3 tbsp) coriander seeds
- 5g (1 tbsp) ajwain/carom seeds
- 5g (1 tsp) red chilli powder
- 29g (4 tbsp) amchur powder
- 51g (3 tbsp) fine black salt
- 7g (1 tbsp) ground black pepper
- 1g (¼ tsp) asafoetida
- 10g (1 tbsp) dried mint flakes
- 10g (1 tbsp) garlic powder
Instructions
- Using a dry frying pan, roast the cumin, coriander and ajwain seeds over a medium heat. Ensure to continuously move the seeds around with a wooden spatula. After a few minutes, the seeds will release their aromas.
- Tip the toasted seeds in a bowl and allow to cool down.
- Place the seeds in the K-Mojo DigiMaster spice grinder attachment and process until finely ground.
- Add the remaining ingredients with the ground seeds and blend further until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Tip into airtight containers and store in a cool dark place. Use as needed.
- Category: Spice Mix
- Method: Grind
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: chaat masala, chaat masala powder recipe, homemade chaat masala, how to make chaat masala
Sam
never tried it but will give it a go!
Michael Fisher
I have never had or heard of, so from your recipe
Margaret Gallagher
Will bring so much joy and love Thankyou
★★★★★
Jeanne Coulombe
Would make some fresh ground herbs after I dried them all from my garden this summer.
Katie
I would make a curry of some kind
Brad Start
Chaat Masala 👍
Peter Watson
Minced lamb for moussaka
★★★★★
Iain maciver
would make a curry
William Critchlow
Mixed vegetable curry
Jo m welsh
I would do a curry with it
Abdul Rahman
bbq dust for smoked short ribs
Cydney Webster
A curry – rogan josh is my favourite!
Jill Osborne
Veggie curry
Alice Dixon
I’d make burgers
Rena Plumridge
I would do korai chicken
Joo Dee
new to me, so would be useful for cake mixes, mincemeat etc
Kim M
Scottish Lorne Sausage x
Anna Stevens
I’d make lots of different curry spices for my husband to use when he cooks a curry.
Ian
A curry
Helen Markham
A chai tea price mix so I can make my own chai latte
Susan B
I would probably start with a simple vegetarian curry but I like the idea of grinding a few spices to add to breadcrumbs for a coating on bland meat substitute pieces.
Heather Haigh
I would grind all my curry spices
Maurice Haigh
curries
fiona waterworth
my special filling for my toasted sandwiches
Charlotte isobelle
I like the idea of the chopping and grinding function, I’d like to try my hand at a curry!
Amy bondoc
id make a yummy vegetable curry
Tracy Nixon
A vegetable curry!
★★★★★
Kelly Wheelhouse
I would make a tikka masala
★★★★★
Sally Collingwood
Vegetable Lasagne
Claire Driver
Carrot cake so I can use the grater and whisk
Louise A
I would make a curry I make a lot, a Chicken Kukupaka
Sheena Batey
It would be a very tasty spicy curry
★★★★★
Laura Pritchard
A tasty curry spice mix!
★★★★
Frances H
A lovely winter vegetable tagine.
Mark R
Chopping ingredients for my chutneys would be a big saving I; effort
Natalie Crossan
Vegetable Lasagne
joanne coulson
I’d make a curry
Christine Caple
I would make a curry.
Ruth harwood
Definitely just what I need to make a brilliant and unique curry dish that my family will love!
Sheila Shepheard
The Chaat Masala looks like a good one to start with. I’ve made Garam Masala but never Chaat. Love the look of the grinder too.
Sheila Shepheard
The Chaat Masala looks like a good one to start with. I’ve made Garam Masala but never Chaat. Love the look of the grinder too. Much easier to use than my one.
Mark Mccaffery
I’d try My hand at making Lorne sausage.
Melissa Lee
I’d make myself a bespoke curry spice blend
Margaret Mccaffery
I would make an assortment of curry pastes.
Caroline Hunter
I’d grind some lovely beef for homemade beefburgers.
pete c
I’d grind down some nuts to go in my banana cake recipe
Gayatri Gogoi
I would make grilled tandoori lamb chops
Jo Young
I would make a rub for ribs.
Victoria Prince
I’d make my own oat flour and then try making bread with it
maria
I love lamb curry so would probably make some sort of lamb curry
★★★★★
claire woods
Curry to warm us up.
Kim Carberry
I would make a curry x
Tina Lawton
I would make some gorgeous spiced turkey burgers.
Victoria Riches
BBQ smoke rub
kathleen warwick
I would definitely make a curry
sue leake
raspberry powder from my homegrown, dried raspberries
Chantiece Bates
A curry for sure!!
James Travis
I would make a nice chicken curry
lynn neal
I would make a vegetarian curry!
Kate Sutton
I would do a veg curry
Susan Hoggett
I’d make a veggie korma
Marie Rungapadiachy
I would make beef meatballs with the grinder. This would be perfect for making this.
Janine Atkin
id make a curry
Sheri Darby
I would use it to make all sorts of spice combinations for curry cooking
Emma Davison
I would have a go at making a curry
Carolynn Woodland
I would make a spicy tasty chicken curry.
Keith Hunt
Fresh mince buggers
Paul Johnston
I would use it to make own blend of curry spices.
★★★★★
Kristie Metcalfe
I would make Saag Aloo – yum!
sharon martin
A chicken curry
Patricia Barrett
I would make a great selection of curries.
Sandra Fortune
Chicken tikka masala
Jennifer Toal
I love a curry but great to get new recipes
Amy Stevens
selection of curries
Fiona jk42
I would make my own garam masala.
★★★★★
Aileen
I’d grind spices to make curry