Chaat Masala Recipe: Make The Spice Blend At Home

Making your own chaat masala at home transforms ordinary meals into something spectacular. This sharp and tangy spice blend combines toasted cumin, coriander seeds, and dried mango powder to deliver that unmistakable street food punch. Preparing it from scratch ensures maximum freshness and allows you to control the exact salt and spice levels to suit your personal preference perfectly. It takes only a few minutes to prepare but will elevate your daily cooking for months to come.

prep time 00 Hour 5 Mins

cook time 00 Hour 5 Mins

chef Team Kitchen Diaries

Chaat masala is the secret ingredient behind the bold flavours of popular street snacks. It is a highly aromatic blend that provides an instant hit of sourness and heat. Most store-bought versions rely heavily on excessive salt and artificial citric acid to achieve that tart profile. By mixing it in your own kitchen, you get to highlight the natural fruitiness of dried mango powder and the deep earthiness of black salt.

The process is incredibly straightforward and highly rewarding. It involves slowly dry roasting whole spices until their natural oils release. This step is crucial because it awakens the dormant flavours inside the cumin and coriander seeds. Once toasted, the spices are cooled and ground into a fine powder along with the remaining ingredients. The aroma that fills your kitchen during this process is simply unmatched by anything out of a packet.

Having a jar of this homemade blend on your shelf opens up endless possibilities. You can sprinkle it over fresh fruit salads f

Tips and Tricks

Blend your toasted seeds and dried spices into an ultra-fine powder in seconds using a high power Mixer Grinder.

Manage the delicate roasting temperature of your whole spices easily with the manual wattage control on an Induction Cooktop.

Dehydrate your own fresh mint leaves at home to make highly aromatic mint powder using an Oven Toaster Griller.

Step 1

Place a heavy bottomed pan on a low heat and let it warm up gently.

Step 2

Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and carom seeds to the dry pan.

Step 3

Roast the whole spices slowly for about three to four minutes. Stir them constantly so they do not burn.

Step 4

Once the spices turn slightly darker and release a strong nutty aroma turn off the heat immediately.

Step 5

Transfer the toasted spices to a wide plate and allow them to cool down to room temperature completely.

Step 6

Transfer the cooled whole spices into a grinder jar.

Step 7

Add the dried mango powder, black salt, mint powder, ginger powder, and asafoetida into the same jar.

Step 8

Grind everything together until you achieve a very fine and uniform powder.

Step 9

Sieve the ground mixture through a fine mesh to remove any coarse bits or unground seeds.

Step 10

Store the finished masala in an airtight glass jar and keep it in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight.

Frequently Asked Questions

This happens if the cumin or coriander seeds burn during the dry roasting process. Always keep the heat very low and keep stirring the pan constantly to ensure even toasting.

Black salt is absolutely essential for authentic flavour because it provides that distinct sulphuric note characteristic of street food. Regular salt will not give you the same result.

If kept in a completely dry and airtight glass container it will retain its sharp flavour and aroma for up to six months.

Moisture is the enemy of spice blends. Ensure your grinder jar is completely dry before blending and always use a dry spoon when taking the masala out of the jar.

Dried mango powder provides the primary sourness. If you do not have it you can substitute it with a very small amount of edible citric acid crystals but the fruity tang of mango is always preferred.

Calories 10 Kcal

Total Fat 0.5 g

Carbs 2 g

Protein 0.5 g

ESSENTIAL ITEMS

3 tbsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tbsp Black peppercorns

0.5 tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)

3 tbsp Dried mango powder (amchur)

2 tbsp Black salt (kala namak)

1 tbsp Mint powder (dried mint leaves)

0.5 tsp Ginger powder

0.25 tsp Asafoetida (hing)

Recipe by:

Team Kitchen Diaries

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