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Indian · Punjabi

Chaat masala

Vegetarian

चाट मसाला · cāṭ masālā

The tangy, salty, faintly sulphurous sprinkle of the chaat stall: roasted cumin, coriander, ajwain and black pepper ground with amchur, black salt, dried mint, dry ginger, chilli and a whisper of asafoetida. Used raw over food, never cooked.

Chaat masala is an Indian condiment, ready in about 21 minutes and made with cumin seeds, amchur (dried mango powder) and black salt (kala namak). It serves 40 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
6 min
Rest
10 min
Total
21 min
Serves
40
Level
Beginner
Calories
—

Ingredients

40 teaspoons (about 2 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Dry-roast the cumin seeds (opens in a new tab) over medium heat, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until they are a deep brown and smell smoky — darker than for garam masala. Tip out.

  2. Step 2

    Lower the heat and roast the coriander and peppercorns (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes, adding the ajwain (opens in a new tab) for the last 30 seconds.

    • 2 min
    • medium-low heat

  3. Step 3

    Tip everything onto a wide plate in a single layer and cool completely, about 10 minutes. Warm spices release oil and steam in the grinder and turn pasty and clumpy.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Grind the roasted seeds with the dried mint (opens in a new tab) and the black salt (opens in a new tab) to a fine powder. Add the amchur (opens in a new tab), salt, chilli, dry ginger and asafoetida (opens in a new tab) and pulse to blend. Sift through a fine sieve for a powdery, even sprinkle.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Spoon into a clean, completely dry glass jar or spice tin, label with the date and keep away from the stove, light and steam. Always use a dry spoon. The salts draw moisture, so close the lid tightly every time.

About this dish

Origin
North India, India · Commonly attributedStandard home formulation; commercial blends vary in their ratio of amchur to black salt.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Snack · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted, No-cook
Taste
tangy, salty, smoky, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Street food · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Cumin seeds · Amchur (dried mango powder) · Black salt (kala namak) · Coriander seeds · Black peppercorns · Ajwain
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

Nutrition not available for this recipe

Not enough data to calculate: Amchur (dried mango powder). We show nothing rather than a made-up number.

Good to know

Tips

  • Taste a pinch on a slice of cucumber; it should be sour first, then salty, then smoky.
  • If it cakes, break it up and pulse again — the salts absorb humidity.

Common mistakes

  • Cooking chaat masala in oil: the amchur and black salt turn flat and bitter.
  • Skipping the deep roast on the cumin, which gives the blend its smoky depth.

Serve with

  • Chana chaat, fruit chaat, corn chaat, aloo tikki and pani puri water.
  • Over cut guava, cucumber, fries or a glass of chaas.

Storage

  • Airtight, cool and dry, for 4 months; the salts keep it well, but the cumin fades.

Variations

  • Fruit chaat masala: Halve the black salt and add 1 tsp sugar and more dried mint.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Dry spice blend
Texture
Fine powder
One batch makes
about 78 g
Keeps
about 4 months
Store
Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
Recipe
Traditional

North India. Makes Chaat masala, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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