Chettinad masala
Vegetarian
செட்டிநாடு மசாலா · ceṭṭināṭu macālā
The bold, peppery masala of the Chettiar community: black pepper, fennel, coriander and dried chillies roasted with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin and poppy seeds and ground to an aromatic, rust-brown powder.
Chettinad masala is a South Indian condiment, ready in about 25 minutes and made with coriander seeds, black peppercorns and fennel seeds. It serves 40 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 40
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 7
Method
Step 1
Roast the chillies in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 1–2 minutes until crisp; tip out.
- 2 min
- medium-low heat
- Cast-iron skillet (opens in a new tab)
Step 2
Roast the coriander for 3 minutes, adding the peppercorns (opens in a new tab), fennel and cumin for the last 2 minutes, until the pepper crackles and the fennel smells sweet. Tip out.
- 3 min
- medium-low heat
Step 3
Roast the cinnamon, star anise (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and cardamom (opens in a new tab) for 1 minute, then add the poppy seeds (opens in a new tab) and stir for 30–40 seconds until they just change colour.
- 2 min
- low heat
Poppy seeds burn in seconds; keep stirring.
Step 4
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
Step 5
Grind to a fine powder; poppy seeds (opens in a new tab) make it slightly oily, so grind in short bursts and stop before it clumps.
Food safety: Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.
Step 6
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.
About this dish
- Origin
- Chettinad, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedChettinad cooks traditionally grind it fresh, often with kalpasi (stone flower lichen) and marathi mokku (dried kapok buds); those are omitted here because they are hard to find. A home dry-powder adaptation.More food from India
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
- Cooking method
- Toasted
- Taste
- peppery, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead
- Cook more with
- Coriander seeds · Black peppercorns · Fennel seeds · Star anise / anise · Dried whole chillies · Poppy seeds
- Techniques
- Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Dry grinding
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
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
7 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 2 g · recipe makes 40
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 53%
- Fat 33%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 7 kcal | 329 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g | 13.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1.1 g | 57.4 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 0.5 g | 24.1 g |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g | 33.3 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g | 15 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 1.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg | 53 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 30 mg
- Calcium
- 15 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 6 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 3 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- —
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- For Chettinad chicken, fry 2–3 tbsp with the onions and tomatoes, or grind it with 3 tbsp roasted coconut and water into a wet masala.
Common mistakes
- Skimping on the pepper and fennel — they, not the chilli, carry the Chettinad flavour.
Serve with
- Chettinad chicken, pepper chicken and mutton chukka.
- Kara kuzhambu and Chettinad egg curry.
Food safety
- Roast in a dry pan, never one with water droplets; and grind in short bursts — chilli dust from the grinder lid stings eyes and throat, so let it settle before opening.
Storage
- Airtight, cool and dark, for 2 months (the poppy seeds make it go stale sooner than most blends).
Variations
- With kalpasi and marathi mokku: Add 2 g kalpasi (stone flower) and 2 marathi mokku, roasted with the whole spices, for the fully traditional aroma.
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 80 g
- Keeps
- about 2 months
- Store
- Airtight jar, cool dark cupboard
- Recipe
- Traditional
Chettinad, Tamil Nadu. Makes Chettinad 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.
- Chettinad chicken curryMade fresh in the recipe (dry-roasted, toasted with coconut and ground wet in step 2 (½ tsp of the fennel is for the tempering)) · 64 g for 4 servingsMake enough
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
- Coriander seeds, dry-roast until a shade darker25 g
- Black peppercorns, dry-roast until they crackle15 g
- Fennel seeds, dry-roast until fragrant12 g
- Dried whole chillies, dry-roast until crisp (about 12, stems removed)12 g
- Poppy seeds, lightly roast until they just change colour6 g
- Cumin seeds, dry-roast5 g
- Cinnamon stick, lightly roast4 g
- Star anise / anise, lightly roast (about 1 star)2 g
- Cloves, lightly roast1.5 g
- Cardamom, lightly roast (about 8 pods)1.5 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
You might also like
Chettinad chicken curry
South Indian · 1 h 5 min · 435 kcalKara kuzhambu
South Indian · 45 min · 186 kcal · VeganKerala (Malabar) garam masala
South Indian · 22 min · 7 kcal · VeganMalvani masala
Indian · 40 min · 10 kcal · Vegan