Chaat masala

Chaat masala in a dish

Chaat masala (Hindi : चाट मसाला; also spelled chat masala) is a masala, or spice mix, used in Indian cuisine. It typically consists of amchoor (dried mango powder), cumin, Kala Namak, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, asafoetida and capsicum. The ingredients are combined and served on a small metal plate or a banana leaf, dried and formed into a bowl, at chaat carts (especially in Southern-India).

Chaat masala has a pungent smell and tastes sweet, sour and pungent. It is used to flavour all the popular fast foods of India like bhelpuri, golgappa, aaloo chaat and Dahi puri. It is somewhat of an acquired taste and can be added to all sorts of everyday foods or even eaten on its own.

Ready made

File:Chatmasalabox.jpg

A box of commercially available chaat masala

Ready and processed chaat masala is now available all around the world in specialty Indian, Pakistani and Asian grocery stores. Companies like 'Shan, 'MDH', 'Everest', Kusum and 'Mangal' have recently improved their distributions and are exporting their spice mixes and chaat masalas globally.

External links

• Chaat Masala Recipe