Degchi
Chaat masala
Also written: chat masala
- Urduچاٹ مصالحہ
- Hindiचाट मसाला
- Banglaচাট মসলা
- Arabicتشاط ماسالا
Chaat masala is a sour, salty, savoury spice blend that is sprinkled on at the end rather than cooked in. It is what makes a plate of fruit chaat, samosa chaat or sliced cucumber taste like street food.
The sourness usually comes from amchur, which is dried green mango powder. The funk comes from black salt (kala namak), which smells slightly sulphurous and tastes sharply savoury, and cumin and chilli fill in the rest. Packet recipes differ, so one brand will be tangier and another hotter.
Because it carries its own salt, taste before you add any more. A good pattern is to season the dish lightly, plate it, then dust the chaat masala over the top, because heat dulls the sour note. Our Paneer Tikka is finished with it right after grilling, and our spiced chickpeas recipe uses it as part of the seasoning.
It also works well away from classic chaat: over boiled potatoes, roasted chickpeas, fresh cucumber, a squeeze of lime on fruit, or fried snacks straight from the pan. If you do not have it, a pinch of salt with lime juice and a little ground cumin gets you in the neighbourhood, though not all the way there.
Recipes that use it
13 of our 247 recipes call for chaat masala. Here are a few to start with.
Read next
Bhel Puri at Home, and a Guide to the Chaat Family