[Sca-cooks] Intro and question

[ranvaig at columbus.rr.com]

>  > The spice is for East Indian cooking, and is "Chat Masala".
>
>Most masalas vary a bit- here's one recipe.
>
>Chat Masala
>
>4 tbsp coriander  seeds
>2 tbsp cumin seeds
>1 tsp ajwain (thymol) seeds
>2-3 whole dry red chillies
>3 tbsp black salt crystals
>1/2 tsp citric acid
>1 tbsp dry mango powder (amchoor)
>1 tbsp salt
>2 tsp garam masala
>1 tsp white/black pepper (optional)

A few comments on this.   "The Indian Grocery store demystified" says
chat means "to lick" in other words, savory snack food... salads of
vegetables or fruit. "The distinctive chat flavor comes from green
mango, black salt and ground cumin"

The mango powder is a souring agent.  You could add some lemon to the
finished dish instead, but it wouldn't be the same.
Black salt is a different chemical than plain salt.  You could
substitute plain salt, but it will taste different.  Its worth
getting the black salt if you can find it.
Ajwan is related to cumin and caraway.  The taste is sharp and bitter
with overtones of thyme, pepper and oregano.  If you cant find it, I
would simply omit it from this recipe.
I find the citric acid a little suspicious.  I have never seen an
Indian recipe that calls for this.

Here is another, quite different recipe:

Chaat Masala

1 1/2 T. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2 T. dried mint
1/8 tsp asafetida
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 T amchoor (green mango powder)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T. kala namak (black salt)
1/4 tsp salt.
roast cumin and peppercorns in a small heavy frying pan until
fragrant, about 4 min.
Reduce heat to low,  add mint, asafetida, and nutmeg, Toast another 2 min.
Remove from heat and cool slightly
Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder, coffee mill, or mortar and pestle.
Transfer to a small bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, mixing well.
Store in a glass jar in a cool place for up to six months.  Makes
about 1/2 cup.

In this recipe, asafetida is the unusual spice.  It is the dried
resinous gum from a kind of giant fennel. There is no real
substitute, omit it, if you cant find it.

Here is a recipe using the masala.

Aloo chaat

2 med potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 green chili, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 T fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons chaat masala, or to taste.
Toss all ingredients together and serve at once, plain or with
tamarind or green chili chutney.
Servers 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a snack

Ranvaig (hungry now)

--