[Sca-cooks] Chat masala and Indian cooking....

[Philippa Alderton]

One of the difficulties of Indian cooking that many
Westerners don't realize, is that there is no one mix
of any spice combination, any more than there is one
definitive chili. Curry powder, as an example, is
essentially a Western (English?) invention, but is
probably nothing any Indian cooks would use
themselves. When you get a masala, it's more of an
individual's trained cultural mouth-feel, than an
absolute blend, so the recipes will vary quite a bit
from area to area, and even cook to cook.

So, if the translation of "chat" is to lick,
indicating savory, what we have here is an Indian
version (or versions) of finger-licking good ;-)

Hail to the Colonel ;-)

Phlip

--- ranvaig at columbus.rr.com wrote:
> >  > 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)
>
> --
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=====
Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....

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