Editors’ Note: In How to Cook Everything: Bittman Takes on America’s Chefs, “Every recipe challenge presents a chef’s special dish followed by Bittman’s more accessible interpretation.”
This recipe is included in the "Indian Shrimp" challenge.
There are dozens of spice blends, perhaps hundreds, in India, including this one, which Suvir favors and I came to love. It’s called Chaat Masala, which translates loosely as “mouthwatering spice mix” because it’s traditionally used on street foods and snack foods—just the type of foods that make your mouth water.
Chaat masala is delicious—sour, sulphurous, sweet, and beguiling—and is properly made from a mix of ground dried mango peel, pomegranate seed powder, toasted cumin seeds, asafetida, black salt (which contributes the sulphurous note), cayenne, coriander, ginger, and cardamom. I buy it packaged, and so does Suvir (look for quality premixed packages and the individual spices in Indian markets, well-stocked food stores, or spice websites), but if you want to try making some, here’s a recipe for a simple version.
Yield : About 2 tablespoons
Prep Time : 5 Minutes (plus time to shop!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons amchoor (dried mango powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon hing (asafetida)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- Pinch salt
Directions
Combine all ingredients and store in a tightly sealed container.
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