Recipe#11822

Title: Chat Masala

From: "amanda" amanda@gate.net 
 Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking 
 Date: 19 Sep 1997 13:49:14 GMT 
 Message-ID: <01bcc502$cc61cfe0$9623e3c7@gate.net.gate.net> 

Black salt, or Kala Namak, is not black, but more a reddish-gray, because
 of the presence of trace minerals and iron. It is not interchangeable with
 sea salt or table salt because of it's distinct flavor- Yumana Devi likens
 it to hard boiled egg yolks. 
 Below is a recipe for chat masala which makes use of black salt.
 CHAT MASALA
 2 tb Cumin seeds
 1 1/2 ts Fennel seeds
 1 tb Garam masala
 1 tb Mango powder
 1 tb Black salt
 1 t  Cayenne pepper
 1 pn Asafetida powder
 1/4 ts Ground ginger
 Asafetida, mango powder, and black salt distinguish the chat masala
 from other masalas, giving the blend a sourness that makes it a
 welcome accompaniment to fresh fruit and other snacks.  ('Chat'
 refers to various snacks and to the North Indian cafes that serve
 them.) Fresh fruit often is sprinkled with lime juice and chat
 masala. Black salt (which is actually reddish gray), available at
 Indian food stores, has a distinctive flavor that's quite different
 from sea salt or table salt.  The garam masala is the wild card in
 this recipe; either one of the (Tamil Nadu Curry Powder or
 Punjabi-Style Garam Masala) masalas may be used.
 Toast and grind cumin and fennel seeds and combine with remaining
 ingredients.