This salad blends two classic flavors – sweet and spicy– for an intense sensory experience. If you like this delicate balance, you’ll adore this recipe. Make chaats! the main reason this spice mixture is used in Indian households is for chaat recipes. Chaats are a VERY popular Indian street food. It is fun to make your own custom blend. The one tweak I like to make during summer is to dry fresh mint leaves to make dried mint powder which I add to make my own blend. It adds delicious fresh notes to the blend.

My garam masala substitute recipe shows the type of commonly used ingredients for a garam masala recipe. Storing the spice Note: All of these spices can very easily be found in Indian grocery stores or online. Whole spices can be replaced with ground spices if you are in a pinch. Variations While chaat masala is a blend of spices that gives tart, tangy and sour flavors, a garam masala blend is made of earthy warming spices. Each blend of spices is made from different ingredients.I’ve looked at many chaat masala recipes and boxed mixes. While the formulas vary, the similarities in almost every recipe are these 5 essential ingredients (pictured from top to bottom):

Some popular brands that you will find are – MDH, Everest, Catch, Badshah, and Shan. What Fruits to Use? Amchur (dry mango powder) provides a similar taste to anardana (pomegranate powder) so I think it is duplicative to use both but you can def use it as a substitute or add some based on your preference. Red chili powder – Red chili powder adds the essential spice/heat element, which balances out the tart flavors. Dry mango powder (amchur) – A key ingredient. As the name suggests, it’s made from dried, unripe mangoes and gives the signature tartness.If you love making your own spice blends, try my easy garam masala recipe and homemade cumin and coriander powder! Need more ideas? The good news is that most of the ingredients are common Indian spices that you likely have on hand if you often cook Indian cuisine. Add pineapple or Guavas:Freshly cut pineapple enhances the flavor of the fruit chaat. When guavas are in season, add them – they’re delicious!

The addition of little orange juice to the fruit chaat takes it to the next level, but you can use any juice you have on hand. Mango juice is another excellent option. First, toast the cumin seeds. They’ll turn deeper in color and become highly aromatic. Allow them to cool while you add the rest of the spices to your spice grinder.Sprinkle over fruits to make fruit chaat: I personally love to sprinkle it on tomatoes, oranges, grapefruits and watermelons. It gives a sweet and tangy delicious taste. Finishing spice for a fruit salad to give the sweetness of fruits a tangy flavor. This can be turned into a delicious appetizer for your guests. Serve the chaat in store-bought tart shells with a spoonful of the chaat. Pro-tips

Cumin seeds: Provides the “grounding” flavor of the spice. Whole cumin seeds are dry roasted and then ground to make a ground cumin seed powder (jeera powder). You can substitute roasted cumin seed powder that is ready made.Pakistanis love this fruit chaat equally. It is a staple in every Pakistani household, especially during Ramadan’s Iftar meal. It is important to note it is hard to replicate the complex flavor, but if you can’t get to the grocery store these will be suitable replacements when you are in a pinch to get a similar flavor! Chaat masala vs Garam Masala Chaat masala powder is a popular Indian spice blend that tastes tangy and tart with a small hint of spice. It’s primarily used for making chaats such as samosa chaat, which are a popular street food especially in Northern India. Nachos: For those that are a little bit more adventurous, sprinkle a bit on your cheese nachos along with lime best substitute for chaat masala