Are Chaat Masala and garam masala seasons interchangeable?

[Renthead Mommy]

Are they vastly different? I want to make chana masala and chaat masala seasoning is all I have and the recipe calls for garam masala.

[Um_2_4]

Nope totally different taste result:

quoting:

Absolutely not! Chaat masala consists of dried mango powder, cumin, black salt, coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper,asafoetida and red pepper. Chaat masala has a pungent smell and tastes sweet, sour and pungent. Garam Masala on the other hand contains cinnamon, roasted cumin, cloves, nutmeg (and/or mace) and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Garam masala can be used during cooking, but unlike many spices, it is often added at the end of cooking, so that the full aroma is not lost. Garam masala is not "hot" in the sense that chilis are, but is fairly pungent

 

If you don't have Garam Masala do you have 7 spice powder? Not the chinese version...

sorry, my fonts are going wacky LOL

[stripe]

Chaat masala is kind of spicy and salty and "exciting," almost with a sulfurous scent, whereas garam masala is generally cumin, coriander, kind of direction. But usually chaat masala is sprinkled on before serving, isn't it? I've only ever seen it put on fried things, or salads, not really like soupy dishes.

[LucyStoner]

Chaat masala and garam masala are fairly different seasoning/flavoring blends. Garam masala is cloves, cardamon, pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Chaat masala shares cumin as an ingredient but also has chili, dried mango or other fruit powder, ginger, black salt, sometimes lime flavoring and plus some other stuff. So mostly different ingredients and flavor profiles. If you have cloves, caradmon, pepper, cumin and cinnamon you could look up a garam masala recipe and get a close approximation of garam masala. Or experiment and let us know how it turns out. Chickpeas with chaat masala doesn't sound 1/2 bad to me but it will be very different and don't use as much of it as the recipe calls for garam masala.

[KungFuPanda]

I dont think they're interchangeable. Garam masala seems to have the sweeter spices. Here is he recipe I use for Garam masala:

 

Create your own aromatic Indian Garam Masala at home with this simple do it yourself recipe. Garam Masala is often a crucial ingredient in Indian dishes and offers a pungent hearty flavor of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

 

1 Cinnamon stick - (3 inch stick)

2 Tsp. Cardamom seeds; (measure -

after removing pods)

1 Tsp. Cloves, whole

1 Tsp. Mace OR 1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg

 

 

Place the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in a skillet over medium heat, toasting until they give off a lovely aroma. Cool. Grind in a blender, a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle until finely ground; add nutmeg (or mace)

 

Store in an airtight container.

 

 

Here is a recipe I found online for chaat masala:

 

Yield: Approximately 1 cup

 

Ingredients:

 

3 tbsps cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 and a 1/2 tsps saunf/ fennel seeds

4 tbsps raw mango/ amchur powder

3 tbsps powdered black salt 


1 and a 1/2 tsps freshly ground black pepper 


1/4 tsp hing/ asafetida powder

1 and a 1/2 tsps ginger powder

1 tsp dried, powdered mint

1 and a 1/2 tsps ajwain/ carom seeds

Preparation:

 

Make sure to use your homemade Chaat Masala up within 2-3 months of making it, as the ingredients will lose their potency if stored to long. Store Chaat Masala in a glass container, in a cool, dry place. Do not store with other spices as the ingredients in Chaat Masala (especially the Black Salt) are highly aromatic and the other spices will take on its aroma. This is a basic recipe but when you've made it a few times and are familiar with the ingredients and how they taste with each other, you can also experiment with other combinations of the spices (increasing some and decreasing others) to make your own custom blend!

Set up a flat griddle on medium heat. When hot, put the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds on it.

Dry roast these ingredients till the seeds begin to turn a little darker and start to give off their aromas. Stir often while roasting, to prevent the seeds from burning.

When the seeds have roasted, take them off from the pan and spread on a plate to cool.

When cool, mix the seeds with all the other ingredients in a clean, dry, coffee grinder or food processor and grind till you get a fine, smooth powder. The Chaat Masala is now ready to be used.

Tips:

 

Sprinkle Chaat Masala on almost any green salad for added zing!

Add a pinch of Chaat Masala to lemonade and stir to give it an instant lift.

Indian vegetarian dishes taste particularly good with a small garnish of Chaat Masala. After the dish is cooked and you have turned off the heat, sprinkle a few pinches of Chaat Masala over the top of the dish and cover immediately. Let sit for 2-3 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

[KungFuPanda]

If it were me, I'd just toss in the Chaat masala ingredients I had on hand and call it a day. I'd end up with cumin, coriander, fennel, pepper, and ginger in my dish and hat would be delicious :-)

[Renthead Mommy]

Well since it was already cooking when I asked, I had to go with what i had. I based it loosly on the Chana Masala recipe I had found.

 

I ended up with a can of chick peas and a bag of frozen artichokes. I cooked those and added onion, garlic and ginger. A can of diced tomatos, a small zucchine, golden rasins and the chaat masala. It had a little more kick than I wanted for tonight, so in my bowl, (not the pan) I added about a tablesoon of plain yogurt to bring the heat down some. It's actually pretty good.

[KungFuPanda]

It actually sounds wonderful.