i wuld like to make this masala but i dont have any citric acid powder, is there something i can use in place of it or is it fine to leave it out?

Chaat masala

i have black salt in a block. when it says use 2 tablespoons of black salt and 1 tablespoon of table salt do i have to use that much ? what is the best way to break black salt? a hammer?

reading the recipe (and working backwards) I'd guess that the amounts are to make a large batch up rather a portion so yes unless you can work the amounts back (by say halving it all or 1/4 etc).. thats going to be the amounts.

Never used blacksalt so no idea how hard it is?.. would it not go in an electric grinder?

Not sure why the citric acid is used (never used it myself) but I'm guessing it makes it a bit zingy ...zesty... so you probably need it unless you are going to add some fresh lemon zest each time you are using it (would that work ?)

Steve

PS Don't forget to take some pictures and send them in if you can, thanks

Hello ray

Black salt rock is hard to grind. It is available as fine powder, so I never buy it as rock. My mum used to, it was powdered by her servant in a cats iron, large mortar and pastel. You can wrap it in a piece of cloth, break it up small with a rock or hammer and then grind in a coffee grinder.

Citric acid is to make it ?tart?. It is always added to Chaat masala mix. It is handy to have a small jar, you can use it to make paneer cheese as well, to curdle the milk. Most Indian grocers in UK stock it.

As Steve says, we are always looking for good pictures of recipes that don't have them.

I am off to sort out your latest recipe and pictures now steve :-).

Mamta

what me sending recipes and pictures.. imagine that !.. .lol - thanks

Steve

Citric Acid should be readily available from most high street chemists or home brewing shops.

It does tend now to be kept "under the counter" and some chemists can look at you oddly when asking for it (apparently it has uses in drug culture) but just say you want it to clean out the stains in your tea pots, mugs, descaling the kettle etc. for which it is brilliant!

well i have already made the chaat masala minus the citric acid powder but i guess i can just add some into the mix and give it a good shake.

I tried some on a fruit salad earlier and it's nice.

black salt is nice on roasted cashew nuts.

when i am passing the asian grocery store next i will pop in and buy some citric acid powder.

I was going to say our local Asian Grocers all have citric acid powder from a well known brand of herbs and spices !

Steve

just how is it used in the drug culture does anyone know?

i was reading abot it before and Winton is correct, many people write that they get funny looks when they ask for it lol.

Ray - Citric Acid has many (legal!) uses in the kitchen such as in water softening, ice cream, wine making, making paneer, as Mamta suggests, also in mozzarella cheese.

According to Wiki its more dubious use is as a buffer to increase the solubility of brown heroin.

Do add some to your Chatt Masala it really gives it a 'zing' - the Chatt Masala is also great on eggs.

Salt is good on pineapple, black pepper on strawberries!

I also got odd looks at the chemist when asking for saltpetre to make salt beef which apparently is now a controlled substance. He recommended a garden centre but said I would probably have to buy enough to blow up a tree stump!

before any confusion starts.. you do mean add the citric acid powder to your chat massala to give it "zing" and not the brown heroin don't you ! ?.. LOL

Steve

I bought some saltpetre this year for soaking the chilli seeds in before planting, but when I read the warning on the packet I didn't bother lol.

I know people use it to make smoke bombs, if you do a search on youtube for smoke bombs' you will find the videos.

i will certainly nip in to hte Asian grocery store on my way past and get some citric acid powder though.

Would this be the stuff: Citric acid ?

Citric acid

I forgot to include the " " around the URL on the last one ... oops!

oh hell fire...

and I build wordpress themes as a hobby lol

Steve - As soon as I pressed the button I realised the contents of my last posting could be misconstrued!

Ray - that's the stuff but should be widely available in most Asian stores or chemists.

Digressing here, was reminiscing how the chemist used to be the only place you could buy olive oil, distilled water for the car battery or get your photographs developed. How things have changed!

Ray the site has some security checking that stops certain sorts of urls from being posted as they are more often than not SPAM... don't worry about it...lol

Steve

Winton, I knew what you meant I just didn't want to see a future post saying "I've just made chat massala with the added brown heroin, and WOW thats some Zing !" LOL

Steve

Excellent moderation Steve!

Reading back through the thread I should also clarify that it is only the saltpetre that is a controlled substance, not the resulting salt beef! LOL!

I think we have 'chatted' about this before. As Mamta says, the citric acid is there to add tartness. Originally the tartness would be from just amchur and anardana powders, which I think contain tartaric and/or malic acid, which are more rounded in their effect on the tongue. So anardana powder might give a better result if you cannot find citric acid powder. Sumac is another possibility.

Citric acid has to be mixed with citrate salts to be a buffer, but biochemists usually call anything dissolved in water a buffer, hence the confusion. A buffer will maintain the pH of a solution to within 1 pH unit until overwhelmed.

Good morning all

Winton, Indian grocers don?t ask that question because they know it is used in cooking ;-)! Yes indeed, olive oil is still used mainly for massage in India at this point, but it is slowly changing as some enterprising people are starting to develop Olive oprchards and it is getting cheaper, very slowly.

Wray, yes, you can add it now, it will give it a zing, as Winton says! It is indeed nice on roasted cashews and peanuts etc and all sorts of other things, including raitas, fuit salads and general mixed salads.

I never knew of all the other uses of Citric acid, must have lead a sheltered life ;-)!

Your link didn?t work Ray, even the 2nd one.

As lapis says, anardana (dry and powdered pomegranate seeds) and amchoor (dried and powdered green, unripe mango slices) are the commonly used ingredients for this purpose, but Citric acid gives you that extra sharp taste. The other two give flavour. It is worth trying different ones, but you will have to adjust the amount, because they are very much less sharp. I don?t think I have ever used sumac, more popular in American countries! I don?t think it grows in India, but haven?t looked up on the web. Though I am a chemist?s daughter and a chemists sister, my chemistry was not brilliant at college. I will leave Lapis to explain things in her inimitable, clear style :-).

I am off to have a swim, already late, and then will be busy cooking jams/chutneys etc. for a stall Kavey has taken for a day in August at the Covent Garden! See you all later.

Mamta

Hi Mamta - was just ruminating on how British cooking habits have developed from Olive Oil being something you just put in your ears to what we would now regard a standard/essential kitchen ingredient!

Hope you will post details of when Kavey's stall will be in Covent Garden for us London dwellers - would be nice to show support especially if we can get our hands on some of the products of your culinary expertise!

Hello Winton

It is on the 27th of August in the aftrenoon. I am sure Kavita will post details later on.

As I keep saying :-), I am no culinary expert. I am just someone who likes cooking, has always been eager to learn new things and experiment, had the good fortune of having a mother who taught her the basics of cooking and who has children who designed and run a website for het. This makes it possible for me to share what I have learnt with the world :-)! The best thing is, I keep learning new things here, which I wouldn't have know about, if I did not have this site. I am very lucky :-).

Mamta

Sorry Mamta but I think that must be the most ludicrous thing I have read for ages!

Not only have you effectively written a brilliant cookbook but also respond to our questions meticulously day and night!

We all continue to learn new information with some great contributors to your site, but perhaps most importantly it is a friendly, relaxed (often humorous!) place to be where even relative novices to Indian Cookery (like me) don't feel intimidated about chipping in with bits of information or afraid of asking what might seem like a daft question (unlike on other culinary websites I could mention.)

It's a "family cookbook" and it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to be included in your culinary family!

Here here ... (have you ever noticed that politicians sound like a flock of sheep when they're debating stuff? - just a thought.)

Now we've gotten that off our chests would anyone like an onion bhaji?

I made a batch earlier and they're sitting in the frigidaire teasing me.

Thank you Winton :-).

Onion bhaji's in the fridge? Why haven'y you eaten them fresh, hot and crisp? Send some over here.

Mamta

sumac is used in Middle Eastern cooking, especially nice as a sprinkle over humus. It has a lovely light citrous flavour but not as sharp as lemon/limes. It is also a lovely maroon colour.