We use chaas masala a mixture of ground spices, made by my mom-in-law on a daily basis. At lunch, Devansh and I have curd with chaas masala added to it. And then for dinner, we have chaas (buttermilk) with this masala added. I sometimes apply it to apples and give it to Devansh, if he’s being fussy about eating apples. This masala tastes yummy when added to dahi vada as well. I doubt if I would be using this masala so frequently in Devansh’s food if it was readymade. I am glad I can use it bindaas because my MIL makes it for us.
When I cook, I rarely measure the ingredients. But there are some recipes where the proportion of ingredients can make or break the dish. At such times, I need to look up the recipe; I can not recollect the quantity or proportion of ingredients from memory. But when I asked my MIL for her chaas masala recipe, she just rattled off the ingredients on the spot. Same thing had happened with mom when I asked her for the recipe of goda masala. These moms have been making such masalas for many years now, they just know the recipes by heart. Maybe, just maybe one day I will reach that level of expertise. But for now I am very happy that I have such wonderful moms who make these masalas and give me. Hope you’ll like this recipe.
Chaas Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 gm cumin seeds jeera
- One and a half tbsp black peppercorns
- 100 gm kala namak Himalayan black salt
- 100 gm powdered sendha namak rock salt
- One and a half tbsp common salt
Instructions
- Heat a kadhai (pan) and roast jeera in it for 3-4 minutes, and then turn off heat.
- Add black peppercorns in the kadhai and mix them with jeera using a spatula. (Make sure you’re using a metal kadhai, as it will remain hot for a while even after turning off heat.)
- Allow the jeera and peppercorns to cool, and then grind them to a powder using a mixer.
- Now, add all the salts in the same pan and turn on heat.
- Stir the salts on low heat for about a minute till the mixture is nice and dry.
- Mix the salts, and the powdered jeera and black peppercorns.
- Sieve the mixture onto a dry plate, and then store it in a dry and airtight container. (This masala lasts us for six months, you may want to reduce the quantity of ingredients proportionately if you want to make it in lesser quantity.)
