Chaat Masala

Work down the list of things that leave our counter and most of them are better with this on top. Fruit chaat is the obvious one. Then dahi phulki, where the masala goes over the yogurt at the end. Boiled corn, cucumber and tomato plates, fries, pakoray, a bowl of channay, even a plain nimko mix that has been open a day too long and needs its spark back. If a snack tastes flat and savoury, chaat masala is usually the missing sentence.

Sprinkle it at the end, never cook it into the dish. Heat dulls the amchur tang that is the whole reason the blend exists. Start with about half a teaspoon over a plate, taste, and add more only if the plate asks for it. It is stronger than it looks, and a heavy hand turns tang into a mouthful of salt and sour. On fruit, add it just before serving; put it on early and the salt draws the juice out and the chaat swims.

Ground spices fade, and chaat masala fades fastest at the tangy end. Keep the pack sealed, dry and away from the steam above the stove, and buy the size you will actually finish in a couple of months. A large pack that sits open for a year is not a saving. You will find it in our traditional items alongside the snacks it finishes, and the full range is in the price list.

How long does chaat masala stay strong? Kept sealed and dry, a few months at full strength. After that it does not go bad, it just goes quiet. If the tang has left, the pack has done its service.

Can I put chaat masala on fruit? That is one of its oldest jobs. Sprinkle over cut fruit just before eating, apples, guava, banana, melon, and keep the hand light until you know your own taste.

WD Foods is the online store of Wahid Nimco, Quetta, since 1990, makers of the nimko this masala was blended to sit beside. Delivery across Pakistan in 3 to 5 business days. Masjid Road shop open daily, 9 AM to 10 PM.