Garam Masala, Chaat Masala, and Chana Masala?

Question

Are Garam Masala, Chaat Masala, and Chana Masala interchangeable in Indian recipes? Are they similar or very different?

Answer 1

channa masala is a really yummy garbanzo bean dish that HAS some garam masala in it.

garam masala is a spice blend.

I like the answerer above's blend...here's mine.  It's similar:

1T cardamom seeds (no pods)

1t whole cloves

1t black cumin seeds (but you can use regular cumin seeds)

1t black peppercorns

A one-inch piece of cinnamon stick

about one third of a whole nutmeg

Put all in a spice grinder, and grind til powdery.

I love this blend.

Here's a recipe for channa masala...it is my own recipe:

A one-inch ball of tamarind pulp

1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup butter

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (hot)

1 teaspoon ground mild pepper (paprika is okay)

1 med. roma tomato finely chopped

1-2 cloves garlic

1teaspoon garam masala

15oz can of garbanzos (chickpeas) drained

salt to taste

1.  drop the tamarind paste into the hot water and let stand one hour.  press through a strainer, reserve the liquid, and throw away the seeds and pulp that remain in the strainer.

2.  Heat the butter in a large skillet, add onions, and cook til just turn golden.  Add the tumeric and pepper powders and saute a few seconds.  Add the tomatoes and garlic, and saute a minute or so, until the tomatoes change color.  

3.  Add the tamarind water, the garbanzos, and the garam masala, and stir lightly.  Add salt to taste.  Add one chunked potato if desired.

Cover and simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour.  Adjust for salt again if necessary.

Serve with basmati rice, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Answer 2

These are all different, chaat masala & garam masala may contain different spices in varying proportions.  

CHAAT MASALA:

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/chaat...

GARAM MASALA:

http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/garam...

Chana Masala is an actual dish, it is a spicy chickpea curry.

It contains garam masala along with some other spices.  You can buy a ready made chana masala powder but this is not necessary.

http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archiv...

http://www.tajrecipe.com/indian/cooking/...

Answer 3

These three spice-blends are very different. I have included recipes for all the three. Notice the following basic differences

1) Chaat Masala, has Kala Namak and Amchoor as critical ingredients

2) Chana Masala seems like a combination of Garam Masala, Curry Powder (without Turmeric) and Ajawain. Ajwain is critical here

3) The Garam Masala is added near the end of cooking so highly aromatic warm spices are chosen

Chaat Masala

http://www.indiacurry.com/spice/chaatmas...

Chaat Masala Spice Mix Recipe

Key ingredients are Kala Namak (Indian Black Rock salt), and Amchoor (Dry sour mango powder).

Ingredients

1. Coriander seed: 1 Tablespoon, Dry roasted on hot griddle

2. Cumin Seeds: 1 Tablespoon, Dry roasted on hot griddle

3. Fennel Seeds: ½ teaspoon, Dry roasted on hot griddle

4. Ajwain: ½ teaspoon

5. Ginger ground: ½ teaspoon

6. Cayenne powder: 1 Tablespoon

7. Indian Kala Namak or Sea salt: 2 Tablespoons

8. Amchoor: 1 Tablespoon

9. Black peppercorn: 2 Tablespoons

10. Cayenne ground: ¼ teaspoon

Method

Mix and grind together in an electric blender.

Cholay (Chana) Masala

http://www.indiacurry.com/spice/cholaysp...

Cholay Spice Mix Blend

This spice mix is suitable for almost all different popular Cholay styles made in North India.

Following points should be noted

1. I have omitted Salt, Cayenne Pepper. These are influenced heavily by personal taste.

2. I have included dried Ginger (Saunth). You still need to add fresh ginger. Always use Fresh Ginger when Making Cholay.

3. I have not included any souring agents. Different styles may use one or more of the Amchoor, Citric acid, Tamarind, or Pomegranate seeds.

4. Contrary to popular belief, there is no Turmeric powder in Cholay Spice mix.

5. You may still need other spices depending style of the dish: whole cumin seeds, whole Fenugreek seeds, Pomegranate seeds, Fenugreek Leaf (Kasoori Patta), and Bay leaves.

6. The spices for the blend are not pre-roasted. The spice blend is fried in a Masala mixture for about one to 2 minutes.

7. I have used powdered spices. You can convert volume to weight (On average one ounce has 14 teaspoons of powdered spice) and use whole spices.

I have included three recipes. All  yield same

Recipe #1

1. Cumin powder: 3 teaspoon

2. Coriander powder: 2 teaspoon

3. Fenugreek powder: ½ teaspoon

4. Dried Ginger powder: ½ teaspoon

5. Cinnamon powder: ¾ teaspoon

6. Ground Cloves: ¾ teaspoon

7. Ground Black pepper: ¾ teaspoon

8. Ground Cardamom: ¾ teaspoon

9. Ajwain: ½ teaspoon

10. Ground Fennel Seed: 1 teaspoon

Recipe #2

1. Cumin powder: 3 teaspoon

2. Coriander powder: 2 teaspoon

3. Fenugreek powder: ½ teaspoon

4. Dried Ginger powder: ½ teaspoon

5. Garam Masala Standard Frying Punjabi: 1 Tablespoon

6. Ajwain: ½ teaspoon

7. Ground Fennel Seed: 1 teaspoon

Recipe #3

1. Rajmah Spice Mix 3 Tablespoon

2. Ajwain: ½ teaspoon

3 Ground Fennel Seed: 1 teaspoon

Yield: 3½ Tablespoons

Garam Masala

http://www.indiacurry.com/spice/punjabig...

Punjabi Sabut Garam Masala Recipe

A set of warm aromatic spices are coarse ground to make Punjabi Sabut Garam Masala.

Sabut in Hindi means 'whole' as opposed to ground. In reality, it is neither a powder nor whole, it is a coarse ground about the size of spent coffee grounds.

The spices may or may not be roasted. Garam Masala made from un-roasted spices is used to make pickles and Relishes, as well as added while making curry or near the end of cooking. Garam Masala made with roasted spices is added after the cooking is complete.

How to make Garam Masala?

There is no magic to the amount of each spice used. It all depends on individual liking. Make your own variation to suite you.



Ingredients

1. Cardamom seeds: 2 Tablespoon

Use Green Cardamoms for stronger aroma over the Black Cardamoms.

2. Cinnamon sticks 3"x¼" size: 3 Sticks

Use 'Cassia' bark if available for stronger aroma.

3. Whole cloves: 2 Tablespoons

4. Nutmeg: ¼ of an average size nutmeg

5. Cumin seeds: 1½ Tablespoon

6. Black Peppercorns: 1 Tablespoon

Use Tellicherry pepper for best flavor.



Method

In the olden days, the spices were pounded using Mortar and Pestle to get the desired coarseness. Now a days, you can use a conical Burr Coffee grinder to get the desired coarseness.

Answer 4

Chaat masala and chana masala are almost same but garam masala is a totally different thing.It is a blend of many spices and must be cooked while chaat and chana masala can be used uncooked.