Chef Dil’s Punjabi Masala seasoning was created here in Baltimore by Chef Dilawer Singh who is a Johns Hopkins Graduate and had a pop-up restaurant in R. House, a Baltimore food hall. I saw Chef Dil’s seasoning being profiled on a local news channel and thought it would be good for a review since I am always looking for new spices, hot sauces, and flavors to review.
Chef Dil’s Punjabi Masala seasoning arrived quickly and used a shipping service named Sendle which kept me informed of where my package was on its way from Arkansas. Wait, did you say Arkansas? Yes, I did, I thought it was strange for a Baltimore spice to be shipped from Arkansas too. Turns out, Chef Dil’s parents own a Southern food restaurant in Arkansas and maybe they are handling the shipping for him.
So let’s get to the flavor. I like to try seasonings on multiple foods to get an idea of the versatility. I first tried Chef Dil’s on the palm of my hand. No, I didn’t eat my hand, I just wanted to see what the seasoning itself tasted like. Indian immediately comes to mind. It has all the pungent exciting flavors of Indian Cuisine without a spicy element. I like it as we do not cook with a lot of Indian flavors in my home but we like them. The next thing I tried Chef Dil’s Punjabi Masala on was roasted okra. We usually put turmeric, salt, and spicy pepper powder on roasted okra. This time I only used Chef Dil’s. It came out with a great flavor, the plate of okra disappeared quickly. The only thing that I needed to add was a little salt.
Chef Dil’s Punjabi Masala does not have salt as an ingredient which is rare to see. This is a plus for me because we eat a lower salt diet and like a lot of flavor. This is a spice you can use and add your own level of saltiness. This seasoning helps prove my philosophy that if you flavor your food correctly it is not necessary to use the amount of salt most people use today.
The next test was on a tuna and rice dish my wife makes. It’s a quick dish that she came up with in college and enjoys a lot. She will whip it up when she is busy and wants to prepare something quick. The dish is good but I added Chef Dil’s seasoning to it and it kicked up the flavor. My wife tried a little on hers as well and she liked it, even adding more after tasting it. This shows that Chef Dil’s seasoning can flavor fish, veggies, and other seafood as well.
Now we come to the final test for this review to see if Chef Dil’s Punjabi Masala will find a permanent spot in our spice cabinet. I will see how Chef Dil’s will work for chicken wings. Yeah, I know, it’s not that Indian of a dish but I am betting the bold flavors in Chef Dil’s seasoning will make for some good chicken wings. And one of my favorite ways to test a seasoning is on chicken wings.
So if you watched the video above, you know how the wings turned out. I did add a little salt to the wings along with Chef Dil’s and they turned out really tasty. Typically, I wouldn’t use Indian spices for chicken wings however, I did like them and they had great flavor.
In Summary, if you are looking for a solid mix of Indian spices to flavor your cooking, grab a container of Chef Dil’s Punjabi Masala. Remember it’s also a great choice if you are on a lower sodium diet.
Below are the links for Chef Dil’s social media and the website where you can buy his seasoning. Thanks for reading, and give me a follow on social media as well.