Amchur is dried unripe mango ground to a powder, and it is the reason a lot of north Indian dishes taste sour without being wet.

It does what lemon does, without the liquid. Which matters when you are making something dry.

Use it in chana masala, in stuffed paratha, in dry vegetable dishes, in chaat masala, and in marinades. A teaspoon is usually plenty, and it is easy to add more at the end.

Available at Curry Corner in North Melbourne.