Products

TRS Cumin Seeds (Jeera Whole) are the slim, ridged brown seeds that start most Indian tempering. Whole cumin gives bursts of warm, smoky flavour through a dish in a way that ground cumin, which disappears into the gravy, does not.

Best for

• Tempering for dal, rice and vegetables
• Jeera rice and jeera aloo
• Roasting and grinding for raita, chaat and masala blends

How to cook it

Drop the seeds into hot oil or ghee and wait for them to sizzle and darken by a shade — about ten seconds — before the onions go in. For raita or chaat, dry-roast them in a pan with no oil until fragrant, cool, then crush coarsely; roasted cumin tastes completely different from raw and is worth the two minutes.

Pack and storage

100 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Cumin Seeds (Jeera Whole) are whole cumin seeds in the larger 400 g pack — the size that makes sense if cumin starts nearly everything you cook. Warm, smoky and faintly bitter, they are the first thing into the pan in most Indian kitchens.

Best for

• Everyday tempering for dal, rice and vegetables
• Jeera rice, jeera aloo and kebab mixes
• Dry-roasting and grinding for raita, chaat and garam masala

How to cook it

Into hot oil first, before onions or garlic, for about ten seconds until they sizzle and darken slightly. For roasted cumin powder, toast in a dry pan until fragrant, cool, then grind. With a pack this size, keep a small working jar filled and the rest tightly sealed so the aroma holds.

Pack and storage

400 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Kashmiri Chilli Whole are whole dried Kashmiri chillies — short, wrinkled and deep red. They are used for the colour they give a dish rather than for heat, and are noticeably milder than ordinary dried red chillies.

Best for

• Grinding your own Kashmiri chilli powder
• Rogan josh, tandoori marinades and red masala pastes
• Vindaloo and Goan recipe pastes, and pickles

How to cook it

For a paste, tear off the stalks, shake out most of the seeds and soak the chillies in hot water for twenty minutes before grinding — that is what gives the deep red colour without the grit. For tempering, fry a whole chilli in hot oil for a few seconds until it puffs and darkens slightly. Leave the seeds in if you want more heat.

Pack and storage

150 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Black Eye Beans (Lobiya) are small cream-coloured dried beans with a black spot where they were attached to the pod. They cook faster than most dried beans and keep a creamy centre with a mild, almost savoury taste.

Best for

• Lobiya masala and black eye bean curry
• Sundal, and coconut stir-fries
• Soups, stews and bean salads

How to cook it

Rinse and pick over. They do not strictly need an overnight soak — two to four hours is plenty, and at a push you can cook them unsoaked. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part beans for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until tender. Salt only at the end, or the skins stay tough.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Lotus Seeds (Phool Makhana) are puffed seeds of the lotus flower — light, white, and about the size of a marble, with almost no flavour of their own until they are roasted. They are very light for their volume, so a small pack goes a surprisingly long way.

Best for

• Roasted makhana with salt and pepper
• Makhana kheer
• Makhana curry, and fasting or vrat dishes

How to cook it

Roast them in a dry pan or in a spoonful of ghee over low to medium heat for five to seven minutes, stirring often, until they are crisp all the way through — undercooked makhana is chewy and disappointing. Season once off the heat. For kheer, roast them first, then simmer in milk until they soften and swell.

Pack and storage

50 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening — they go soft quickly if left exposed to air.

TRS Mace (Javantri) is the lacy orange-brown covering that grows around the nutmeg seed, dried into brittle blades. It tastes like nutmeg but lighter and more floral, and it colours a pale gravy far less than most whole spices.

Best for

• Korma, white gravies and Mughlai dishes
• Biryani and garam masala blends
• Kebab and kofta mixes, and milk sweets

Using it

A single blade is enough for a family-sized pot. Fry it in ghee with the other whole spices at the start, or grind it into a masala with cardamom and nutmeg. It is brittle and grinds easily, but it clogs a wet grinder, so use a dry spice mill. Remove whole blades before serving.

Pack and storage

50 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Madras Curry Powder — Hot is the fuller-strength blend in the Madras range, built on coriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek and a heavier hand of chilli. It carries real heat, not just colour.

This is the Hot grade. If you would rather have the aroma without the burn, the Mild version of the same blend is the one to reach for.

Best for

• Madras curries with lamb, chicken or fish
• Dry-fried potato and vegetable dishes
• Marinades, and seasoning for rice and lentils

Using it

Fry the powder in a little oil for 30 to 60 seconds before adding onions or tomatoes. That short bloom takes away the raw edge and brings the aroma out properly.

Pack and storage

100 g. Keep sealed, away from heat and light.

TRS Fenugreek Methi Seeds are the small, hard, amber seeds with a maple-like aroma and a pronounced bitterness. This is the 1 kg pack — the size for pickle-making and for grinding your own sambar and rasam powders rather than for occasional tempering.

Best for

• Mango, lime and mixed pickles in quantity
• Homemade sambar powder and rasam powder
• South Indian tempering, fish curries and sprouting

How to cook it

In a tempering they go into hot oil first but for a second or two only — past golden they turn harshly bitter and there is no rescuing the dish. A quarter teaspoon is right for a family-sized pot. For idli and dosa batter, soak a teaspoon with the rice; it helps the batter ferment and gives a softer result.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Pack of 2 × TRS Mustard Seeds Brown 100g.

TRS Poppy Seeds are the small cream-white Indian variety, khus khus — paler and milder than the blue-grey European type. Ground with water they make a thick, faintly nutty paste that thickens a gravy without any flour or cream.

Best for

• Korma, and Bengali and Hyderabadi gravies
• Aloo posto and other posto dishes
• Sweets, and sprinkling over naan and breads

Using it

Soak them in warm water for twenty to thirty minutes before grinding — dry seeds are too small and hard for most mills to catch. Grind to a smooth paste with a little of the soaking water and stir it into the gravy towards the end, then cook gently, as the paste can catch and scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Pack and storage

100 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Ragi Flour is ground finger millet — a wholegrain flour with a deep reddish-brown colour and an earthy, nutty taste quite unlike wheat. It is naturally gluten-free, so on its own it will not hold together the way wheat dough does.

Best for

• Ragi mudde, the Karnataka staple
• Ragi roti and ragi dosa
• Ragi malt and porridge
• Blending into chapati atta for a wholegrain loaf of flavour

How to cook it

For rotis, knead with hot water and work the dough while it is still warm, or mix it half and half with wheat atta so it rolls out properly. For porridge and malt, roast the flour in a dry pan for a couple of minutes first — it deepens the flavour and stops lumps forming — then whisk it into cold water before it ever meets heat.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Red Kidney Beans (Rajma) are large dark red dried beans with a firm skin and a soft, floury inside. They are the bean for rajma — they hold their shape through a long simmer while the gravy thickens around them.

Best for

• Rajma masala with rice
• Chilli and bean stews
• Salads, and thick soups

How to cook it

Soak overnight, or at least eight hours, and discard the soaking water. Dried kidney beans must be boiled hard — bring them to a rolling boil for at least ten minutes before the heat comes down. Then pressure cook for 6 to 8 whistles, or simmer for about 90 minutes, until a bean squashes to a paste. Mash a spoonful into the gravy to thicken it.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) are split, skinned lentils with a bright salmon-orange colour that turns pale gold once cooked. They are the quickest dal in the cupboard — no soaking needed, and they break down to a soft purée in under half an hour.

Best for

• Everyday masoor dal with a garlic tempering
• Thick lentil soups and stews
• Khichdi, and thickening vegetable dishes

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear. Simmer with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 20 to 25 minutes, skimming the foam that rises in the first few minutes, or pressure cook for 2 whistles. Stir towards the end so it does not catch on the base. Finish with ghee or oil tempered with cumin, garlic and dried chilli.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) are split, skinned lentils, orange in the packet and pale gold on the plate. They need no soaking and cook faster than any other dal, which makes them the one to reach for on a weeknight.

Best for

• Everyday masoor dal
• Lentil soups and one-pot stews
• Khichdi, and soft first foods

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear. Simmer with roughly 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 20 to 25 minutes, or pressure cook for 2 whistles, skimming the foam early on. Whisk briefly at the end if you want it smooth. A tempering of cumin, garlic and dried chilli in hot ghee finishes it.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Rice Flour is finely milled white rice — soft, bright white and free of gluten. It gives crispness rather than stretch, which is why it belongs in fried batters and thin lacy dosas rather than in bread. This is the 1.5 kg pack.

Best for

• Rava dosa, neer dosa and appam
• Kozhukattai, modak and idiyappam
• Crisping pakora batter, and thickening sweets

How to cook it

For steamed doughs, pour boiling water onto the flour, stir with a spoon, and knead once it is cool enough to touch. For batters, keep them thin — rice flour keeps thickening as it stands, so check the consistency again right before you cook. A couple of spoonfuls stirred into a pakora batter is the easiest way to get a crisper finish.

Pack and storage

1.5 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Rice Flour is finely milled white rice — soft, powdery and pure white, with no gluten in it at all. It behaves nothing like wheat flour: it gives crispness rather than stretch, which is why it turns up in fried batters and thin dosas.

Best for

• Rava dosa, neer dosa and appam
• Kozhukattai, modak and idiyappam
• Crisping up pakora batter, and thickening sweets

How to cook it

For steamed doughs, add boiling water to the flour rather than the other way round, stir with a spoon, then knead once it is cool enough to handle. For batters, keep them thin and pourable — rice flour thickens as it stands, so check again just before cooking. A spoonful added to a pakora batter is the simplest way to make it crisper.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Roasted Chickpeas (Chana), Unsalted are split chickpeas already roasted dry — known as daria, putani or roasted chana dal. They are crisp and nutty straight from the packet and need no further cooking. Being unsalted, they leave the seasoning entirely up to you.

Best for

• South Indian coconut chutney, where they do the thickening
• Chivda, namkeen and trail mixes
• Grinding into chutney powders and masala blends

Using it

For chutney, grind a handful with coconut, green chilli and a little water until smooth — no soaking, no cooking. For a chutney powder, grind dry with red chilli, garlic and salt to a coarse meal. Eaten as they are, a short toss in a hot dry pan with salt and chilli powder wakes them up.

Pack and storage

300 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening so they stay crisp.

TRS Rose Water is a clear, rose-scented water used as a flavouring in Indian and Middle Eastern sweets. It is a fraction of the strength of rose essence or concentrate, so it is measured in spoons rather than drops.

Best for

• Gulab jamun syrup and rasmalai
• Kheer, falooda and lassi
• Barfi, halwa and sweet biryani finishes

Using it

Add it at the end, off the heat — the aroma is volatile and simmering drives it straight off. A teaspoon or two is enough for a full batch of syrup or a litre of milk. Start with less and taste, because too much rose tips a dessert from fragrant to soapy and there is no taking it back out.

Pack and storage

190 ml bottle. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct light, and keep the cap closed tightly.

TRS Rosecoco Beans are dried borlotti-type beans, speckled pink and cream in the packet and an even brown once cooked. They have a smooth, chestnut-like texture and a mild, faintly sweet flavour that suits a long, slow stew.

Best for

• East African bean stews and githeri
• Minestrone, soups and casseroles
• Bean salads, and coconut-based curries

How to cook it

Soak overnight, or at least eight hours, and throw the soaking water away. Simmer in fresh water for 60 to 75 minutes, or pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles, until a bean crushes easily. They soften more readily than kidney beans, so check early. Salt at the end, and mash a spoonful back in if you want a thicker stew.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Tapioca (Sabudana) are small hard white pearls made from cassava starch. Dry they are chalky and rattle in the packet; soaked properly they swell into soft, translucent beads that stay separate rather than clumping.

Best for

• Sabudana khichdi
• Sabudana vada
• Sabudana kheer, and fasting or vrat meals

How to cook it

Rinse in a sieve until the water runs clear, then soak in just enough water to sit level with the pearls — not more — for four to five hours or overnight. Done right, a pearl crushes to powder between finger and thumb with no hard white centre. Too much water and it turns to glue. Drain fully and fluff with a fork before cooking.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Semolina Coarse is durum wheat milled to a coarse, gritty grain — the rava used for upma and rava dosa, where the texture of the grain is the point. This is the larger 1.5 kg pack.

Best for

• Upma and rava khichdi
• Rava dosa and rava idli
• Sooji halwa, and a crisp coating for fried fish

How to cook it

Dry-roast for four or five minutes over medium heat until it smells nutty and loses its chalky look — without that step upma tastes raw and goes lumpy. Use about 2.5 parts hot water to 1 part semolina for upma, poured in fast and stirred hard. With a pack this size, roast a batch at a time and keep it in a jar ready to use.

Pack and storage

1.5 kg. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Semolina Coarse is durum wheat milled to a coarse grain — the bava or rava grade, noticeably gritty between the fingers. The coarse cut is what gives upma and rava dosa their texture; fine semolina in the same dish turns pasty.

Best for

• Upma and rava khichdi
• Rava dosa and rava idli
• Sooji halwa, and coating for fried fish

How to cook it

Dry-roast the semolina in a pan over medium heat for four or five minutes until it smells nutty and no longer looks chalky — skip this and the upma will be raw-tasting and lumpy. Use roughly 2.5 parts water to 1 part semolina for upma, poured in hot and stirred hard as it goes. For halwa, roast in ghee instead of dry.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Semolina Fine is durum wheat milled to a fine grain — smoother and more powdery than the coarse rava, closer in feel to flour. The fine cut absorbs liquid quickly and sets soft, which is what a smooth halwa or a batter needs.

Best for

• Sooji halwa and sheera
• Rava idli, and soft idli and dosa batters
• Sooji ka cheela, and light baking

How to cook it

Roast it in ghee over low heat for five to seven minutes until it turns a shade darker and smells nutty — fine semolina catches faster than coarse, so keep it moving. For halwa, use roughly 1 part semolina to 3 parts hot liquid, added slowly and stirred hard to stop lumps. Do not substitute it for coarse rava in upma; it goes sticky.

Pack and storage

500 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

TRS Sesame Seeds Black are unhulled black sesame — stronger, more bitter and more strongly scented than the white hulled kind, with a definite crunch that survives cooking.

Best for

• Til laddu, chikki and gajak
• Sprinkling over breads, salads and stir-fries
• Chutneys, and South Indian ellu podi

Using it

Dry-roast in a pan over medium heat, shaking constantly, until they begin to pop and smell nutty — a minute or two, no more, as they burn without changing colour and you cannot see it happening. For laddu and chikki, roast first, then grind or fold into warm jaggery while it is still pourable.

Pack and storage

100 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.