Spices & Masala Blends

Aachi Sambar Masala Powder is the general-purpose sambar blend, ground fine and balanced so it works with whatever vegetables are in the house rather than being tuned to one regional style. It is mildly hot with the roasted note that a sambar powder needs and a general curry powder does not have.

Best for

• Everyday sambar with mixed vegetables
• Idli, vada and dosa sambar
• Vegetable kootu and poriyal

Using it

Cook toor dal separately until it mashes easily. Boil the vegetables with tamarind water and salt until tender, then stir in one and a half to two teaspoons of the powder for four servings and let it simmer five minutes before the dal goes in, so the powder cooks out. Adding it at the very end leaves a raw, dusty taste. Finish with mustard seeds, dried red chilli, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida fried in oil and poured over off the heat.

Pack and storage

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

Telugu Foods Guntur Red Chilli is the long dried red chilli that Andhra cooking is built on, and it is hot in a way that the milder Kashmiri chilli beside it on the shelf is not. Whole chillies keep their heat and aroma far longer than ground powder, so buying them whole and grinding as needed is worth the extra minute.

Best for

• Andhra curries, pappu and vepudu
• Pickles, podi and chutney powders
• Grinding into fresh chilli powder

Using it

Break or snip the chillies and shake out the seeds if you want colour and flavour without the full heat, since most of the heat sits in the seeds and the pale ribs. For a tempering, fry one or two whole in hot oil with mustard seeds for a few seconds only, until they darken slightly; let them blacken and the whole dish turns bitter. To grind, dry roast on low heat until brittle, cool completely, then grind. Start with fewer than a recipe suggests and adjust.

Pack and storage

100g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight jar away from light.

Aachi Red Chilli Powder is made from premium dried red chillies, ground to a vibrant, fiery powder. It delivers consistent heat and colour to curries, marinades and everyday Indian cooking.

• Vibrant red colour and consistent heat
• Made from premium dried red chillies
  

MDH Dal Makhani Masala is the blend for the slow-cooked Punjabi dal of whole black urad and kidney beans finished with butter and cream. It is warm and mild rather than hot, so it supports the dairy richness instead of cutting through it.

Best for

• Dal makhani with whole urad and rajma
• Kali dal and other slow-simmered lentil dishes
• Buttery tomato-based gravies

Using it

Soak the whole urad and rajma overnight, then pressure cook until completely soft, six to eight whistles. Add the masala to the fried onion, ginger, garlic and tomato base and cook it in the ghee before the dal goes in. Two teaspoons suits a pot for four. Then simmer it low and long, stirring often, and add butter and cream at the end.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Garam Masala is a finishing blend built on warm spices such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom and black pepper, ground fine for stirring into a dish near the end of cooking. It is aromatic rather than hot, and a small quantity carries a long way.

Best for

• Chicken, mutton and paneer curries
• Dal, chana masala and rajma
• Pulao, biryani and vegetable stir-fries

Using it

Add half to one teaspoon in the last two or three minutes of cooking rather than at the start. Long simmering drives off the volatile aroma that makes the blend worth using, which is why it goes in late while a coriander or chilli powder goes in early. For a marinade, mix it with curd and salt and let the meat sit for an hour. If you want a little more depth, warm the measured spoonful in a dry pan for a few seconds before it goes into the pot.

Pack and storage

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

Aachi Kashmiri Chilli Powder is made from Kashmiri dried chillies, prized for their deep red colour and mild heat. It adds a rich crimson hue to dishes like tikka, rogan josh and tandoori preparations without excessive spiciness.

• Brilliant deep red colour, mild heat
• Essential for tikka, rogan josh and tandoori dishes
  

Aachi Chicken Curry Masala is a rich, full-bodied spice blend for classic Indian chicken curry. Made with coriander, cumin, pepper and warming spices, it creates a deeply flavourful gravy every time.

• Rich spice blend for authentic chicken curry
• Balanced coriander, cumin and warm spice base
  

Priya Sambhar Masala is the ground blend for South Indian sambar, so a pot needs only dal, tamarind and vegetables alongside it. It is rounded and mildly hot, with the roasted note that separates a sambar powder from a general-purpose curry powder.

Best for

• Sambar with drumstick, pumpkin or mixed vegetables
• Idli and vada sambar
• Kootu and other dal-and-vegetable dishes

Using it

Cook toor dal until it is soft enough to mash. Separately boil the vegetables with tamarind water and salt until tender, then add one and a half to two teaspoons of the masala for four servings and let it simmer for five minutes so the powder loses its raw edge before the dal goes in. Finish with a tempering of mustard seeds, dried red chilli, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida in oil, poured over the pot off the heat.

Pack and storage

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

MDH Garam Masala is a finishing blend of warm aromatic spices, not a chilli powder and not a dish-specific masala. Cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper and cumin give it fragrance and depth, and it adds almost no heat of its own.

Best for

• Finishing dals, chana and rajma
• Chicken and mutton curries of any style
• Vegetable gravies, keema and pulao

Using it

Add it in the last few minutes of cooking, or stir it in off the heat, because long boiling flattens the aroma it exists to provide. Half to one teaspoon is enough for a dish serving four. If you prefer a deeper flavour, bloom a small pinch in hot ghee and pour it over the finished dish. Use it alongside, not instead of, the main spicing.

Pack and storage

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

MTR Sambar Masala Powder is a ready-made spice blend from MTR, made for preparing sambar, the South Indian lentil and vegetable stew served with rice, idli, dosa and vada. The powder is a blend of roasted lentils, dried red chillies, coriander seeds and other spices ground together, giving sambar its characteristic tangy, spiced flavour.

How to use

• Cook toor dal (split pigeon peas) with vegetables until soft.
• Add tamarind pulp or paste, then stir in the sambar masala powder to taste.
• Simmer for a few minutes and finish with a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil.

Packed in a 200g pack. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and reseal the pack tightly after opening.

MDH Chicken Masala is a straightforward everyday blend for chicken cooked in an onion and tomato gravy. It is balanced rather than specialised, with enough chilli to register and coriander and warm spices filling out the body.

Best for

• Home-style chicken curry with onion and tomato
• Chicken cooked with yoghurt or coconut milk
• Chicken keema and dry chicken fry

Using it

Brown the onion well, add ginger and garlic, then the masala, and fry it in the oil for thirty to forty seconds before the chicken goes in. Around two and a half teaspoons suits half a kilo of chicken. Let the chicken take colour in the masala before you add water, then simmer covered for fifteen to twenty minutes and reduce uncovered at the end.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Chicken 65 Masala is the blend for the South Indian fried chicken of the same name: hot, sharply red and tangy, with chilli well forward. It is a marinade mix rather than a curry powder, so it is used before the frying, not after.

Best for

• Bite-sized boneless chicken fry
• Paneer 65 and gobi 65
• Prawn 65

Using it

Cut boneless chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate with two to three teaspoons of the masala, thick curd, a spoon of cornflour, salt and a squeeze of lemon for at least an hour. Fry in hot oil in small batches so the temperature does not drop, until the pieces are deep red and cooked through. Finish by tossing them in a hot pan with curry leaves and slit green chillies for under a minute, and serve straight away while the coating is still crisp.

Pack and storage

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

Aachi Garam Masala is a classic warming whole-spice blend made from cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and star anise. A finishing spice added to curries, biryanis and marinades for depth and fragrance.

• Classic warming blend of whole aromatic spices
• Use as a finishing spice or marinade enhancer
  

Aachi Chicken 65 Masala is the original spice blend for the iconic South Indian fried chicken dish. Its bold combination of chilli, pepper and aromatic spices creates the signature fiery, tangy Chicken 65 flavour.

• Authentic Chicken 65 flavour profile
• Bold chilli and pepper with aromatic spices
  

Aachi Chaat Masala is a tangy, zingy spice blend that is the soul of Indian street food. Made with amchur, black salt, cumin and chilli, it elevates fruit chaat, pani puri, bhel puri and snacks with its signature sour-spicy kick.

• Tangy street food spice with amchur and black salt
• Perfect for chaat, fruit salad and snack seasoning
  

TRS Garam Masala is the ground blend of warm spices — the finishing masala rather than a base one. Where turmeric and chilli go in at the start of a dish, garam masala is what you stir in near the end to lift the aroma.

Best for

• Finishing curries, dals and vegetable dishes
• Kebab mixes, koftas and marinades
• Chole, rajma and rich meat gravies

Using it

Add half a teaspoon in the last two or three minutes of cooking, or sprinkle it over just before serving — long boiling flattens the aroma and can leave a bitter edge. Use it alongside coriander and cumin powder, not instead of them; it is there for perfume, not for body. Keep the jar tightly shut, as ground blends fade quickly.

Pack and storage

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

MDH Pani Puri Masala is the sour, salty, mint-and-cumin blend used to make the spiced water for pani puri. It is built around tang rather than heat, with roasted cumin and black salt doing most of the work.

Best for

• Pani for pani puri and golgappa
• Jaljeera-style chilled drinks
• Sprinkling over chaat, fruit or boiled potato

Using it

Stir about two tablespoons into a litre of cold water with tamarind pulp and a little jaggery, then leave it for twenty to thirty minutes so the flavour comes together. Strain it, add chopped mint and coriander and chill it thoroughly before serving. Adjust tamarind and salt to taste rather than adding more masala, which can turn the water muddy.

Pack and storage

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

Aachi Dhal Garlic Rice Powder is a savory seasoning powder made with roasted dal, garlic, chilli and spices to transform plain rice into the South Indian favourite 'dal rice'. Quick, easy and packed with flavour.

• Instant dal-garlic seasoning for plain rice
• Rich garlicky and spiced flavour
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Aachi Mutton Masala is a premium blend of aromatic spices crafted for rich mutton preparations. Its complex spice profile with whole spice extracts ensures an authentic, restaurant-quality mutton gravy every time.

• Premium whole spice extract blend for mutton
• Restaurant-quality flavor at home
  

Aachi Meat Masala is a bold, all-purpose spice blend formulated for red meat curries. It combines whole spice extracts with chilli and coriander to deliver a deep, robust flavour to beef, lamb and pork dishes.

• All-purpose masala for beef, lamb and pork
• Deep, robust spice character
  

Aachi Biryani Masala is a versatile, all-purpose biryani spice blend suitable for both rice and meat preparations. Formulated with whole spice extracts, it gives any biryani a perfectly balanced, aromatic depth.

• All-purpose biryani spice blend
• Works with chicken, mutton and vegetable biryani
  

Aachi Egg Curry Masala is a specially formulated spice blend for egg-based curries, delivering a rich, flavourful gravy that complements both boiled eggs and egg fry dishes.

• Tailored spice balance for egg curry
• Creates rich, flavourful gravy
  

MDH Rajmah Masala is the blend for the Punjabi red kidney bean curry eaten with rice. It is warm and moderately tangy, with enough body to season beans that are simmered long and mashed slightly to thicken their own gravy.

Best for

• Rajma chawal with red kidney beans
• Mixed bean and chickpea curries
• Lobia and other whole-pulse dishes

Using it

Soak the kidney beans overnight, then pressure cook them in fresh water until soft enough to crush, around six whistles. Fry onion, ginger, garlic and tomato, add two and a half teaspoons of the masala for 250g of dry beans and cook until the oil separates. Add the beans with their liquid, mash a few against the pan and simmer twenty minutes so the gravy thickens.

Pack and storage

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

MDH Hyderabadi Biryani Masala is the blend for dum biryani in the Hyderabadi style, where the character is aromatic and warm rather than sour. Whole-spice notes of cardamom, clove and cinnamon lead, with moderate chilli behind them.

Best for

• Hyderabadi chicken or mutton dum biryani
• Marinating meat in yoghurt before layering
• Vegetable biryani and spiced rice dishes

Using it

Most of it belongs in the marinade. Mix about three teaspoons into yoghurt with ginger, garlic, fried onion and mint for half a kilo of meat, and leave it for at least an hour. Layer with rice boiled to seventy per cent, seal the pot and cook on the lowest possible flame for twenty-five minutes. Keep a pinch back to scatter between the layers.

Pack and storage

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