Aachi

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.

Aachi Ragi Flour Roasted is finger millet ground to a fine flour and roasted, so the raw, slightly bitter edge of plain ragi flour is already cooked out. It is dark brown, closer to a wholemeal flour in weight, and being pure millet it is naturally gluten-free.

Best for

• Ragi mudde and ragi sangati
• Ragi roti and dosa
• Ragi malt and porridge

How to cook it

For porridge or malt, mix the flour with a little cold water first to a smooth slurry, then pour it into simmering water or milk while stirring; adding flour straight to hot liquid guarantees lumps. For mudde, boil water with a pinch of salt, add the flour in one go, and work it against the sides of the pot with a wooden stick until it comes together as a smooth ball. For roti, make a stiff dough with hot water and pat it out by hand rather than rolling, as ragi dough has no gluten to hold it together.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight container.

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
  

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
  

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 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
  

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 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 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 Tandoori Chicken Masala is the marinade blend for tandoori chicken, carrying both the deep red colour and the spice profile of the clay-oven original so the dish can be made in an ordinary oven or on a grill. It is aromatic and moderately hot, built around chilli, ginger, garlic and warm spices.

Best for

• Whole or jointed tandoori chicken in the oven
• Chicken tikka and kebabs on skewers
• Grilled paneer, prawns and cauliflower

Using it

Marinate in two stages. First rub the scored chicken with lemon juice, salt and a spoon of the masala and leave it twenty minutes, then mix the rest of the masala into thick, hung curd with a little oil and coat the pieces properly. Give it four hours in the fridge, or overnight for a whole bird. Cook hot and fast, around 220C, on a rack so the heat circulates, and brush with butter or oil halfway through to keep the meat from drying.

Pack and storage

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

Aachi Mango Avakkai Pickle is the South Indian raw mango pickle, cut into firm pieces and cured in mustard, chilli and oil. It is hot, salty and sour at once, with the ground mustard sitting behind the chilli, and the mango pieces stay firm enough to bite rather than dissolving into the oil.

Best for

• Hot rice with a spoon of ghee or sesame oil
• Curd rice
• Dosa, idli and chapati

Serving

Avakkai is eaten in small quantities, so a modest spoonful at the side of the plate is the right serving rather than a mound of it. Use a dry spoon every time and press the pieces back down afterwards so the oil covers the pickle again, because whatever sits above the oil line spoils first. If the oil has thickened in a cold kitchen, stand the jar at room temperature before serving rather than warming it.

Pack and storage

300g jar. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

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
  

Aachi Pani Puri Kit brings together the crisp hollow puris and the masala for the spiced water, so the street-food snack can be put together at home without hunting down the parts separately. The masala is sour and salty with mint and cumin behind it, which is the flavour people are actually after when they order pani puri.

Best for

• Pani puri and golgappa at home
• Party and gathering snacks, since guests assemble their own
• Using the masala on its own over fruit chaat or salad

How to cook it

Stir the masala into cold water, taste it, and let it stand for twenty to thirty minutes so the flavour comes out fully; adding fresh coriander, mint and a squeeze of lemon lifts it further. Chill the water well, as lukewarm pani is the usual disappointment. Boiled potato and soaked chickpeas make the standard filling. Crack the top of each puri, fill it, dip and eat it in one, and assemble only as you go, because a filled puri collapses within seconds.

Pack and storage

133g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Aachi Kashmiri Chilli Whole is the mild dried red chilli kept for colour rather than heat. Whole chillies hold their colour and aroma far better than a ground powder does, so grinding or soaking them as you need them gives a noticeably deeper red than a jar of powder that has been open for months.

Best for

• Tandoori and tikka marinades
• Butter chicken, rogan josh and other rich North Indian gravies
• Chilli pastes, pickles and chutneys

Using it

For colour, soak four or five chillies in hot water for twenty minutes, drain, and grind to a smooth paste, then fry that paste in oil until the oil itself turns red. A wet paste gives up far more colour than dry powder. For tempering, drop one or two in whole and take them out before they darken. If the dish also needs heat, use these for the colour and a hotter chilli for the bite.

Pack and storage

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

Aachi Hyderabadi Dum Biryani Masala is a carefully balanced spice blend capturing the royal flavours of Hyderabadi dum biryani. It combines star anise, kewra, saffron notes and warm spices for an authentic result every time.

• Authentic Hyderabadi dum biryani spice profile
• Contains whole spice extracts and saffron notes
  

Aachi Fish Curry Masala is a coastal-style spice blend with tamarind, kokum and warming spices that perfectly complement fish and seafood. It creates rich, tangy South Indian fish curry gravies with minimal effort.

• Coastal spice blend with tamarind notes
• Perfect for South Indian fish curry and gravy
  

Aachi Tandoori Chicken Masala is a classic clay-oven inspired marinade spice blend that gives chicken its unmistakeable smoky, charred red colour and flavour. Perfect for tandoor, oven or grill cooking.

• Authentic tandoori colour and smoke flavour
• Suitable for oven, grill and BBQ cooking
• Wholesale tray: 100g x 10 packs per tray

Aachi Chilli Chicken Masala is an Indo-Chinese spice blend that perfectly replicates the bold, saucy flavour of restaurant chilli chicken. Featuring soy, pepper and aromatic spices, it's ideal for the classic dry or gravy version.

• Indo-Chinese chilli chicken spice profile
• Suitable for both dry and gravy-style chilli chicken
  

Aachi Pav Bhaji Masala captures the iconic buttery, tangy and mildly spiced flavour of Mumbai's famous street food. Use it to make authentic pav bhaji from mixed vegetables in minutes.

• Buttery tangy spice blend for Mumbai Street food
• Balanced spice profile for the whole family
  

Aachi Idicha Sambar Powder is a freshly ground style sambar spice blend with a coarser texture that adds an extra layer of flavour and aroma to your sambar. Ideal for traditional home-style cooking.

• Coarser ground sambar powder for extra flavour depth
• Traditional home-style sambar recipe
  

Aachi Paneer Butter Masala is a rich, creamy spice blend for the beloved North Indian cottage cheese dish. Its tomato, butter and cashew-inspired flavour profile creates a restaurant-quality, mildly spiced gravy at home.

• Creamy tomato-butter spice profile
• Restaurant-quality results at home