Indian

Annam Black Pepper Papadam carries cracked black pepper through the dough, giving a sharp, warming bite that plain papad does not have. The heat is peppery rather than chilli heat, so it builds slowly and clears quickly, and it stands up well next to mild food such as curd rice or a coconut-based curry. Roast it over a low gas flame or in a dry pan, turning constantly for twenty to thirty seconds a side until it lightens and curls, or deep fry it for a few seconds and drain it upright. Serve it soon after cooking, while it is at its most brittle.

Best with

• Curd rice, rasam and mild coconut curries
• Masala papad with onion, tomato and coriander
• Drinks, on its own as a peppery snack

Pack and storage

200g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Plain Papadam (4") is the small, unseasoned papad served alongside a rice meal or handed round with drinks. Cooked properly it puffs and blisters within seconds and stays brittle right through, with a clean salty taste and none of the cumin or pepper of the flavoured versions. The four inch size is the one that sits on a thali, where each person takes one or two rather than sharing a large disc. Roast it over a low gas flame or in a dry pan, turning constantly for twenty to thirty seconds a side until it lightens and curls, or deep fry it for a few seconds in hot oil and drain it upright. It softens in humid air, so cook only as many as you will eat at once.

Best with

• Rice with sambar, rasam or curd
• Crushed over salads and chaat
• Drinks, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chilli

Pack and storage

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

TRS Coconut Powder is finely ground desiccated coconut — dry, pale and powdery rather than the shredded flakes sold for baking. Because it is so fine it dissolves into a gravy instead of sitting on top of it.

Best for

• South Indian and Sri Lankan coconut curries
• Chutneys, masala pastes and korma
• Laddu, barfi and coconut sweets

How to cook it

For a gravy, soak two or three tablespoons in warm water or warm milk for ten minutes, then blend to a smooth paste and stir it in near the end — added dry it will stay grainy. Do not let it boil hard once in, or the sauce splits. For sweets, dry-roast briefly first to bring out the aroma.

Pack and storage

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

Udhaiyam Urid Chilka is split black gram with the black skin left on, so the grains are cream-coloured and flecked with dark husk. It holds its shape better than skinned urid and cooks to a creamy dal with a fuller, earthier flavour and a slight bite from the skin.

Best for

• Everyday urad dal tempered with cumin and garlic
• Punjabi-style dal with tomato and ginger
• Rustic dosa and vada batter where you want the flecks

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times, then soak thirty minutes to an hour to soften the skins. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water for four to five whistles and let the pressure drop on its own — the grains should mash easily against the side of the pan. Finish with a tempering of ghee, cumin, dried red chilli, garlic and asafoetida poured over the top, then simmer a few minutes more so it thickens.

Pack and storage

500g 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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Haldiram Rajma Raseela is a ready-to-eat kidney bean curry in a thick onion and tomato gravy, sealed in a pouch that keeps without refrigeration. The beans are cooked soft enough to give way under a spoon, and the gravy is loose rather than dry, so it sits well over rice.

Best for

• A hot meal on a weeknight with no cooking
• Serving with steamed rice or roti
• Travel, hostels and office lunches

How to cook it

Put the unopened pouch in boiling water for four to five minutes, or tip the contents into a pan and heat for three to four minutes over a medium flame, stirring now and then. In a microwave, cover the bowl and heat for around two minutes, stirring halfway. Add a splash of water if you want a thinner gravy.

Pack and storage

300 g pouch. Store in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate anything left over and finish it the same day.

Parachute Coconut Oil is 100% pure, natural coconut oil widely used in South Asian cooking and hair care. Cold-pressed for maximum quality. German label included.

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.

MDH Kashmiri Mirchi Powder is a single ground chilli rather than a blend, and it is used mainly for colour. It gives a deep red gravy with only mild heat, which is why it is the chilli of choice where the dish should look fiery but taste gentle.

Best for

• Rogan josh, butter chicken and tandoori marinades
• Tomato gravies that need depth of colour
• Pickles, chutneys and stuffed vegetables

Using it

Bloom it in hot oil or ghee for a few seconds off a high flame, as the colour releases into fat far better than into water. Keep the pan moving so it does not scorch and turn bitter. A teaspoon or two colours a curry for four. When you want real heat as well, pair it with a hotter chilli powder rather than simply using more of this one.

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 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 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
  

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.

Priya Idli Karam is the dry spice powder eaten with idli and dosa across Andhra and Telangana, ground from lentils and red chillies with salt. It is coarse, pungent and properly hot, and it is served dry at the table with oil or ghee added on the plate rather than cooked into a dish.

Best for

• Idli and dosa with a spoon of sesame oil
• Upma and pesarattu
• Hot rice with ghee

Using it

Put a teaspoon on the plate, mix it with sesame oil or ghee to a loose paste, and dip the idli or dosa into it; mixing at the table is what keeps the powder dry in the jar. It can also be sprinkled over a dosa on the tawa before folding, or stirred into hot rice with ghee. Use a dry spoon, as any moisture will cake the powder.

Pack and storage

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

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.

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 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.

Priya Extra Hot Mango Avakaya Pickle is the Andhra avakaya made at a higher chilli level: raw mango pieces cured in mustard, chilli powder and oil, cut so the pieces hold their shape. Take the name literally. This is a genuinely fierce pickle and the mustard sits right behind the heat.

Best for

• Hot rice with a generous spoon of ghee
• Curd rice, which takes the edge off
• Plain dosa or pesarattu

Serving

A quarter-teaspoon is a serving for most people, so start smaller than you would with a milder pickle. Use a dry spoon at every serving and press the pieces back down so the oil covers the pickle before the jar is closed, because the part that sits above the oil is the part that spoils. Always serve something plain and cooling next to it.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Tender Mango Pickle is whole baby mangoes, vadu mangai, cured in salted brine rather than in oil. The small fruit stay firm and are eaten whole, and the brine itself turns sour and salty enough to be spooned over rice on its own.

Best for

• Curd rice
• Plain rice with a little of the brine spooned over
• Lemon rice and other tiffin rice dishes

Serving

Lift out two or three mangoes at a time with a dry spoon, never with fingers, and push the remaining fruit back under the liquid before closing the jar, as anything left standing above the brine will spoil. The brine is part of the pickle and should not be drained off. This one is particularly good served cool with curd rice in warm weather.

Pack and storage

300g jar. 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.

Dildaar Basmati Extra Long supplied as a pack of two, for households that get through rice steadily and would rather not reorder every few weeks. It is the same long-grain aromatic rice as the single packs: grains that elongate on cooking, stay separate and firm, and carry a clear aroma that comes through in plain rice as much as in biryani.

Best for

• Biryani and pulao
• Everyday steamed rice with dal and curries
• Jeera rice and fried rice

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for twenty to thirty minutes, which is what allows a long grain to lengthen rather than break. For plain rice, one cup of rice to one and a half cups of water, boiled then covered on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, with ten minutes of resting before the lid comes off. For biryani, parboil to about seventy per cent in salted water, drain, and finish layered on low heat. Loosen the cooked rice with a fork.

Pack and storage

Supplied as a pack of two. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, and leave the second pack unopened until it is needed. Keep rice airtight and away from strong spices, whose aroma basmati absorbs easily.

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 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 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