Priya

Priya Ginger & Garlic Paste is ground ginger and garlic in a ready-to-spoon paste, which takes the daily peeling and grinding out of the cooking. One spoonful stands in for roughly equal parts of fresh ginger and garlic in most Indian recipes.

Best for

• Curry and gravy bases
• Marinades for chicken, fish and paneer
• Biryani, pulao and dal tempering

Using it

Add it once the onions have softened and fry on medium heat until the raw smell goes and the paste stops sticking, usually a minute or two. Put it into oil that is too cold and it stays raw; put it into oil that is smoking and the garlic burns, which turns the whole dish bitter. About a tablespoon suits 500g of meat or a curry for four. Use a clean, dry spoon every time.

Pack and storage

300g jar. Store in a cool, dry place; keep sealed and refrigerated after opening.

Priya Idli Rava is coarsely ground rice, the granular rice rava used with urad dal to make idli batter without grinding whole rice from scratch. It gives idlis a slightly grainier, more open texture than a batter ground entirely from soaked rice, and being pure rice it is naturally gluten-free.

Best for

• Idli batter made with urad dal
• Soft steamed idlis for breakfast
• Steamed rice cakes and rice-and-dal batters generally

How to cook it

Soak urad dal with a little fenugreek for four hours and grind it to a light, fluffy paste. Separately soak the rava in water for about twenty minutes, then squeeze out the excess water and fold it into the ground dal, roughly two parts rava to one part dal by volume. Add salt, cover, and leave it somewhere warm for eight to twelve hours until the batter has risen. Pour into greased idli plates and steam for ten to twelve minutes.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Gongura Pickle is the Andhra roselle-leaf pickle, made without garlic: gongura leaves cooked down in oil with chilli and mustard until they turn dark and jammy. The leaves carry their own sharp sourness, quite unlike tamarind or lime, and that sourness is the reason the pickle is eaten.

Best for

• Hot rice with a spoon of ghee
• A side with pappu, or dal, and rice
• Dosa, idli and ragi sangati

Serving

Mix a teaspoon into the first few mouthfuls of hot rice and eat it with something plain alongside; gongura is strong enough to carry a meal on its own. Use a dry spoon and smooth the surface afterwards so the oil covers the pickle again before the jar is closed. Keep the oil layer intact and it will hold well in the fridge once opened.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Thokku Pickle is made in the thokku style, grated and cooked down in oil until it becomes a thick, spreadable paste rather than a pickle of whole pieces. It is made without garlic, and it is sour and hot in roughly equal measure.

Best for

• Hot rice with a spoon of oil or ghee
• Curd rice and lemon rice
• Chapati, paratha and dosa

Serving

A thokku mixes straight into hot rice without needing to be chopped or mashed first, which is the main reason to keep one in the house. Use a dry spoon on every occasion and smooth the surface afterwards so the oil covers the pickle again. Start with a teaspoon for a plate of rice and add more to taste, since the salt level is high.

Pack and storage

300g jar. 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.

Priya Lime Pickle in Lime Juice is lime pieces cured in their own juice and salt rather than in oil, which makes it sharper and cleaner on the palate than an oil pickle. The rind softens as the jar stands, and sourness leads, with chilli behind it.

Best for

• Curd rice
• Sambar rice and a South Indian thali
• Dosa, idli and chapati

Serving

Serve a piece or two at the side of the plate; this is a sharp pickle and a little sets off a whole meal. Use a dry spoon every time and press the pieces back under the juice before closing the jar, since fruit left above the liquid is what spoils first. There is no oil layer here, so the juice is doing that job and should never be poured away.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Instant Rava Idli Mix is a semolina-based idli mix that needs no overnight fermentation, so the batter rests for a few minutes and goes straight into the steamer. The idlis come out soft with the slightly grainy bite that rava idli is known for.

Best for

• A quick breakfast idli with coconut chutney
• Idli with sambar
• Lunch boxes and last-minute tiffin

How to cook it

Mix the powder with thick curd and water to a spoonable batter, adding the water a little at a time, and leave it to stand for ten to fifteen minutes so the rava swells. A tempering of mustard seeds, broken cashew and curry leaves stirred through at this point is traditional. Grease the idli plates, fill them three-quarters full and steam for ten to twelve minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Rest the plates for two minutes before unmoulding, or the idlis tear.

Pack and storage

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

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.

Priya Tomato Pickle is a cooked tomato pickle in oil, made without garlic. Unlike a cut-fruit pickle it has no firm pieces to bite through; it spreads like a thick chutney, sour and hot together, with the tomato cooked down until it darkens.

Best for

• Idli and dosa
• Curd rice and plain hot rice
• Chapati rolls and sandwiches

Serving

Because it is soft, it can be spread rather than spooned, which makes it the easiest of the pickles to use in a roll or on toast. Take it out with a dry spoon every time, and level the surface so the oil settles back over the pickle before the jar goes away. Do not return an unused portion from the plate to the jar. A teaspoon is enough alongside a full meal.

Pack and storage

300g jar. 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.

Priya Amla Pickle is Indian gooseberry, cut in pieces and pickled in oil with chilli and mustard, made without garlic. Amla is astringent and very sour on its own; the salt and oil round it out, leaving a puckering tartness that stays on the tongue well after the mouthful.

Best for

• Curd rice
• Plain hot rice with ghee
• Dal and rice, or khichdi

Serving

One piece at a time is plenty, particularly if amla is new to you, as the astringency is stronger than in a mango or lime pickle. Use a dry spoon and press the pieces back under the oil before the jar is closed, since anything above the oil line spoils first. Serve it alongside something plain and starchy rather than with another sour dish.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Gongura Red Chilli Pickle is the sour roselle-leaf pickle with red chilli worked into it, so it runs hotter than the plain version while keeping the same distinctive leaf sourness underneath. It is made without garlic.

Best for

• Hot rice with a spoon of ghee
• Dal and rice, or ragi sangati
• Curd rice, which balances the heat

Serving

Start with half a teaspoon, since the chilli is noticeably forward here and it is easier to add a second spoon than to sit through the first one. Use a dry spoon and level the surface so the oil covers the pickle again before the jar goes away; pickle left above the oil line spoils first. Serve something plain alongside rather than another strongly spiced dish.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Mango Avakaya Pickle is the Andhra mango pickle: raw mango cut in pieces and cured in mustard, chilli powder and oil. This is the version made without garlic, for kitchens that keep garlic out. The taste is hot, salty and sour all at once, with the mustard coming through clearly behind the chilli.

Best for

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

Serving

Avakaya is meant to be eaten in small quantities, so serve a modest spoonful at the side of the plate rather than mixing it through the whole meal. Always use a dry spoon and press the pieces back down afterwards so the oil covers the pickle again, because anything sitting above the oil line is what spoils first. If the oil has thickened in a cold kitchen, let the jar stand at room temperature for a while before serving.

Pack and storage

300g jar. 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.

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 Gongura Onion Pickle takes the same sour roselle-leaf base and cooks onion into it, which rounds off the sharp edge and gives the pickle more body and a faint sweetness. It is made without garlic, and it is the gentler of the gongura pickles.

Best for

• Hot rice with ghee or sesame oil
• Curd rice and dal rice
• Chapati, dosa and paratha

Serving

Because the onion softens the sourness, this one takes a fuller spoonful than plain gongura and works better as a spread on a chapati or roll. Use a dry spoon at every serving and press the pickle down so the oil settles back over the top before closing the jar. Never return leftover pickle from a plate to the jar.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Green Chilli Pickle is sliced green chillies pickled in oil with mustard and salt, made without garlic. This is one of the hotter pickles on the shelf: the chilli is the whole point of it, softened but not tamed by the spices around it.

Best for

• Curd rice and plain dal and rice
• Paratha, roti and khichdi
• Pulihora and other tiffin rice dishes

Serving

Take one or two slices rather than a spoonful, at least until you know how hot you find it. Use a dry spoon and press the chillies back under the oil before putting the jar away, as any piece left above the oil line will spoil ahead of the rest. Serving it next to curd or yoghurt rice is the usual way to keep the heat in balance.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Pulihora Paste is the Andhra tamarind rice concentrate, with tamarind, chilli and tempering spices already cooked down so that making pulihora comes down to stirring the paste through cooked rice. It is sour first, then salty and hot.

Best for

• Pulihora, or tamarind rice
• Festival meals and lunch boxes
• Tamarind sevai and vermicelli dishes

Using it

Cook the rice so the grains stay separate, spread it on a wide plate and let it cool to just warm, because hot rice turns sticky and the grains break when you mix. Stir in two to three tablespoons of paste per two cups of cooked rice, then taste and adjust. Finish with a fresh tempering of mustard seeds, chana dal, peanuts and curry leaves in oil, and leave the rice to stand for fifteen minutes before serving so it takes up the flavour.

Pack and storage

300g jar. Store in a cool, dry place; keep sealed and refrigerated after opening.

Priya Coriander Pickle is fresh coriander ground into a pickle with oil, chilli and salt, made without garlic. It is green and herbal rather than fruity, closer to a preserved chutney than a cut-fruit pickle, and it spreads easily straight from the jar.

Best for

• Chapati and paratha rolls
• Hot rice with a spoon of ghee
• Sandwiches and toast

Serving

Use it where you would use a green chutney, but in smaller quantity, since it is saltier and sharper than a fresh one. Take it out with a dry spoon and level the surface so the oil covers the pickle again before closing the jar. Keep it in the fridge once opened and it will hold its colour longer, though it will darken with time either way.

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.

Priya Dosa Mix is a ready dosa batter powder of rice and lentil flours: you add water and let it ferment, instead of soaking and grinding rice and urad dal overnight. It makes a standard thin, crisp dosa rather than a thick set dosa.

Best for

• Plain and masala dosa
• Onion and podi dosa
• Weekend breakfast with chutney and sambar

How to cook it

Mix the powder with water to a smooth pouring batter, thinner than a pancake batter, and leave it covered somewhere warm for six to eight hours, or overnight in a cold kitchen, until it rises a little and smells faintly sour. Stir in salt. Heat the tawa until a drop of water skitters across it, wipe it with oil, pour a ladleful in the centre and spread outwards in a spiral. Drizzle oil round the edge and cook until the base lifts away on its own; a dosa that sticks means the tawa was not hot enough.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Rasam Masala is the ground blend for rasam, with pepper and cumin forward and coriander and dried chilli behind them. Rasam is the thin, sour, peppery broth eaten with rice towards the end of a South Indian meal, and this blend is built for that rather than for a thick gravy.

Best for

• Tomato rasam and pepper rasam
• Rasam rice with a spoon of ghee
• Drinking as a clear broth on its own

Using it

Simmer tamarind water with chopped tomato, salt and a teaspoon of the masala for four servings until the raw tamarind smell is gone, about five minutes. Add thin dal water or plain water, and take the pot off the heat the moment it froths at the edges. Rasam should never reach a rolling boil, which dulls the pepper. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves in ghee, pour them over, and add fresh coriander at the last moment.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Red Chilli Paste is red chillies ground to a smooth paste, ready to spoon into the pan in place of soaking and grinding dried chillies yourself. It carries colour as well as heat, so it goes into the gravy early where both can do their work.

Best for

• Curry and gravy bases that need depth of colour
• Marinades for chicken, prawn and paneer
• Chilli chicken, chilli paneer and Indo-Chinese sauces

Using it

Fry one to two teaspoons in oil with the onion base until the oil takes on the colour and the raw smell has lifted, about a minute. Start low: the paste is concentrated, and it is far easier to add a second spoon than to rescue a dish that has gone past what you can eat. As a marinade base, loosen it with lemon juice and a little curd. Use a clean, dry spoon at every use.

Pack and storage

300g jar. Store in a cool, dry place; keep sealed and refrigerated after opening.

Pack of 2 × Priya Green Chilli (Sliced) Pickle Without Garlic 300g.