Masala Items

Our Melkote Sambar Powder is ground fresh in the traditional proportions handed down through generations of temple kitchen cooking. Each spice is roasted separately before grinding so that the coriander, chillies, dal and aromatics each contribute properly rather than blurring into one flat note. A single spoon is enough to give your sambar the depth that would otherwise require a whole spice box and considerable patience. There are no fillers and no artificial colour, so what you taste is only the spices themselves. Sambar that tastes like it came from a temple kitchen, without the temple kitchen effort...

The same authentic Melkote sambar recipe, in a 100g pack made for smaller households or for anyone trying the range for the first time. The spices are roasted individually and ground fresh, giving the powder its distinctive aroma the moment the packet is opened. This size covers several meals comfortably while ensuring the powder stays fragrant right to the end, rather than sitting half-used in a cupboard for months. No fillers, no artificial colour. A small pack that will change how your sambar tastes...

Melkote Rasam Powder is built around black pepper, with cumin, coriander and other aromatics balanced so the finish stays clean rather than heavy. Simply stir it into tamarind water, bring it to a boil and comforting rasam is ready in minutes, with none of the roasting and grinding that the dish traditionally demands. It also works well as a base for pepper-heavy dishes such as pepper rasam rice or pepper chicken. Store it sealed and dry to hold the aroma. The comfort of a proper rasam, ready in the time it takes to boil water...

A handy 100g pack of our fresh, pepper-forward rasam powder, sized so it is used up while still at its most aromatic. The blend gives rasam its characteristic sharpness and clean finish without any heaviness, and it dissolves easily into tamarind water. This is the easiest way to try the blend before moving to the larger pack, and it is a good size for households where rasam is made a few times a week rather than daily. Fresh, potent and ready whenever you are...

Melkote Puliogare Gojju is a ready-to-mix tamarind paste that turns plain rice into proper puliogare in under a minute. The tamarind, jaggery, spices and oil are all cooked down together in advance, so there is no grinding, no tempering and no long list of steps at your end. Simply mix the required quantity into hot rice, let it rest a few minutes, and serve. It is a genuine lifesaver for lunchboxes, long journeys, temple visits and unexpected guests. Traditional puliogare, without any of the traditional work...

This is the dry powder version of our puliogare mix, offering a longer shelf life and much easier storage than the paste. Because the oil is added by you rather than pre-mixed, you have full control over how rich or light the final rice turns out. It travels particularly well, which makes it a favourite for journeys, hostel rooms and households that cook away from a full kitchen. Just mix with hot rice and a spoon of oil or ghee. All the flavour of puliogare, in the most practical form possible...

The same dry puliogare mix in a compact 100g pack that keeps well and carries easily. You control the oil and the consistency, so the rice can be as light or as rich as you prefer, which suits anyone watching what goes into their food. It is a practical trial size for first-time buyers, and a sensible one for small households where a larger pack would sit unused. Store it sealed and dry. Traditional tamarind rice, ready whenever you are...

Melkote Bisibelebath Powder is a carefully balanced Karnataka-style masala in which no single spice is allowed to dominate the dish. Rice, dal, vegetables and this powder is genuinely the entire recipe, which turns one of South India's most satisfying one-pot meals into something you can make on a weeknight. The spices are roasted and ground fresh, so the aroma when cooking is unmistakable. Serve hot with a spoon of ghee, some boondi and papad on the side. A complete meal without a complicated method...

A 100g trial size of our bisibelebath masala, enough for three or four family meals. It carries exactly the same blend and proportions as the larger pack, simply in a quantity that suits households where bisibelebath is an occasional treat rather than a weekly fixture. The powder keeps its aroma well when stored sealed and dry, and dissolves smoothly into the cooking rice and dal. A smaller commitment with the same authentic result on the plate...

Melkote Vangibath Powder turns ordinary brinjal and rice into a deeply aromatic dish that tastes far more elaborate than the effort involved. The blend of roasted coriander, chillies, dal and coconut carries a warmth and depth that works beautifully with brinjal, but it is equally good with capsicum, raw banana, or simply stirred through plain rice with a little oil. Just sauté the vegetable, add the powder and fold in cooked rice. A quick way to make an everyday meal feel like an occasion...

The same bold, aromatic vangibath masala in a smaller 100g pack. It is ideal for trying the blend for the first time, or for households that cook vangibath now and then rather than regularly. The smaller size means the powder is used while still at its most fragrant, which matters with a roasted-spice blend like this one. Works with brinjal, capsicum, raw banana or plain rice. A little pack that makes a very good lunch...

Our Mango Thokku is made from raw mango, slow-cooked in the traditional way until the tanginess, spice and oil settle fully into one another. The slow cooking is what gives it depth, and it is the reason a good thokku tastes so different from a quick pickle. It lifts curd rice, dosa and chapati equally well, and needs nothing added to it. Stored properly with a clean dry spoon, a jar lasts well through the season. The taste of a South Indian summer, ready whenever you open the jar...

Rich, tangy and slow-cooked until the tomato loses all its rawness, this thokku carries a depth that only proper cooking time can produce. It works as an instant side dish for idli and dosa, a spread for chapati, and a dependable companion for travel meals when nothing else is available. Because it is fully cooked in oil, it keeps well without refrigeration as long as a clean dry spoon is used. Spoon it straight from the jar, no preparation needed. The most useful jar in your kitchen...

Puliyodharai Thokku gives you proper tamarind rice in under a minute. Everything that makes the dish difficult, the roasting, the grinding, the tempering and the careful balancing of tamarind and jaggery, has already been done. All you do is mix the required quantity into hot rice and let it rest for a few minutes so the flavours settle. It is perfect for lunchboxes, temple visits, long journeys and unexpected guests. Traditional puliyodharai on the table, with none of the traditional preparation...

Fresh mint is ground and slow-cooked into a thokku that is aromatic and cooling rather than heavy, with a clean finish that lingers pleasantly. It pairs beautifully with curd rice, rotis and plain dosa, and works well as a sandwich spread too. Mint thokku is a good change of pace when tomato and mango start to feel routine, and it is lighter than most other varieties. Use a clean dry spoon and it will keep well for weeks. Fresh, green and genuinely refreshing...

Fresh coriander leaves are ground and slow-cooked into a bright, herby thokku with a clean, green finish. It is excellent with dosa, idli and plain rice, and particularly good stirred into a bowl of curd. Unlike heavier thokkus, this one is light enough to eat often without tiring of it, which is why many households keep a jar going year-round. Use a clean dry spoon and store it in a cool, dark place. Fresh coriander flavour, captured and ready to use...

Curry leaves are naturally rich in iron and long valued for hair and digestive health, yet most of us push them to the side of the plate. Karuveppilai Thokku solves that entirely by grinding and slow-cooking them into a deeply flavourful preparation that people actually want to eat. It is a traditional recipe that very few households still make from scratch, given the time involved. Serve with hot rice and ghee, or alongside curd rice. A practical way to get curry leaves into your diet instead of around it...

Made with vallarai keerai, a leaf long valued in traditional Indian practice for supporting memory and brain function. This makes it a particularly strong choice for health-conscious buyers and for families with students preparing for exams. The flavour is distinctive and slightly bitter in the best way, and it pairs best with plain rice and a spoon of ghee or gingelly oil. Traditionally it was eaten in small quantities regularly rather than in large servings. A traditional brain tonic, in the most palatable form available...

Onions are slow-cooked until they caramelise fully, producing a thokku that is sweet, mellow and rounded rather than sharp. It is easily the most crowd-pleasing variety in our range, versatile enough for dosa, chapati and curd rice, and good as a sandwich spread as well. The long cooking removes all the rawness, which is why even those who avoid raw onion tend to enjoy it. Use a clean dry spoon to keep the jar fresh. The one everybody in the family will actually agree on...

ABC Malt brings together almond, badam and cashew, ground into a nourishing malt powder for daily nutrition. Just add hot milk and you have a wholesome drink that suits children who need building up and elders who need something easy to digest. Unlike most commercial health drinks, there is no long list of additives here, only nuts ground into a fine powder. It works equally well warm in the morning or as an evening drink before bed. Simple, honest nutrition in a glass, the way it used to be made at home...