Notes from the masala dabba.

Practical tips, small stories and the odd opinion about spices, written by people who cook every day.

Same spice, same brand, and yet one jar is loud and the other is shy. Here's what's usually going on.

You don't need a lab. You need a spoon of hot oil and about ten seconds.

Burnt mustard seeds, raw hing, bitter chilli — most tadka mistakes are just a matter of order.

Ask five households what goes in their garam masala and you'll hear five confident, different answers.

Damp air is the enemy. A few small habits keep your masala dabba happy from June to September.

It smells fierce in the jar, but in hot oil it turns into something rounded, savoury and oddly comforting.

Not sure which masala your kitchen needs?

Talk to us. A short, friendly call is all it takes. We'll help you pick the right masalas for how you actually cook. No cost, no pressure.