Spice Shop in Kazhakoottam: Which 5 Spices to Buy First for a New Pantry

If you are stocking a kitchen from scratch, start with five things: Sambar Powder, Turmeric Powder, Green Premium Coriander Powder, Premium Kashmiri Chili Powder and Cold Pressed Coconut Oil. Together they cover a ready blend, a daily staple, a base spice, colour without much heat, and a cooking fat. Add hotter chilli and ghee later.

Last updated 11 October 2026. Written by the Miller Stores team.

Key takeaways

• Cover five jobs, not ten jars: blend, turmeric, coriander base, colour, cooking oil.
• Kashmiri-type chilli is low in heat, so add a hotter chilli when you want fire.
• The product pages say ground spice fades in a few months, so buy small and refill.
• Ask at the counter for current availability.

Where can you shop for spices in Kazhakoottam?

If you cook near Technopark, Kariavattom or Sreekariyam and want a spice shop in Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram, Miller Stores is listed on Google Maps: Miller Stores Kazhakoottam on Google Maps. Check opening hours on the Google Maps listing, and ask at the counter for current availability of any item below.

Which five spices should a first-time pantry start with?

Start with the five that between them cook a Kerala-style meal end to end. Here they are in the order you would reach for them, with the reason each one earns a place.

1. Sambar Powder, the one blend that does a lot

The page describes Sambar Powder as Kerala style: coriander-led, with chilli, fenugreek, curry leaf and roasted dal, plus turmeric. Each component is roasted separately, and the page says there is no rice flour or starch, no added colour and no preservative.

One jar gets you to a full pot. The page suggests roughly one and a half to two tablespoons for four servings, added after the vegetables soften and before the tamarind, starting at the lower end. It lists a 100g pack, which suits a trial.

2. Turmeric Powder for everyday curries

The product page for Turmeric Powder says it is sourced from Gujarat with 3+% curcumin, and suggests curries and golden milk. Pack sizes listed are 250g and 500g. It is the least glamorous jar on the shelf, but it earns a place on day one.

3. Green Premium Coriander Powder, the base spice

Green Premium Coriander Powder is milled from whole green coriander seed. The page calls coriander the base of most South Indian masalas and says fresh-ground seed smells sweet and citrusy rather than dusty.

The page warns that coriander loses aroma faster than most powders, so buy what you will finish in two to three months. Listed packs are 100g, 250g and 500g.

4. Premium Kashmiri Chili Powder for colour without the burn

The page for Premium Kashmiri Chili Powder describes a Kashmiri-type chilli with very low heat and very high colour, and says it is a single ingredient with nothing added to deepen the red. It is used in tandoori marinades, rogan josh and butter chicken-style gravies. The page links a published lab report that screens 221 pesticide residues; the lab reports page shows what is published and what each report covers.

Low heat means it colours a dish but will not spice it much. Our guide on how to choose good chilli powder explains how to match variety to dish; more on this variety is at Kashmiri chilli powder. Listed packs are 100gm, 250gm and 500gm.

5. Cold Pressed Coconut Oil as the cooking fat

The page for Cold Pressed Coconut Oil says it is crushed from sun-dried copra in a wooden rotary press and calls it velichenna in Malayalam. Suggested uses include thoran, avial, fish curry, tempering mustard seeds and curry leaves, and medium-heat frying. Listed sizes are 500ml and 1l.

The page says it sets solid and white below about 24 degrees C, which is normal. Stand the bottle in warm water to liquefy it.

What should you add after the first five?

Add products when a recipe asks for something your shelf lacks.

• Heat: Guntur Chili Powder. Its page says it is several times hotter than Kashmiri, and that if you adapt a recipe written for Kashmiri powder you should start with a quarter of the quantity. Variety notes: Guntur chilli powder; choosing between chillies: how to choose good chilli powder.
• Plain fiery chilli: Spicy Chili (Karnataka), described as famed for fiery heat and a vibrant red colour. Details are on Karnataka spicy chilli powder.
• A deeper turmeric: Lakadong Turmeric Powder, from Meghalaya with 8+% curcumin per its page. The page notes turmeric stains, so use a dedicated container.
• Another coriander: Brown Coriander Powder, which the page describes as a light, citrusy note with mild sweetness.
• Finishing fat: A2 Pure Gir Cow Ghee, made by the bilona method from Gir cow milk, with a listed 250ml pack. The page suggests it for finishing rice, dal and khichdi, and says to keep it in an airtight jar and use a dry spoon.

How do you keep a new spice shelf fresh?

1. Pick the smallest listed pack of any spice you have not cooked with before.
2. Keep it in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dark cupboard, not the fridge; the chilli pages give three to four months for full aroma, and Sambar Powder's about three.
3. Rub a pinch between your fingers. The pages say fresh powder releases aroma at once; if you must work at it, replace it.

Popular products

These ten are popular picks. The line beside each is taken from its product page.

Areas around Kazhakoottam: Technopark, Menamkulam, Chanthavila and more

Kazhakoottam's Wikipedia entry lists Technopark, the KINFRA Apparel Park at Menamkulam and the KINFRA Film and Video Park at Chanthavila among its institutions [1]. Kariavattom and Sreekariyam are named as neighbouring places in their own entries [2][3]. If you live or work in the Kariavattom, Sreekariyam, Technopark, Menamkulam or Chanthavila area, this list is written with you in mind. It makes no claim about delivery or who shops where.

Limits of this list

This is a starting suggestion for a Kerala-style kitchen, drawn from the product pages; your recipes may call for other things. Pack sizes and availability can change, so ask at the counter. See Miller Stores Kazhakoottam on Google Maps for opening hours.

Frequently asked questions

Which spices should a beginner buy first?

Start with Sambar Powder, Turmeric Powder, Green Premium Coriander Powder, Premium Kashmiri Chili Powder and Cold Pressed Coconut Oil. They cover a ready blend, a daily staple, a base spice, colour with low heat, and a cooking fat. Add a hotter chilli, such as Guntur, once you know how hot you like your food.

Do I need both Kashmiri and Guntur chilli powder at the start?

Not necessarily. The Kashmiri page describes very low heat and very high colour, while the Guntur page describes much more heat. If you cook mild, one Kashmiri jar may be enough at first. If you want heat, add Guntur and begin with a quarter of the amount.

Why did my coconut oil turn solid?

The Cold Pressed Coconut Oil page says it sets solid and white below about 24 degrees C, and that this is normal, not spoilage. Stand the bottle in warm water until it liquefies, and keep water and wet spoons out of the bottle.

Can I check what is available at the Kazhakoottam shop before going?

Ask at the counter for current availability. The shop is listed as Miller Stores Kazhakoottam on Google Maps, where you can also check opening hours. The product pages show the pack sizes listed online, but they do not tell you what is on a given shelf today.

Sources

1. Wikipedia. Kazhakoottam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazhakoottam
2. Wikipedia. Kariavattom. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kariavattom
3. Wikipedia. Sreekariyam. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sreekariyam

Visit this Miller Stores location

Store: Miller Stores, Kazhakoottam
Address: Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram
Hours: Verify current hours on Google Maps before visiting.

Open this store in Google Maps. Confirm today’s hours and product availability before travelling.