CHAMMANDHI PODI

Whole spices, roasted and ground in small batches. No starch or rice flour bulking, no added colour, no preservative and no MSG. Ask at the counter for the exact composition of the current batch.

Yes, it is blended and milled in small batches rather than pre-ground and stored, because ground spice loses its aroma within a few months.

Blended to a moderate level so most households can use it as it comes. We can grind it hotter or milder to order if you tell us at the counter.

About three months in an airtight, opaque container kept cool and dark. It stays safe to eat longer than that, but it stops tasting of much.

Because there is no anti-caking agent in it. Ground spice absorbs moisture from the air and packs together. Break it up with a dry spoon; it is a sign of what is absent, not a fault.

Yes. It is made from spices, dal and salt only, with no animal-derived ingredient and no anti-caking agent.

No. No MSG, no artificial flavour, no colour and no preservative. The flavour comes from roasting the whole spices properly, which is also why it has a shorter shelf life than a supermarket packet.

It is blended and ground in small batches from whole spices rather than produced in a long factory run and warehoused. There is no filler, no colour and no preservative in it, so it smells of the spices themselves - and it has a shorter useful life than a packet, which is the honest trade-off.

Yes, in small batches. Ground spice loses its aroma within a few months, so holding large quantities of a finished blend would defeat the point.