Why we grind every Tuesday
What happens to a spice after it is ground, and how to keep powders fresh.
Journal
Notes from Kurumulaku Spice Co.
Guides, care tips and stories from behind the counter.
A walk through a cardamom estate
From the shade of Idukki’s forests to the curing house: how cardamom is grown.
Filling a masala dabba: seven spices and how much of each
Which spices earn a place in the round steel tin, how much to keep in each bowl, and when to refill.
Kashmiri, Byadgi or Guntur: choosing chilli for colour or heat
Why some chillies colour a curry red without burning, and others bring the heat. A guide to five Indian chillies.
Spices for a Kochi Christmas: plum cake, stew and duck roast
The spices Kochi kitchens buy in December, how much you need for a cake and a roast, and when to start soaking fruit.
How a pepper lot is cleaned on bamboo trays
Sieves, winnowing and many hands: what happens to a sack of pepper between the grower and the grinder.
A morning on Bazaar Road, Mattancherry
Godowns, ginger yards and the old warehouses by the water: a short walk through Kochi’s spice street.
Is my turmeric pure? Simple checks you can do at home
Water, a white cloth and your nose: four kitchen tests for turmeric, chilli and pepper, and what they can and cannot tell you.
What a month of spices costs a family of four
From turmeric to cardamom: how much a Kerala kitchen uses in a month, and what it adds up to at our prices.
New harvest pepper, every January.
One WhatsApp message when each new crop arrives at the godown.