SpicesBehind the Scenes
The Spice Route: 5 Masalas That Define Our Kitchen
Gourav SinghalJan 14, 20266 min read
Our masalas are ground in small batches, dry-roasted by hand, stored in steel — and they make all the difference.
Walk past our kitchen at 9 AM and you'll smell it before you see it. Cumin hitting hot iron. Cardamom cracking under a stone. Black pepper coarsely ground into a brown paper cone.
**Garam Masala** — 11 whole spices, dry-roasted, ground weekly. Never bought. **Chaat Masala** — Black salt, amchur, dried mint. The soul of our pani puri. **Tandoori Masala** — Deghi mirch, fenugreek, dried ginger. Lipstick-red, never artificially coloured. **Achari Masala** — Mustard, fennel, kalonji. Sharp, sour, alive. **Pind Masala** — Our village-style blend. Recipe locked in the chef's notebook.
If a dish tastes "different" at Desi Chef, it's not luck. It's the masala.