₹194 · Moms Tree, Kamola. Cash on delivery across India. पहाड़ी आलू मसाला — Pahadi aloo masala, a spice blend for potatoes, from Moms Tree in Kamola…
पहाड़ी आलू मसाला — Pahadi aloo masala, a spice blend for potatoes, from Moms Tree in Kamola, Uttarakhand.
Potatoes are the everyday vegetable of the Uttarakhand hills, cooked as aloo ke gutke (cubed potatoes fried with jakhiya, red chilli and coriander) or as a simple aloo-tamatar sabzi. A blend made for potatoes saves putting the spices together each time: sprinkle it over boiled potatoes as they fry, or into a potato curry near the end.
Check the label for the ingredients and the pack weight. Keep it in a sealed jar away from steam, so the blend does not clump.
Yes. Moms Tree takes cash on delivery, so nothing is paid up front and nothing is charged until the parcel is in your hands.
Arrives by Mon, 16 Nov for most addresses. It is packed and sent by Moms Tree in kamola — not from a warehouse — so it leaves the hills the same week you order it.
Moms Tree, in kamola. Basket of Pahad does not hold stock or pack parcels — the shop does both. We take the payment and hold it until the order reaches you.
Food that has been opened cannot be returned. Anything that arrives damaged, leaking, short, or not what the page said is refunded in full — tell us within 48 hours.
Hill spices are sun-dried in small lots and often ground by hand, so the smell is stronger and the grind coarser than packet spices. Jakhiya is nutty and toasty in hot fat, jambu brings a mild garlic-onion note, timur has a citrus smell and a tingle, and hill turmeric and chilli are deep in colour.
Jakhiya seeds and dried jambu go into hot ghee or mustard oil at the start or end of cooking, as a tadka for potatoes, greens and dal. Ground spices and blends go in towards the end so the aroma stays. Seeds such as bhang and til are roasted for chutney and loon.
Keep every packet sealed in a dry jar, away from the stove, steam and sunlight. Use a dry spoon. Dried leaves such as jambu are the most delicate, and a little moisture is enough to spoil them.
Whole seeds usually keep their smell for many months sealed, ground spices and blends for less. The pack's label gives the shop's own best-before date.
These are dried and ground in small lots, often by hand or in a small village mill, with nothing added for colour or flow. The grind is coarser and the colour follows the crop, so it varies between batches.
Start with less than you would of a bought spice, because fresh hill spices are stronger. Half a teaspoon of jakhiya or a small pinch of jambu is enough for a pot. Taste, then add.
Toast whole seeds lightly in a dry pan for a minute until they smell again, then use them straight away. Ground spices cannot really be revived, which is why small packs are better for those.