₹148 · Moms Tree, Kamola. Cash on delivery across India. पहाड़ी मिर्च — Pahari mirch, red chilli from Moms Tree, whose listing records it as coming from…
पहाड़ी मिर्च — Pahari mirch, red chilli from Moms Tree, whose listing records it as coming from Nainital, at about 1,400 metres in the Kumaon hills.
Hill chilli is sun-dried and used for heat and deep red colour in dal, rajma, meat and vegetable dishes, in the tadka with jakhiya, and pounded into pisyu loon and pickles. It is one of the three masalas in Moms Tree's Himalayan Swad Box.
The listing does not say whether this is whole or ground, or the pack weight, so check the label. Keep it in an airtight jar away from sunlight and the stove so it keeps its colour and heat.
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.