Sri Sai Nuts & Spices

Black pepper (மிளகு) – the King of Spices, grown in the Western Ghats and used in South Indian kitchens more than almost anywhere else. These are whole black peppercorns. Buying whole is not fussiness: pepper's heat and aroma come from oils that escape almost immediately once the corn is cracked, so freshly ground pepper is sharper, more fragrant and more citrusy than anything from a packet of powder. In Tamil cooking pepper is foundational, not a table condiment. It is the defining spice of milagu rasam and pepper chicken, it is ground with cumin into milagu kuzhambu, it seasons curd rice and buttermilk, and it is crushed into kashayam with tulsi and ginger at the first sign of a cold. In Western cooking it finishes almost everything, from eggs to salads to steak. Pepper contains piperine, the compound behind its pungency, which is also known to improve absorption of turmeric's curcumin, a reason the two are so often cooked together. Store whole peppercorns in an airtight jar away from heat and light, where they keep their potency for years, and grind fresh at the point of use. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Pistachios (பிஸ்தா) – premium green kernels, prized as much for their colour as their flavour in Indian sweets and desserts. These are our unsalted pistachios, the grade to buy when the nut is going into food rather than into a snack bowl. The kernels have the deep green-and-violet colour that makes them the finishing touch on kulfi, kaju katli, badam halwa, phirni and shrikhand, and a sweet, faintly resinous flavour that no other nut substitutes for. Slivered, they garnish; ground, they colour and thicken. Pistachio paste is the base of pista kulfi and pista burfi. Chopped coarsely, they fold into baklava, biscotti and nut-studded chocolate. Unsalted kernels are also the right choice if you are making pistachio milk or feeding them to small children. Pistachios carry plant protein, fibre, potassium and vitamin B6, and are among the lower-calorie tree nuts by weight. Colour is the thing to protect. Keep them airtight and away from light and heat, both of which fade the green over time, and refrigerate in humid weather. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Salted pistachios (உப்பு பிஸ்தா) – roasted and salted, the snacking grade, sold at a friendlier price than our premium unsalted kernels. These are pistachios meant to be eaten as they are: roasted through, seasoned with salt, and ready the moment the pack opens. The roasting deepens the flavour and firms the bite, and the salt makes them the most companionable nut on a table, the one people keep returning to through a conversation. Buy these for snacking, for travel, for guests and for the tea tray. They suit drinks particularly well, and they mix into a nut bowl alongside roasted cashews and almonds without needing any preparation. For cooking, reach for our unsalted pistachios instead. Salt and roasting both work against desserts, where you want clean green colour and a neutral sweetness rather than a savoury edge. Pistachios provide plant protein, fibre, potassium and vitamin B6. Roasted nuts stale faster than raw ones. Keep the pack sealed and away from heat, and finish it within a few weeks of opening for the best crunch. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Pumpkin seeds (பூசணி விதைகள்) – flat green kernels with a firm, satisfying chew, one of the best plant sources of magnesium and zinc. These are hulled pumpkin seed kernels, so there is no white shell to crack: they are ready to eat as they are. Raw, they are mild and slightly sweet. Dry-roasted for a few minutes in a pan until they begin to pop, they turn nutty and considerably more flavourful, which is how most people prefer them. They are the most versatile seed in the pantry. Roast with salt and chilli powder for a snack that beats any fried namkeen. Scatter over salads, soups, curd rice and upma. Blend into chutney or pesto. Fold into granola, energy bars and ladoo. They also toast well alongside sunflower seeds as a mixed seed sprinkle for everyday use. Pumpkin seeds are particularly high in magnesium and zinc, and also provide plant protein, iron and healthy fats. Store airtight away from heat and light; refrigerate in warm weather, since the oil content means they can go stale. A sharp or bitter smell is the sign they have turned. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Sunflower seeds (சூரியகாந்தி விதைகள்) – light, crisp kernels with a gentle nutty flavour, the most affordable everyday seed on the shelf. These are hulled kernels, ready to eat without shelling. The taste is mild and clean, closer to a soft nut than to a strong seed, which makes them the easiest seed to introduce to anyone who does not usually eat them. A light dry-roast deepens the flavour and adds crunch. Their mildness makes them endlessly useful. Roast with a little salt for a snack. Scatter over salads, curd rice, poha and upma. Stir into granola, energy bars and breakfast cereal. Grind into a seed butter for anyone avoiding nuts, or blend into chutney. They are also a common addition to bread and multigrain rotis. Sunflower seeds are a good source of vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, plant protein and healthy fats, and are one of the least expensive ways to add all of that to a diet. Keep them airtight and away from heat and light, and refrigerate in warm weather. Like all oily seeds, they go rancid if stored badly, and the smell makes it obvious when they have. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Walnuts (அக்ரோட்) – rich, earthy halves with a mild bitterness that makes them the most grown-up nut in the pantry. Walnuts do not taste like the sweet nuts around them. The flavour is deeper and slightly tannic, with a soft, oily texture rather than a hard snap. That bitterness is a feature: it is what stops a walnut brownie or a banana walnut cake from tasting one-dimensionally sweet. A light dry-roast tames it and brings out the aroma. They are as useful in savoury cooking as in baking. Chopped, they go into cakes, cookies, granola and halwa. Toasted, they lift salads, pasta and roasted vegetables. Ground with garlic and olive oil, they make a quick sauce. They are also the standard nut in a soaked-overnight breakfast alongside almonds. Walnuts are the leading tree-nut source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, and also supply fibre, magnesium and antioxidants. Their oil content makes them the most perishable nut we sell: rancidity shows up as a sharp, paint-like smell. Keep them airtight in the refrigerator, especially through Chennai's warm months, and buy in quantities you will use within a few weeks. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Watermelon seeds (தர்பூசணி விதைகள்) – hulled white kernels with a clean, nutty taste, a traditional ingredient in Indian cooling drinks and sweets. These are the soft inner kernels, shelled and ready to eat, not the hard black seeds from the fruit. The flavour is mild and nutty, and the texture is tender rather than crunchy, which makes them easy to grind smooth. They have a long history in Indian kitchens. Ground with almonds and cucumber seeds, they are part of the classic thandai and cooling summer sherbet. They thicken gravies in the same way melon-seed paste does in Mughlai cooking, they go into sweets and ladoo, and they are roasted with salt as a light snack. A spoonful stirred into curd or a smoothie adds protein without altering the flavour. Watermelon seeds are a good source of plant protein, magnesium, zinc, iron and healthy fats, and are notably high in protein for their size. Store airtight in a cool, dry place. Their oil content means they should be kept out of heat and used within a few months; refrigerate during warm weather. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.

Yellow raisins (மஞ்சள் உலர் திராட்சை) – plump, golden and mildly sweet, the lighter, more delicate cousin of black raisins. These are dried from green grapes and keep a pale golden colour and a soft, juicy texture. The flavour is gentler and cleaner than black raisins, with none of their tannic depth, which is exactly why they are preferred where the raisin should not overpower anything around it. This is the raisin for sweets and baking. Fried in ghee, they are the classic garnish for payasam, kesari, sakkarai pongal and semiya. They stud biryani and ghee rice. In baking they go into cakes, cookies, breads and granola, and they are the standard raisin in a child's lunchbox or a bowl of curd rice. Yellow raisins provide natural sugars, dietary fibre, potassium and antioxidants, and make a practical quick-energy snack. Keep them airtight and out of direct heat. Chennai's humidity tends to make raisins clump; separating them by hand and storing with the container properly sealed is usually all that is needed, and a short warm-water soak revives any that have dried. Order online or over WhatsApp, with cash on delivery available.