INDIC INSPIRATIONS

Indian cuisine reflects a 5000-year history of intermingling of various communities and cultures, leading to diverse flavors and regional cuisines. The arrival of the Mughals, the British, and Portuguese further added variety to Indian cuisine. The consequent fusion in cuisines resulted in what is today known as ‘Indian Cuisine’.

Indian cuisine also means a wide variety of cooking styles, cook- wares and culinary tools. Indian cuisine draws inspiration from Ayurvedic philosophy. A therapeutic tradition that aims to make you stay healthy, feeding the body and soul. Here we have selected 10 must have natural and toxin-free kitchen equipment handcrafted by the traditional artisans of stone craft, copper metal craft, brass metal craft, wood craft, bamboo craft and pottery craft who have been making it for generations. These kitchen items will keep the natural flavor, color, shape and nutritious value of your food.

1. Soapstone Traditional Kadaai

Any dish that needs to be cooked slowly for a long time tastes at its best with stone cookware. Since the food gets cooked at a constant temperature. 

Benefits

• It is believed that soapstone cookware always keeps the balanced pH levels of the food; hence it’s easy for digestion.
• As soapstone has the capacity to retain heat, food cooked in this cookware will remain warm for 3-4 hours.
• This soapstone kadai is a natural cookware which doesn’t have any processed materials such as paint, coating, added metals etc. This can be placed on gas stone / glass hob.
• Cookware lasts generations!

A soapstone traditional cooking kadaai- 1.5 Lit made out of naturally available soapstone designed to cook Stews, Fries to the slow simmering gravies like dal makhani etc.. From vegetable curries to non-veg curries, experience the authentic taste of tradition and flavors.  It’s very well known to cook rasam, sambar and few other vegetables stews were always cooked in this cookware because once it’s cooked, the food can stay fresh for 2 days.

2. Bamboo Dum Biryani Maker

Steaming enables food materials to keep their nutritious value better than boiling and simmering. So a steamer should be used for a healthy & chemical free diet. A handcrafted conventional Kerala style Bamboo Biryani Maker with coir covering is one of a traditionally used cookware made of bamboo and coconut shell. It is used to cook food with the use of steam. It can be kept above the boiler (steamer, cooker) so that the food (Biryani…etc) gets cooked from the hot steam. You can place this bamboo steamer on the nozzle of a Pressure Cooker with enough water. Use the bamboo stick to push the cooked puttu/biryani from the steamer.

3. Brass Coffee Filter + Davara Set

Coffee has numerous health benefits it is important to understand the kind of coffee you make. Instant coffee tends to be highly processed, and stripped of all its goodness.

Benefits of using Brass

Many steel filters have now replaced the ancient Brass filters, but when it comes to its taste and therapeutic properties, Brass filters are truly unmatched. Brass is an alloy of Copper and Zinc. Since it has copper, it has antimicrobial properties. Brass is alkaline in nature and is oxidised or in other words becomes acidic when it comes in contact with air. This is why brass is always covered when not in use. Due to its alkalinity, it is used in the preparation of many cookware such as the coffee filter. It neutralises the acidic nature of the food that’s cooked or prepared in it. The Zinc in Brass regulates the immune system and its role ranges from inflammatory responses to antibody production. It also plays a role in wound healing by removing bacteria, tissue debris removal, formation of new blood vessels and scar formation.

Check out our Brass Coffee Filter which comes with traditional Brass Davara / Dabara or Brass Tumbler set. Brass Coffee Davara Set is the traditional & #Healthy way to enjoy your fresh filter coffee. 

These Brass Coffee filters are truly timeless and with proper care, they can last through generations.  So, if you love your morning coffee, give it a traditional twist by making it in one of our Brass Coffee Filters, made manually by our rural artisans.

4. Copper Modak Patra

Ayurvedic manuscripts like ‘Charaka Sanhita’ explain the medicinal value of copper and importance of using copper utensils in our daily lifestyle. Copper has an anti micro bacterial quality, hence keeps hazardous bacteria and viruses at bay.

A Modak Patr is a quintessential utensil in the Maharashtrian and South Indian kitchen. It is used to make steamed delicacies like modaks – a much loved sweetmeat that is a must-make delicacy during the Ganesh Festival each year. Modakpatra is a traditional cooking vessel mostly used in the coastal Maharashtra to make steamed cuisines like modak, aaluwadi, patode etc.

Our Modakpatra consists of three parts a base vessel for boiling water, a steaming plate for placing the cuisines which has to be cooked and a dome shaped lid to make circular motion to steam.

5. Bamboo Momo Steamer

A food steamer or steam cooker is a small kitchen appliance used to cook or prepare various foods with steam heat by means of holding the food in a sealed vessel that limits the escape of air or liquids. Food steamers have been used for centuries. The ancient North-Eastern Indians used natural handmade steamers to cook food. Due to their health aspect (cooking without any oil), food steamers are used extensively in health oriented diets. Food steamers release less heat to the kitchen environment, therefore helping keep the kitchen cool during hot summers. This bamboo steamer basket set are round steamers made from bamboo used in the North-Eastern Indian cuisine. They can be stacked on top of each other so that the steam can cook many different servings simultaneously. Our bamboo steamer is handmade by the North-Eastern artisans. 

6. Wooden Lacquered Kitchen Tools

Wood is an inert material and is absolutely natural. Wooden ladle and spatula won’t react with the acid in foods and neither leave a metallic taste in your food, which might happen with regular aluminium or steel spatula or ladle. This will keep your food toxin-free and healthy.

Check out our handcrafted kitchen tools set of two ladles, one large spatula and one small spatula. The handles of the cutler set are made using traditional lac-turned-wood art of Kutch, Gujrat. The set is of rainbow colour. Babul wood, native to the Kutch region is used to make the tools.

7. Soapstone Curd Pot

 Soapstone has natural cooling properties and hence the Soapstone Curd Pot is perfect vessel to set and store your curd. It Keeps the curd cool and fresh without turning to sour for at least 24 hours. Even during harsh summers, they prevent the curd from turning sour soon.  This Soapstone Curd Pot made out of naturally available soapstone can serve multiple purposes as they make used to store curd, pickles, salt and tamarinds etc with a long shelf life and doesn’t alter the original taste.

8. Wooden Spice Storage Box

Proper storing of spice is important. Many spices are added in Indian food for the aroma. If spices are not stored in airtight jars or are kept open in the air its aroma may decrease or vanish. For the long-lasting aroma, it’s better to keep spices in wooden boxes/ jars.

Light, air, moisture are the biggest enemies of spices. It’s necessary to store spices properly to avoid microbes. Microbes can decrease the health benefits of spices and ruin its quality.

Our sheesham wooden box with 9 sections and a spoon is great to store Indian spices. It is handcrafted in classic brown color and comes with a unique sheesham spoon.This multipurpose utility box can also be used to store and serve refreshners, dry fruits and keep your knick knacks like jewellery, small items at one place. The natural brown colour of this multipurpose box enhances it’s look and has 9 individually seperated compartments. The containers can be used seperately to store spices and other uses like for storing dry fruits, keep jewellery, serve refreshners and keep your Knick Knacks. It can be used to store raw spices as welland is easy to clean and maintain. This will definitely keep your spices organised in your kitchen.

9. Soapstone Paddu Tawa / Paniyaram Kallu

Fermented foods like paddu / appe are extremely healthy and easy to digest because it is already pre-digested by bacteria.  Our soapstone traditional paddu tawa with seven holes made out of naturally available soapstone – perfect for making crispy, soft and fluffy kuzhipaniyaram, appam, unniyappam, paddu and more. The soapstone cookware consumes less oil and offers both a unique taste and added nutrition to every dish cooked in it. 

Soapstone cookware make your food healthy and the food never looses its natural taste. Notably, the food cooked in soapstone cookware retains the natural, authentic, original aroma and taste. As an insulator, it acts as a casserole by keeping the food hot for longer durations. Being extremely dense and non-porous, it is impervious to bacterial penetration and prevents the bacterial growth on the surface as well as extends the shelf life of cooked foods.

10. Sabai Grass Bread Basket

Grass baskets keep bread fresher than storing it in a plastic container / bag. A plastic bag / a plastic container / box traps the moisture from the bread inside the container. But, unlike the plastic bag/box, a grass basket is breathable, allowing some of that moisture to escape instead of softening the bread’s exterior. Using a bread box is also a greener way to store your bread: no excess plastic needed. Sustainable and stylish, the true beauty of grass baskets lies in their individuality. Handwoven styles have minute variations in weave or size that make each basket unique, and full of artistic expression.

Check out this set of two oval baskets made in Sabai Grass with wooden square lift handles. These two baskets are ideal fruit basket and bread basket for your dining table. Sabai Grass products are made by the master craftsmen of West Mednipur in West Bengal.  Convenient and eco-friendly, these baskets are useful accessories indeed!