Awadhi Biryani Masala — Lucknowi Blend, No Fillers

From the kitchens of Lucknow

Slow-cooked Awadhi biryanis are made or broken by their masala. Ours is hand-blended in small batches in the Lucknowi tradition — no fillers, no preservatives, just the spices the dish is supposed to have.

Small-batch  •  No fillers  •  No preservatives  •  Made in India  •  Free shipping over ₹500

Most "biryani masalas" don't taste like biryani.

You've been there. The packet promises a transformative biryani. What you get is something that tastes the same whether you used it in biryani, pulao, or chicken curry. That's because most mass-market biryani masalas are not really biryani masalas — they're a generic warm-spice blend with extra colour and a label.

A real Awadhi biryani is a slow, patient dish. Its masala has weight. The spices come in waves — the warmth of cinnamon and cloves, the lift of cardamom, the steady depth of black pepper, all carried by coriander, cumin, and the unmistakable floral note of rose petals. You can taste each one, and they don't fight.

That's what we built.

Real Awadhi spices. The full list, not the front of the pack.

Awadhi biryani masala is a regional formula. We didn't reinvent it. We sourced each spice from where it does its best work, kept the ratios traditional, and ground in small batches so the oils stay alive.

The front of the pack highlights the 7 majors. The back lists the full 14.

Made of (back-of-pack, in order): Black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, javitri (mace), cinnamon, shah jeera, black pepper, bay leaf, coriander, rose petals, cumin, kabab cheeni, turmeric, salt.

"The robust flavour of the north, perfected in the generations of khaansamas." — from the back-of-pack.

Not in the bag:

• ✗   No fillers (no rice husk, no anti-caking agents, no bulking)
• ✗   No preservatives
• ✗   No artificial colour
• ✗   No MSG
• ✗   No "and other spices"

What's on the label is what's in the bag. That's the entire point.

Made for biryani. Quietly excellent for everything else.

Awadhi biryani masala is dish-specific by design — but that doesn't mean single-use.

• Awadhi dum biryani — 1.5 tsp per kg of meat. Marinate, layer, seal, dum. The masala will do the work.
• Pulao — half tsp at the tempering stage transforms a basic pulao into something worth seconds.
• Korma — a pinch finishes a Mughlai-style korma the way a good cook would expect.
• Saffron rice or jeera rice — quarter tsp tossed in at the end. Surprising in the best way.
• Galouti kebab marinade — pairs with our Galouti Kebab Masala for a double-Awadhi feast.

We're not the cheapest masala in the aisle. Here's why.

Frequently asked

Is this organic?

No. We're transparent about this. The ingredients are premium-grade and we don't use fillers, preservatives, artificial colours, or MSG — but Spiced Right is not certified organic. If certified-organic is a hard requirement for you, this isn't the right blend.

Why does the back of the pack list 14 ingredients but the front only shows 7?

The front of the pack highlights the 7 major spices — what you'd taste first. The back-of-pack panel is the full legal ingredient list with all 14. Both are accurate; the front is a summary, the back is the whole truth.

How is this different from regular "biryani masala"?

Regular biryani masala is usually a generic warm-spice blend that's marketed for biryani but works the same way in any meat curry. Awadhi-style biryani masala is region-specific — built around the spices used in Lucknowi cooking, with ratios that respect the slow-cooked dum technique. Different intent, different result.

How long does the masala stay fresh?

Best within 6 months of opening. Store in an airtight jar away from heat and direct sunlight. Because we don't add preservatives, freshness depends on storage. A small-batch masala loses its edge after a year, even sealed — open it, use it, refill.

Is this spicy?

It's complex more than it is hot. Awadhi cooking leans aromatic and layered, not chilli-forward. If you want heat, our Kolhapuri or Andhra Podi blends will treat you better.

How much do I use?

About 1 to 1.5 tsp per kg of marinated meat for biryani. A little goes further than you'd expect — start small, then add.

Does it work for vegetable biryani?

Yes. Use the same proportions. The masala is meat-friendly but not meat-dependent.

Do you ship outside India?

Not currently. We ship within India only.

Bulk / restaurant orders?

Yes — HORECA and white-label partners get volume discounts (5–40% depending on order size). Talk to our team.

Cooks well with the rest of Awadh.

The Awadhi Duo — add Galouti Kebab Masala to the cart alongside Awadhi Biryani 200g and you'll cross the ₹500 free-shipping threshold automatically.

Or browse the full regional masala collection — 11 regional blends across 5 zones of India, hand-blended in our kitchen.

A mother-daughter spice kitchen — every blend true to its region.
Hand-blended by Rama and Madhuri Saraf in Bhubaneswar.