Kala Jeera
By Zangti
ORIGIN: Shong village, Himachal Pradesh
₹120 | 100 G
These GI-tagged black cumin seeds have a distinctive floral aroma, with light, citrusy notes and a warm, earthy flavour.
You’ll be buying directly from the producer. The Locavore does not handle orders, payments, delivery, or customer support.
Add the whole seeds to hot oil for a tadka, or gently dry-roast them before grinding to deepen their aroma. Given their freshness and a crunchy texture, they work especially well in rice dishes such as jeera pulao, and in Himachali preparations such as Chana Madra, a yoghurt-based chickpea gravy.
Grown at high altitudes in Shong village in Kinnaur’s Sangla Valley, this kala jeera is particularly aromatic, with a flavour that is more floral and complex than regular cumin. Its freshness and gentle crunch also make it useful beyond simply tempering a dish.
Zangti—which means ‘golden water’ in Kinnauri—sources high quality produce native to the Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. While Kinnaur is typically renowned for its golden apples, Zangti, puts the spotlight on lesser-known ingredients like apricots, black cumin, and Kinnauri rajma that are grown without any chemical inputs.
