The dried, unopened flower bud of the silk-cotton (kapok) tree, used whole as a signature Chettinad spice. Shaped like a small clove-caper, it lends a pungent, mildly bitter, musky-earthy note when fried in oil at the start of a dish.
Where it comes from
Native to India; a defining spice of the Chettinad kitchen in Tamil Nadu.
In the kitchen
Tempered whole in hot oil or ground into masala, giving a distinctive pungent, musky base note to Chettinad meat and seafood curries.