Best Kitchen King Masala Brands in India – Mishry

Beginner in the culinary world? Hoping, praying, and wishing for an all-round, versatile blend of spices that add aroma and flavor to all dishes from gravies to curries.

Well, your prayers were heard when a culinary wizard curated Kitchen King Masala. As the name suggests, all-in-one masala is a staple in most Indian kitchens. Mishry tested eight variants to find the Best Kitchen King Masala Brands in India. 

Quick details on the eight contenders has been mentioned in the table below. 

What makes a Kitchen King Masala Powder THE Kitchen King Masala?

Ideally, a kitchen king masala should be able to impart well-rounded flavors from various, everyday Indian masalas like coriander, cumin, chilli and whole spices. We were looking for a masala with which we didn’t have to open up our own masala daani. It should have a balanced, well-rounded flavor with a pleasing aroma. These were our key parameters along with potency and ingredients used.

1. Flavor 

Kitchen King Masala is a blend of everyday spices like coriander, cumin, chilli, turmeric, and more. Which brand offered the most flavorful blend? Well-rounded or dominant on one ingredient?

Does it give our everyday curry a wonderful flavor?

2. Potency 

Just a teaspoon or a heaped portion? What quantity is needed to add substantial flavor? This also helped us gauge how economical the brands are in the long run.

3. Aroma

Sharp enough to make you sneeze or aromatic enough to get you drooling, how was the aroma?

4. Other Parameters

Was the packaging convenient? Or were we required to transfer the contents? What about pricing? We also scanned the ingredient list.

For a fair and unbiased result, we tested the Kitchen King Masala by adding it to an everyday aloo sabzi.

For this, we cooked a large batch using two grated onions, 1.5 pack of tomato puree, boiled potatoes, and some salt. The contents were divided into eight equal portions which resulted to approximately 1/4th cup of the aloo-tamatar masala.

We then added a teaspoon of the kitchen king masala, sautéed it well and added 100 ml water to it. This was simmered for 1-2 minutes before we began our taste test.

Our detailed experience with each contender has been listed in this section. 

Taste

Orika was titled Mishry’s Top Pick for the robust, full-bodied flavor it featured, almost like freshly pounded whole spices. Pepper, coriander, and cardamom made their presence prominent. This Kitchen King Masala was devoid of salt so we added it accordingly. The chilli levels were in a favorable balance, plus this also gave us the liberty to adjust. A plus point for those who have low tolerance levels.  

The aroma, pre and post-cooking was dominant on pepper and black cardamom. It was quite warming and desi.

Potency

As mentioned above, for all our tastings, we added one teaspoon of the Kitchen King Masala. This quantity was apt, absolutely no complaints. 

Overall Experience

Quite often, packaged masala impact the final appearance of the dish to a great extent. Sometimes a deep red or a strong brown, but Orika’s masala didn’t really affect the color of the sabzi. It was still a deeper, tomato-like red.

Price + Packaging

A 100-gram pack is priced at Rs 68/-. This has a shelf life of 12 months. The main ingredients are coriander, cumin, turmeric, aniseed, ginger, fenugreek, black pepper, green and black cardamom, cinnamon, long pepper, nutmeg, mustard, asafoetida. 

Taste + Potency

Fresh and flavorful- Catch Kitchen King masala had a bold flavor of whole spices like cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. This was comparatively spicier than our Top Pick, but fresh, nonetheless.

Just a teaspoon added the warmth and spice kick the sabzi needed.

Overall Experience

Similar to Orika, Catch Masala did not drastically change the color of the curry. Our final dish had a vibrant red hue. 

Price + Packaging

A 100-gram pack is priced at Rs 75/- with a 15-month shelf life. The main ingredients are coriander whole, chillies and capsicum whole, turmeric whole, cumin whole, dehydrated onion, iodized salt, cucumis, fenugreek whole, cardamom whole, pepper black whole, ginger whole, white til, cassia whole, nutmeg whole, large cardamom whole, dried garlic, anistar, cloves whole, curry leaves, long pepper, mace whole, citric acid (INS 330).

Taste

A good blend of masale, Everest Kitchen King Masala added a fairly good flavor. This masala lent pleasing aromas and flavors of mace, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg. The spice was balanced, not too much, not too little. 

All-in-all, this is a good product for everyday gravies and curries. 

Potency

The spice level was medium, no complaints. This also offers the liberty to add more for those with a higher spice tolerance. 

Price + Packaging

A 50-gram pack is priced at Rs 42/- with a 15-month shelf life. The main ingredients are coriander, cumin, chilli, turmeric, black pepper, garlic, dried ginger, mace, green cardamom, Bengal gram, black gram, nutmeg, fenugreek, cassia bark (taj), clove, caraway, star anise, dried fenugreek leaves, iodised salt, compounded asafoetida, mustard, and black cardamom.

Taste

MDH Kitchen King Masala was a good-tasting blend too. While the salt and spice were in sync and not overpowering, this was dominant on the flavor and aroma of coriander. 

Potency

One teaspoon was adequate for 1/4th cup of the sabzi. The flavors were prominent and did not really need any additions. 

Price + Packaging

A 100-gram carton is priced at Rs 79/- with a 1-year shelf life. The main ingredients are coriander seeds, cumin, red chillies, turmeric, black pepper, iodised salt, dried ginger, mustard seeds, fennel, garlic, cassia, fenugreek leaves, cardamom amomum, nutmeg, cloves, mace, green cardamom, asafoetida.

Taste

Though we could taste the spices in Goldiee Kitchen King Masala, they were not prominent. The spices were present  but they weren’t robust in terms of aroma or flavor. The flavor profile was pale and quite disappointing.

Potency

We added only one teaspoon. Adding more would have made the flavor more prominent but also impacted the appearance. 

Price + Packaging

A 50-gram pack is priced at Rs 35/- and it has a 12-month shelf life. The main ingredients are turmeric, red chilli, big cardamom, black pepper, coriander, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, pulses, and cloves.

Taste

Before describing the taste and aroma, it’s worth mentioning the potency of this Kitchen King Masala. It was commendable but relatively lower than our Top Pick.

Aashirvaad Kitchen King Masala is heavy on the pepper and clove flavors. And these taste fresh, robust. But the blend is not balanced or rounded like one would expect from a ‘Kitchen King’ masala.

Potency

The potency was quite good, we were impressed.

Overall Experience

Though the flavors of pepper and clove were desirable, overall, this was not a wholesome blend of spices. Moreover, the ingredient list has refined oils.

Price + Packaging

A 100-gram carton is priced at Rs 75/- and it has a shelf life of 12 months. The main ingredients are mixed spices (coriander, cumin, red chilli, turmeric powder, black pepper, fennel, dried bay leaf, spice extracts, cloves, dried ginger, cassia, amchoor, mustard, green cardamom, fenugreek, star anise, compounded asafoetida (INS 414), caraway, black cardamom, nutmeg, and ajwain, iodised salt, Bengal gram, Sesame seeds, hydrolysed groundnut protein, refined sunflower oil, dehydrated fenugreek leaves. 

Taste

One of the key differences between whole and ground spices is that the former has a deeper, bolder, fresher flavor and longer shelf life. 

Tata Sampann did not win this because it lacked the warmth and distinct flavors that a Kitchen King Masala should have. Our sabzi (after adding this masala) tasted more tangy from tomatoes than warm/masaledar.

Potency

This also speaks of the potency, you’d need to add a much larger quantity to achieve some depth of flavor.

Price + Packaging

A 100-gram pack is priced at Rs 75/-. The shelf life is 17 months. Coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder (7%), fennel powder, black pepper powder (6.5%), cumin powder, dried mango powder, iodised salt (anticaking agent INS 536, INS 551), dried ginger powder, mustard, green chilli powder, fenugreek leaves, cinnamon powder, dried coriander leaves, clove powder, all spice powder, compounded asafoetida (INS 412), green cardamom powder, mace powder, acidity regulator (INS 330).

Taste

Just one bite of the sabzi prepared using Keya Kitchen King masala and we knew this was the least liked of all eight brands we reviewed. Both, the taste and aroma were strange. It had dull flavors and diminished the taste of the dish. 

Potency

The potency was average, but the peculiar flavors brought it down.

Price + Packaging

A 50-gram pack is priced at Rs 34/- with a 24-month shelf life. The main ingredients are chilli, coriander, salt, turmeric, kasoori methi, garlic powder, bay leaf, clove leaf, star anise, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin. 

Mishry recommends Orika as the Top Pick and Catch for those who love a chilli kick. 

Orika Kitchen King Masala showcases well-rounded, robust flavors and aromas. The one by Catch is also full of flavors but comparatively spicier. 

Here are some interesting FAQs on Kitchen King Masala Powder

Desirable flavor, inviting aroma, and a pleasing appearance, our Top Pick from Best Kitchen King Masala brands in India- Orika Kitchen King Masala is something Team Mishry highly recommends. If you’re looking for a stronger spice hit, we’d suggest getting Catch Kitchen King Masala, which was equally delicious.

Have you tried either of these brands before? How has your experience been?