Nalam Masala

Nalam Masala is a small setup we have on North Street in Pudumadam. Our building is at number 53, and it’s just a plain house where we’ve converted the front part into a work area. Pudumadam is a quiet place near the coast, and sometimes you can smell the salt in the air along with our spices. We don't make huge quantities of masala. Instead, we focus on making enough for the people in our village and the nearby areas. My mother is the one who knows all the proportions for the mixes, and I mostly help with the grinding and the packing. We use a small electric mill, but sometimes when the power goes out, we have to wait or do it by hand. The floors are stone and they stay cool even when it’s boiling hot outside. We don't have any colorful signs or big posters. People just know us because we’ve been here for years. Sometimes we sit outside on the porch and chat with the people walking by. It’s a very slow pace of life compared to the cities, but we like it that way. We just want to make sure the chili powder is red enough and the coriander smells fresh. It’s a simple life, and we are just happy to keep the tradition going for another generation. The neighbors bring us fish, and we give them some fish masala in return. It’s a nice way to live, even if we don't make a lot of money doing it. We just focus on the flavor.