Kalpasi, also known as black stone flower, is an unusual spice commonly used in South India and some other regional Indian cuisines. It is known for its unique appearance and earthy flavour.
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What is kalpasi?
Kalpasi is commonly used as a whole spice and is added to a variety of Indian dishes, particularly in South India. It plays a vital role in certain spice blends and dishes. It is an integral part of South Indian cuisine because of its unique flavour profile and culinary uses. In this region's culinary, it is highly esteemed for the way it imparts an earthy depth to a variety of dishes and spice blends.
Its botanical name is Parmotrema perlatum and belongs to genus Folios lichen. Lichen is a classified species between fungi and photosynthetic partners.
Appearance
Kalpasi is called a "black stone flower" because it looks like a dark, crinkled stone or flower covered in lichen.
Culinary uses
It is often used in dishes like pulao, garam masala, and specific curry preparations to add a distinctive earthy flavour and depth to the dish.
One of the important ingredients in some spice blends, such as “Goda Masala” in Maharashtrian cuisine, "Potli Masala" in Lucknow and “Nalumani Podi” in Kerala cuisine.
It is a key ingredient in “Chettinad Masala,” a popular spice blend from Chettinad cuisine, known for its intense and aromatic flavours.
How to use kalpasi in cooking?
This black stone flower sice is often lightly dry roasted before grinding into powder or fried in oil along with other whole spices while preparing a curry or rice dish such as veg pulao to enhance its flavour.
What does kalpasi taste like?
The flavour of Kalpasi is powerful, earthy, and somewhat woody, with hints of mossy or forest-like elements. Its flavour can be quite intense, so it is used sparingly in dishes.
FAQ
The term kalpasi is actually used in Tamil Nadu. But this spice has various regional names and is referred to as dagar ka phool in Punjabi, dagad phool in Marati, pathar ka phool in Hindi, kallu hoovu in Kannada, banda poovu in Telugu, bhojwar, chadila are few other terms used in North India. It is called the black stone flower spice in English and shaileyam in Sanskrit.
It may not be widely available in all regions or grocery stores outside of South India. It can often be found in speciality or Indian grocery stores or online.
Check out recipes on the blog that feature kalpasi - Matar Pulao, Vegetable Pulao and Vegetable Chettinad.
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