Multi-purpose bamboo cylinders

A friend brought back sweet-smelling scroll-holders from Calcutta. Only these netted bamboo cylinders were bursting with inviting spice mixes, rustled up by Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta, proprietor of the famed Kewpie&rsquos Kitchen. Admittedly, the service at Kewpie&rsquos can been excruciatingly slow, although the tiny restaurant in Elgin Lane commands a dedicated following. Now there is the DIY option. An enclosed parchment tells you exactly what to do with the concoctions. Mine were cosmopolitan picks &mdash masalas for Anglo-Indian style &lsquoball curry&rsquo, &lsquoshakuti&rsquo and &lsquojunglee pulao&rsquo. There is more standard fare on offer as well spices for chorchori, malai curry, kosha, kalia...mmm.