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Spices & seasonings · Whole spices

Marathi moggu

Dried buds, like large cloves, with a pungent, mustard-pepper taste, used in Chettinad and Karnataka spice powders.

Also called: marathi mokku, maratha moggu, marathi moggu, kapok buds, kapok flower buds, andhra moggu

Around the world: ಮರಾಠಿ ಮೊಗ್ಗು (kn) · மராத்தி மொக்கு (ta)

A kind of spices

Read the full spice guide: flavour, history and how to use it

What it is

Marathi moggu are dried flower buds sold in South Indian spice shops. They look like large, elongated cloves, dark brown with a ridged cap. Most sources identify them as kapok (Ceiba pentandra) buds, but some say they are a kind of caper bud. Fried or roasted, they have a pungent, mustard-like, slightly peppery flavour.

Usually given as Ceiba pentandra (identity disputed)

How it’s used

  • Bisi bele bath powder and vangi bath powder
  • Chettinad masalas
  • Some Karnataka and Andhra curry powders

Characteristics

Taste
Pungent and slightly bitter, between mustard and pepper.
When cooked
Releases its aroma when fried or roasted.
Sold as
whole
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning
Common in
South Indian

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight jar; keeps about a year.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
274 kcal
Protein
5.97 g
Carbohydrate
65.53 g
Fat
13 g
Fibre
33.9 g
Sugars
2.38 g

USDA FoodData Central: Spices, cloves, ground (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • — No close substitute; leave it out or add a pinch of extra black pepper and mustard seed.

Related ingredients

Recipes with marathi moggu

No recipe in the catalogue uses it yet.

More whole spices