Shailaja
Dakkhan Bhadang, Kolhapuri spiced puffed rice
Handcrafting authentic Kolhapuri bhadang with a self-made 18-spice blend, built at home between late nights and motherhood.
Our business is running while looking after our children. Sometimes we work until 1:00 at night.
The short version
In her words
We named our product Dakkhan because King Jyotiba — the King of the Deccan — is our revered deity; we have great faith in him and start all our work in his name.
Making this bhadang a success was a real struggle that took us three to four years of constant effort. I remember starting with just 3 kg of puffed rice, and so many times our batches failed before we finally achieved number-one quality.
What makes our bhadang unique is the secret masala we make ourselves using 17 to 18 different ingredients, including the famous Badgi chilli powder from Kolhapur. This is truly a family effort — my husband, my in-laws, and even my 8–10 year old daughter help out in our small unit. I manage everything while looking after my two children and the home. Sometimes we work until 1:00 AM, and then I’m up early again to care for the kids. We have deep faith in our taste, and we believe our small unit will grow into a major project producing thousands of kilograms one day.
Visited and filmed, August 2026
The workshop, the work and the paperwork were recorded on camera that day. This is a record of one visit, not a promise about every day since.
Where the materials come from
100% regional sourcing. Every spice in her secret blend is sourced directly from Kolhapur, using hand-selected, high-grade raw materials (निवडक माल).
Hygiene, in her words: “Cleanliness is our true quality” (स्वच्छता हीच आमची खरी गुणवत्ता आहे). She keeps strict sanitary control across every home batch.
At work
She lays out the 17 to 18 spices that go into the masala, and the blend that flavours the bhadang.
The secret masala. A blend of 7 to 8 home-ground spices, including coriander powder and cumin powder.
Kolhapuri heat. Badgi chilli powder from Kolhapur for its signature colour and mild heat, balanced with Kashmiri chilli powder.
Aromatic crunch. Fresh garlic crushed by hand, curry leaves fried crisp, roasted peanuts and fried chana dal (split chickpeas).
A fine coating. High-grade sugar, milled to a fine powder in-house, for an even sweet-savoury coating across the puffed rice.
What she makes
Dakkhan Bhadang