Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Nino Khan produces authentic Indian condiments in Aberdeen – and has done so for more than 2 decades

Nino's Masala products are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and made with natural ingredients.

Nino Khan, the founder of Nino's Masala. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson
Nino Khan, the founder of Nino's Masala. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Nino Khan’s love for food stems from her roots and Pakistani culture.

“Food is always a huge part of any gathering with friends and family,” Nino says. “So I’m always experimenting with different spices and ingredients.

“You should see my spice cupboard, it’s overflowing with options.”

It’s no secret that the 57-year-old adores cooking, so after toying with the idea for some time, she decided to start selling her authentic masala sauce to the north-east public.

Nino’s Masala Sauce and Nino’s Korma Paste. Image: Wullie Marr / DC Thomson

This was back in the early 2000s and the business – Nino’s Masala – has evolved a great deal since then.

Nino, who resides in the centre of Aberdeen, has over 20 years of experience in lecturing Indian cuisine.

She used to lecture at Aberdeen College and offer adult classes in Westhill and Aberdeen Grammar School, and currently offers private cooking lessons.

A family of ‘passionate foodies’

Nino’s Masala was known as Masala Sauce up until Taste of Grampian 2021. This is when Nino revealed her rebrand.

“At first I used to package the sauce in plastic tubs and sell it at local school fairs and a couple of shops in Aberdeen,” she added.

“In 2016, I developed my korma paste in collaboration with the nutrition department at the University of Abertay.

Nino is a former lecturer. Image: Wullie Marr / DC Thomson

“And in the last few years, my son Omar has come onboard to help with the marketing and sales side of the business. We are a tight-knit family who are passionate foodies.

“My husband has been a huge help and is quite the cook himself, winning the World Porridge Making Championship in 2014.”

Despite the changes that have occurred in the business over the past few years in particular, something that has remained consistent is where the products are made – in Nino’s home kitchen in Ferryhill.

Nino’s Masala

The product portfolio comprises a masala sauce and a korma paste. The sauce comes in a 370g jar while the paste comes in a 180g jar.

Both products are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and made with natural ingredients. They have a six-month shelf life and each jar feeds a family of four.

Nino believes they are “a much healthier and affordable alternative to your weekend takeaway”.

She went on to say: “The problem with most sauces you’ll find in supermarkets is that it’s not an authentic taste.

Both products are gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Image: Wullie Marr / DC Thomson

“Many of them have artificial flavourings, additives, and preservatives which I never use.

“I want more people to try my sauces to taste the difference for themselves. It’s what I use at home for the family.”

The cook produces fresh batches of 20 to 40 jars at a time when an order is received and takes care to ensure the quality is consistent.

For larger events such as Taste of Grampian, which she has attended for the past decade as an exhibitor, she has taken along roughly 500 jars.

They have sold out on every occasion and Nino is hoping this year at the one-day food and drink festival will be no exception.

Nino’s Masala originally launched in the early 2000s under a different name. Image: Wullie Marr / DC Thomson

“Nino’s Masala Sauce is used to make your own curry by simply add any meat or vegetables and cooking it all in one pan,” Nino said.

“Nino’s Korma Paste has a more mild and aromatic flavour. Just add any meat or vegetables along with either Greek yogurt or coconut milk to make your own korma.”

New products for 2023

Both products are available on the Nino’s Masala website for UK wide delivery and collection.

They are also stocked at several local stores including JK Fine Foods, Hammerton Store, Mains of Drum and Finzean Farm Shop to name a few.

However, Nino and Omar are currently working on increasing the stockists list. And it is hoped that some new products will be launched in the near future.

“I regularly upload recipes and new ideas to my website and on my Instagram page – @ninosmasala – so keep an eye out.”

Conversation