They found that dairy products (butter, cream, milk, and cheese) and spices (ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper and ground coriander) had minute amounts of DEHP.

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Ella, with its verdant hills and cool nights, is fertile ground for growing many of these spices, such as cardamom, curry leaves and turmeric.

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Texas hot links, the peppery sausage of regional renown, is created with ground pork and beef, combined with pungent spices.

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Whether it is avarai uttakka - local beans cooked with potato, tomato, onions, garlic and tempered with mustard seeds, or sandagai - roasted tomato sauteed with small onion, garlic and coconut ground to a fine paste - the "masala made carefully after dry-roasting 17 spices and not bought off the shops" is the key, Indira says.

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