Kansa Oval Serving Boat, 750 g

Name: Kansa Oval Serving Boat, 750 g
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-KA-KAN-SER-174
Price: 3499.0 INR
Availability: InStock

An oval kansa serving boat with a narrow base and a rim drawn up to a point.

Rs. 3,499.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 750g

Material: Kansa (bronze), unlacquered
Finish: Satin outside, turned bright inside
Rim: Oval, pulled up to a soft point at one end
Base: Narrow and rounded, no foot ring
In the box: 1 kansa serving boat

Check delivery to your PIN code

Estimated, not a guarantee. Dispatched from Guwahati, Monday to Saturday.

Each piece is shaped and finished by hand, so small differences in weight, size, finish and surface marking are normal and no two are identical. Colour on screen can differ from the metal in daylight. Handmade in India.

The rim is a true ellipse and the wall below it does not drop straight. One end is pulled up and out into a soft point while the other stays low, and the whole bowl narrows to a small rounded base no wider than two fingers, so the mass of the metal is held above the table on very little. The inside is turned bright and the outside left satin, which is why the two surfaces read as different colours in the same light.

What is it?

A serving boat is the long open server curry, dal and gravy are brought to the table in, narrow enough to pass between two people and shaped so a ladle can be drawn along its length in one pull.

Also known as a gravy boat, bronze curry server, oval server, kansya dish or dal boat.

What is in the box?

1 kansa serving boat

How do I look after it?

Kansa is an alloy of copper and tin, known in English as bell metal or bronze. It is dense, hard, and heavier in the hand than steel of the same size.
Wash by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid and a soft sponge straight after eating. Dry fully.
Kansa darkens with use and reacts to sour food faster than brass does. Serve lemon, curd, tamarind and pickle fresh rather than leaving them standing in the vessel.
To restore the shine: tamarind pulp, or lemon and salt. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
Do not use steel wool, harsh detergent or bleach.
Not dishwasher safe. Not microwave safe.
Kansa is hard but it is not forgiving — a fall onto stone can dent or crack the rim. Store it where it will not knock against other metal.

Handmade in India

Every piece finished by hand

Solid metal

No plating, nothing to chip

Weighed and listed

In grams, on almost every page

Tin lining stated

Where a vessel is lined, we say so

Questions about this piece

Is this solid kansa or plated?

Solid. At 750 g the wall is heavy for a bowl this size, and the bright inside and satin outside are two finishes on one metal rather than a coating over something else.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

Close, but not identical. The boat is raised and turned by hand, so the point at the lifted end and the exact sweep of the ellipse are a little different on each one.

Is kansa the same as brass?

No. Kansa is copper and tin, brass is copper and zinc, and they are not interchangeable. Kansa is paler and warmer in colour, and a bowl of it holds a long ring after it is tapped.

Will it discolour with sour food?

It can. Tamarind, curd, lemon and tomato gravies will dull the bright inside if they stand in it. Serve the dish, empty the boat when the meal ends, then wash it warm and dry it off.

Does it sit steady when it is full?

The base is narrow, so on a bare polished table an empty boat can be nudged. With a gravy in it the weight drops low and it stays where it is put, and on a cloth it is steady from the start.

What is it for at the table?

Anything poured rather than spooned dry - a dal, a thin gravy, kadhi, or a chutney passed down a long table. The lifted end gives a lip to pour from without a ladle.