Hi everyone, welcome to mumnums. I’m so pleased to see you 😊
If we want to cook at home regularly and, let’s face it, homemade is so much tastier and better then processed food and takeaways, then it’s so motivating when we have the staples in our store cupboard. That way, when we find a recipe in a cookbook or on the internet, we're not going to be put off making something if we know we’ve got all the essentials we'll need to hand.
So, I’m going to list some of the more frequently
used ingredients I like to include in my spice rack and store cupboard:
For Indian Cooking
Essentials:
Turmeric powder
Cayenne (chilli powder)
Cumin powder
Dried curry leaves – get these fresh from the Indian food store and dry at home.
Lentils – tuver dahl, mung beans, urad beans, masoor dahl (orange lentils)
Rice – basmati is really versatile
Atta (Chapatti flour)
Plain flour
Tinned tomatoes
Rapeseed or sunflower oil - a non-fragrant oil is a must to have
Nice to haves:
Tamarind/tamarind paste
Bay leaves
Sesame seeds – white and black
Saffron - keep this in the fridge
Ginger powder
Cinnamon
Cloves
Paprika
Mango powder (Amchur)
Star anise
Nigella seeds
Ajwain seeds
Fenugreek seeds and dried fenugreek leaves
Panch pooran
Fennel seeds
Dill seeds
Jaggery
Cardamom
Nutmeg
Mace
It’s good to have a few things items in your fridge or pantry like:
Onions
Garlic
Fresh coriander
Fresh ginger
Fresh green and/or red chillies
Lemons
Ghee
Yoghurt
Nuts - Almonds, cashews, pistachios and peanuts
Raisons/sultanas
There are so many other items you can include, like a load of dried beans, pulses, legume and a tonne of spices, a visit to an Indian food store and you’ll see what I'm talking about. I’d suggest picking up ingredients as and when you need them, that way, you’ll build up your store cupboard gradually. TIP - keep all your used jars and bottles, you'll need to store the stuff somewhere 😊
Obviously, you’ll need different fresh vegetables when you’re ready to cook a recipe so just pick those up when you know what you’re making. Frozen vegetables are great too, there's a huge variety of Indian veg available now in the frozen isles, so keep your eyes peeled for those 👀
Please leave a comment and let me know what's in your store cupboard and what your favourite recipes are.
Happy cooking and see you again soon 💖
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