Indian Pantry Essentials for Simple Home Cooking

You do not need a cupboard full of jars to cook simple Indian meals. A short list of staples covers most everyday dishes, from dal and khichdi to poha and chilla. Here is what to keep, why, and how to store it.

The pantry at a glance

Grains and millets

Keep two or three: rice, whole-wheat atta, and something for quick breakfasts such as poha, oats or rava. Millets such as jowar, bajra and ragi add variety. The ICMR–National Institute of Nutrition's *My Plate for the Day* includes cereals and millets as the largest share of a day's food by weight, and encourages variety across food groups.

Pulses (dal)

Three or four types go a long way:

• Split yellow moong dal: cooks quickly; for khichdi and chilla
• Toor dal: everyday dal and sambar; try palak dal
• Masoor dal: fast-cooking, no soaking needed
• Whole pulses: chana, rajma or lobia, dried or tinned, for salads and curries such as chickpea and cucumber salad

Pulses are a key source of protein in a vegetarian diet. See protein explained.

Whole spices

Cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, and a small jar each of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves. Cumin and mustard seeds are the base of most tadkas.

Ground spices

Turmeric, Kashmiri or regular red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and roasted cumin powder. Buy small packs: ground spices lose their aroma over months.

Oils

One or two everyday cooking oils, such as groundnut, mustard or sunflower oil. The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends unsaturated oils used in small amounts, and ICMR–NIN suggests using different varieties of cooking oils. Ghee is optional and best kept for small amounts.

Nuts, seeds and snacks

Peanuts, a few almonds or walnuts, sesame or flaxseed, roasted chana and makhana. They add crunch and protein to meals and make quick snacks such as roasted makhana and roasted chana chaat.

Flavour boosters

Fresh ginger, garlic, green chillies, lemons, curry leaves, coriander and mint. Optional extras: asafoetida (hing), chaat masala, black salt and tamarind.

Flavour without extra salt. Lemon, herbs, roasted cumin and a well-made tadka add plenty of taste. The WHO recommends adults eat less than 5 g of salt a day, roughly a teaspoon, and packaged spice blends, pickles and papad can contain a lot. Check labels.

A weekly fresh list

Most cooking also needs a few fresh items: onions, tomatoes, a leafy green such as spinach, one or two other vegetables, seasonal fruit, curd and milk. Plan these with our weekly meal-planning guide.

Storing your pantry

• Use airtight containers for grains, dals and spices, and keep them in a cool, dry place away from the stove.
• Label jars with the contents and the date you filled them.
• Use older stock first: add new packs to the back.
• Keep nuts and seeds cool, and buy in amounts you will use within a few months, so they do not turn stale.
• Check labels if you avoid gluten: many asafoetida brands are blended with wheat flour, and rava, dalia and atta are wheat products.

Pantry checklist

• Rice, whole-wheat atta, poha or oats
• Moong dal, toor dal, masoor dal, one whole pulse
• Cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala
• One or two cooking oils
• Peanuts, roasted chana, makhana
• Salt, lemons, ginger, garlic, green chillies

With these in stock, you can cook every recipe on HealthSathi with only a short fresh shopping list. Start with how to plan a simple Indian lunch for the week.