The Indian Pantry: 25 Essentials

What are the 25 Indian pantry essentials?

#	Item	Group	Used for	Unlocks on this site
1	Cumin seeds	Spice	Tempering, rice, curry bases	Punjabi chicken curry, egg bhurji
2	Ground coriander	Spice	Thickening and earthiness in masalas	Curry bases
3	Ground turmeric	Spice	Colour and earthiness	Kanda poha, besan chilla
4	Kashmiri chilli powder	Spice	Mild heat and deep red colour	Curries, paneer tikka
5	Garam masala	Spice	Finishing blend	Curries
6	Mustard seeds	Spice	South Indian tempering	Upma, idli chutney
7	Toor dal (split pigeon peas)	Dal	Sambar and everyday dal	South Indian meal prep
8	Chana dal (split chickpeas)	Dal	Tempering crunch, chutneys	Upma, meal prep
9	Urad dal (split, husked)	Dal	Tempering; idli batter	Idli, upma
10	Besan (gram flour)	Flour	Batters, chillas, pakoras	Besan chilla, onion pakora
11	Atta (whole-wheat flour)	Flour	Rotis, parathas	Anda paratha
12	Rava (fine semolina)	Flour	Upma, uttapam	Upma, rava uttapam
13	Poha (thick flattened rice)	Rice product	Quick breakfast	Kanda poha
14	Basmati rice	Rice	Pulao, steamed rice	Mutton yakhni pulao, rice kheer
15	Idli rice (parboiled)	Rice	Fermented batters	Idli
16	Ghee	Fat	Cooking and finishing	Punjabi chicken curry, pulao
17	Neutral oil	Fat	Everyday frying and cooking	Pakoras, poha, upma
18	Onions	Aromatic	The base of most curries	Almost every savoury recipe
19	Ginger and garlic (fresh)	Aromatic	Pastes and marinades	Curries, paneer tikka
20	Green chillies and curry leaves	Aromatic	Heat and fragrance	Poha, upma, meal prep
21	Tamarind (paste or block)	Sour	Sambar, chutneys	South Indian meal prep
22	Amchur (dried mango powder)	Sour	Tang in dry dishes	Optional, see below
23	Lemons	Sour	Brightness at the end	Poha, upma
24	Paneer	Dairy	Tikka, curries	Oven paneer tikka
25	Plain yoghurt	Dairy	Marinades, lassi, raita	Paneer tikka, mango lassi

Tomatoes, coriander leaves and a stock of salt are assumed. A few useful extras fall outside the 25: asafoetida (hing), sambar powder, black pepper, green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, kasuri methi, and canned tomatoes or passata. The spices guide covers those in detail.

Which spices should you buy first?

Six jars do most of the work: cumin seeds, ground coriander, ground turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala and mustard seeds. The first four go into the base of most curries (see the bhuna masala guide). Garam masala goes in at the end. Mustard seeds start the South Indian dishes.

Buy small packs from a shop with fast turnover, and replace ground spices within about a year. Kashmiri chilli powder is chosen for colour and mild heat. Ordinary red chilli powder is hotter, so use about a quarter as much if you substitute it.

What are dals, and which ones are essential?

A dal is a split pulse, and also the dish made from it. Three do the most work in this kitchen:

• Toor (arhar) dal: split pigeon peas, the base of sambar and everyday dal. Rinse well and cook until it falls apart.
• Chana dal: split, husked desi (small brown) chickpeas. They are firmer and nuttier than other dals, and a spoonful fried in the tempering adds crunch, as in rava upma.
• Urad dal: split and husked (white) urad is used for the tempering, and for idli and dosa batters.

All three keep for a year or more in airtight jars. Dals sold as “split and skinned” cook fastest; the whole, unhusked versions take longer and are a different ingredient.

What flours and grain products do you need?

Four staples go beyond rice:

• Besan (gram flour or chickpea flour) makes savoury batters, from the pakora coating on onion pakoras to besan chilla. It is naturally gluten-free, but check the pack if you need certified gluten-free. Sift it before using to remove lumps, and store it airtight, as it can turn bitter when old.
• Atta is fine-ground whole-wheat flour for rotis and parathas, such as the dough in anda paratha. It contains gluten. Store it airtight, because the bran makes it go stale sooner than white flour.
• Rava (sooji, semolina) is made from wheat and comes in fine and coarse grades. The upma and uttapam recipes use fine rava. It contains gluten.
• Poha is flattened rice. Buy thick poha (often labelled “jada” or “thick”) for kanda poha, because thin poha dissolves into paste when rinsed. It is made from rice, but check for cross-contamination if gluten is a concern.

Which rice should you stock?

Two kinds cover most of this site. Basmati is a long-grain, aromatic rice for pulao and plain steamed rice, and for rice kheer. Rinse it until the water runs mostly clear, and soak it if the recipe says so. Idli rice, a parboiled short-grain rice, is for fermented batters, as in idli. For everyday South Indian rice, as in the meal prep plan, use sona masoori (a raw medium-grain rice) or basmati.

Stored dry and airtight, both keep for a year or more. Aged basmati is prized, so there is no rush to use it up.

Which fats and oils belong in the pantry?

Keep two: ghee and a neutral oil such as sunflower or rapeseed.

Ghee is clarified butter. It has a high smoke point, a nutty flavour, and keeps in a cupboard for months if you use a clean, dry spoon. It is a dairy product, so it is not suitable for anyone with a milk allergy. Neutral oil is the everyday choice for frying and for dishes where ghee would be too rich, such as kanda poha.

Mustard oil is an optional third. It has a sharp, pungent flavour that many cooks in North and East India, especially Bengal, like, and it is usually heated until it just begins to smoke and then cooled slightly to mellow the raw edge. A word about labelling: in some countries, including the US and UK, mustard oil is sold labelled “for external use only”, usually because of its high erucic acid content. If you cannot find a food-labelled bottle, or you are unsure about the rules where you live, use neutral oil instead. Every recipe here that mentions mustard oil works without it.

What aromatics and fresh ingredients do you need?

• Onions are the foundation. Buy a bag and store it in a cool, dry, airy spot.
• Ginger and garlic are used fresh, grated or blended into a paste. A jar of paste is convenient; a homemade batch keeps about a week in the fridge, and can be frozen in ice-cube trays for longer.
• Green chillies and curry leaves are bought fresh. Chillies keep about a week in the fridge. Curry leaves keep for a week or so in the fridge, and can be frozen. Dried curry leaves have much less flavour.

What sour ingredients do Indian recipes use?

Sourness lifts rich and earthy dishes.

• Tamarind is sold as a block or a paste. It gives sambar its sweet-sour edge. Paste is simpler: start with a small amount and add to taste.
• Amchur is dried green mango powder. It adds tang without liquid, and is common in dry vegetable dishes, chaat and stuffed breads. It is optional for the recipes on this site but handy.
• Lemon goes in at the end, as in poha and upma, to brighten the dish. Add it off the heat so the flavour stays fresh.

Which dairy do you need?

Paneer is a fresh, unaged cheese made by curdling milk. It is firm enough to grill, as in oven paneer tikka. Buy firm paneer for tikka, and check the packet for a date. It keeps a few days in the fridge once opened, in water or a sealed box, and freezes reasonably well, though the texture turns crumblier.

Plain yoghurt is used in marinades, lassis and raita. Whole-milk or Greek-style yoghurt is thicker and less likely to split when heated gently. Both paneer and yoghurt are dairy, and a milk allergy rules them out.

How should you store the pantry?

Item	Where	Approximate life
Whole spices	Airtight jar, dark cupboard	About 2 years
Ground spices	Airtight jar, dark cupboard	6 to 12 months
Dals, rice, poha	Airtight container, cool and dry	A year or more
Besan, atta, rava	Airtight container; fridge if warm climate	3 to 6 months
Ghee	Cupboard, clean dry spoon	Several months, check smell
Oils	Cool, dark cupboard	6 to 12 months
Tamarind paste	Fridge after opening	Several months, check the pack
Fresh chillies, curry leaves	Fridge	About a week
Paneer (opened)	Fridge, sealed	A few days

These are rules of thumb. Smell and look: a rancid, musty or insect-affected pack goes in the bin. Whole-grain flours turn rancid sooner than refined ones, so buy small quantities. For anything with a printed date or opening instruction, follow the pack.

What is a starter shopping list?

Week one: twelve items. Enough for curry, bhurji, pakoras and rice.

1. Cumin seeds
2. Ground coriander
3. Ground turmeric
4. Kashmiri chilli powder
5. Garam masala
6. Ghee or neutral oil
7. Basmati rice
8. Besan
9. Onions
10. Ginger and garlic
11. Green chillies
12. Plain yoghurt

Week two: South and West Indian breakfasts. Mustard seeds, rava, poha, curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal and lemons.

Later, as you need them: atta, idli rice, toor dal, tamarind, paneer and amchur.

Which recipes does each purchase unlock?

If you buy	You can make
The week-one list	Punjabi chicken curry, egg bhurji, besan chilla (add ajwain)
The week-one list, plus ajwain and rice flour	Onion pakora
Mustard seeds, poha, curry leaves	Kanda poha
Mustard seeds, rava, chana dal, urad dal	Rava upma
Rava (plus yoghurt)	Rava uttapam
Atta	Anda paratha
Idli rice, urad dal	Idli
Toor dal, tamarind, sambar powder	South Indian meal prep
Paneer, yoghurt	Oven paneer tikka

Once the shelves are stocked, the next skill is technique. Read the spices guide for tempering and the bhuna masala guide for curry bases.