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A busy working week means you hardly find the time to walk over to the green grocer or to the nearest superstore to buy fresh produce or even dried goods that are staples in Indian kitchens. So, even as you might carve time out to prepare delicious and soulful homecooked meals, you might not always have all the ingredients required to put together a wholesome dinner, in your pantry. Stocking up on essential non-perishables is the handiest trick to ensure that there is always a steady supply of healthy foods coming out of your store cupboard with which you can whip up nourishing meals.
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In many households, the practice of making a list at the start of every month to send to the grocer for stocking up the pantry has persisted through generations. This ensures that all the essential dals, legumes, spices and other staples are always available in the kitchen to whip up healthy meals quickly and without much fuss. Read on below to know more about the different foods with which you can fill up your pantry for a steady supply of culinary ingredients that can be use to prepare healthy meals:
Assorted Dals
Keep a steady supply of tur, masoor, moong, urad and harbara dals in the kitchen which can be used to quickly make a wholesome meal of dal-chawal. The dals can also be added to certain leafy veggies to lend them more volume. Mixing tur and masoor dal together also ensures a healthy blend of protein-rich lentils that make for a filling meal when paired with rice or chapati.
Rice Varieties
When you go shopping for rice, make sure you bring home at least two or three local variations of the rice grain. While basmati long-grain rice is the perfect choice for making pulao or fried rice at home, go for a smaller grain like Mango blossom for an aromatic rice variation that can be paired with curries, dals and stews.
Dry-Roasted Semolina
Bring semolina from the store and dry-roast it in a pan before storing away in an airtight container. Having dry-roasted semolina in your pantry comes in handy when guests show up unannounced. You can make some instant suji halwa or a delicious, warm upma if you already have roasted thin semolina in your store cupboard.
Legumes
Keep an assorted bunch of legumes including rajma, chickpeas, chawli and more in small glass jars on a dry shelf in your kitchen. If you have an early start in the morning, you can soak the legumes overnight and quickly steam and cook them into a delicious curry for lunch. Paired with rice or roti, rajma or chole can be an excellent lunch option.
Spices And Condiments
Spices like cinnamon and cloves have anti-inflammatory properties which means that they can often be boiled into warm soothers or kadhas especially during flu season. Condiments are on the other hand, an inseparable part of Indian cuisine. Fill your pantry up with essentials like turmeric, chilli powder, hing, masala as well as peppers, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and bay leaves for their delicious flavours and health benefits.
Oils And Ghee
Have groundnut oil or sesame oil in abundance in your store cupboard if you cook regularly with these. Go for cold-pressed oils for a slightly healthier version. Also keep ghee handy in your pantry for lathering it on rice and chapati. It can also come in handy if you are making an Indian dessert like barfi or ladoo rather spontaneously. Ghee is a good source of healthy fat so if had in moderation it can work wonders on boosting overall health.
Onions And Garlic
If stored in a cool place, away from moisture, both onions and garlic can retain their freshness for a long time. The two ingredients are staples in most kitchens and can be used to add flavour to multiple dishes and gravies. Whipping up a quick stir-fry with the aromas of crushed garlic makes for a delicious plate of dinner indeed, so stock your pantry with these essential foods.
Flours
In Indian households, chapati, bhakri, rotis and cheelas are staple foods. Having an assorted mix of wheat flour, maida, rice flour, mix dal flour is as economical as it is handy. A mix dal cheela made for breakfast can be a nourishing meal that sustains you until lunch. As well, a constant supply of wheat flour helps you to quickly make roti-subzi each morning as a healthy lunch alternative.
