DEALS OF THE DAY

Udhaiyam Toor Dal in the 2 kg pack — split pigeon pea, the base of sambar and the everyday dal across South India. Mild, faintly sweet, and it cooks down to a smooth golden consistency.

The 2 kg size suits a household cooking dal several times a week.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka, dal fry and rasam
• Kootu, and anywhere a little dal is used to thicken

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear. Pressure cook with roughly 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 35 to 45 minutes. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin, dried chilli and curry leaves to finish.

Pack and storage

2 kg. Keep in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

India Gate Sona Masoori is a medium-grain, lightly polished rice from South India — softer and more absorbent than basmati, and not trying to be it. The grains are shorter, cook fluffy, and take on the flavour of whatever they are served with, which is exactly why it is the everyday rice across Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka.

It is lighter to eat than a long-grain basmati, and the 10 kg bag is sized for a household that cooks rice most days.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam or dal
• Curd rice, where a softer grain is what you want
• Lemon rice, tamarind rice and other South Indian rice dishes
• Idli and dosa batter, ground with urad dal

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times. Sona Masoori needs no long soak — 10 minutes is plenty. Use about 2 parts water to 1 part rice, or cook it in a pressure cooker for 2 to 3 whistles. It is more forgiving than basmati and reheats well.

Pack and storage

10 kg bag. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Dildaar Sona Masoori is the medium-grain rice that most South Indian households cook every day. The grains are shorter and lighter than basmati, they cook soft, and they take up whatever goes on top of them instead of competing with it, which is exactly what is wanted under sambar, rasam or a curry. This is the full 10kg household sack.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam and curries
• Curd rice, lemon rice and pulihora
• Pongal, and batter for idli and dosa

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs mostly clear. Sona masoori carries more surface starch than aged basmati and turns gluey if you skip this. In a pressure cooker, use one cup of rice to two cups of water and cook for three whistles, then let the pressure fall on its own rather than releasing it. In an open pot, boil one cup of rice in four cups of water until the grains are soft and drain the excess. Fluff with a fork; stirring with a spoon mashes the grain.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Decant into an airtight container and keep it off the floor; a couple of dried bay leaves in the container is the usual way to keep weevils out.

Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Flour is atta with the bran and germ left in, the everyday flour for Indian flatbreads rather than for cakes or pastry. It absorbs more water than a white flour and produces a soft dough that rolls thin without tearing, which is what gives a roti the pliability to be folded around a curry. This is the 5kg pack.

Best for

• Chapati, roti and phulka
• Paratha and thepla
• Puri and dough for rolls and wraps

How to cook it

Use about two parts flour to one part water by volume, adding the water gradually rather than all at once, and knead for a good five minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed. Cover and rest for fifteen to twenty minutes before rolling. Cook on a tawa that is properly hot, turn once when the surface bubbles, and finish over a flame or under gentle pressure from a cloth so the roti puffs and the steam inside keeps it soft.

Pack and storage

5kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, and keep it airtight; atta picks up damp and odours quickly.

Aashirvaad Multigrain Wheat Flour is an atta with other grains and pulses milled in alongside the wheat, which gives a roti a denser bite and a nuttier flavour than plain wheat atta. The dough also behaves differently: it drinks more water, it is less stretchy, and it repays a longer rest before you start rolling.

Best for

• Everyday chapati and phulka
• Paratha, plain or stuffed
• Thepla and puri

How to cook it

Add the water gradually, as this flour takes noticeably more than plain wheat atta, and knead to a soft dough that does not stick to the fingers. Cover it and rest it for at least twenty minutes so the bran softens, or the rotis will come out tough. Roll a little thicker than a plain chapati, since rolled thin this dough tears. Cook on a hot tawa until the surface bubbles, turn once, and press gently with a folded cloth to make it puff.

Pack and storage

5kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, and keep it in an airtight container away from damp.

Daawat Basmati Extra Long in the 20 kg green bag, supplied with an extra 2 kg included — 22 kg in total. This is the bulk pack for households that cook rice most days, and for restaurants and caterers who want one grain they can rely on across the menu.

The grains are matured before packing, so they cook dry and separate and stretch noticeably rather than softening. The green bag is the Extra Long grade, a different grain from Daawat's Rozana and Super lines.

Best for

• Biryani in quantity, where every grain needs to stay separate
• Restaurant and catering service
• Households cooking rice daily who would rather buy once a season

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear, then soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Use about 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice. Bring to the boil, cover, cook on low for 10 to 12 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes before fluffing.

Pack and storage

20 kg plus 2 kg free. Store in a cool, dry place. For a bag this size, decant what you need into a smaller sealed container and keep the main bag closed.

Aashirvaad Chakki Atta is whole wheat flour ground on a chakki, a stone mill, so the bran and germ stay in the flour instead of being sifted out. It is what a North Indian kitchen means when it says atta, and it makes rotis that stay soft and pliable for hours rather than stiffening as they cool. This is the 10kg sack for a household that makes roti daily.

Best for

• Everyday chapati, roti and phulka
• Paratha, stuffed or plain
• Puri, bhatura and roti dough for the freezer

How to cook it

Work to roughly two parts flour to one part water by volume, adding the water in stages and kneading for five minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. Rest it, covered, for fifteen to twenty minutes; kneading and resting are what make the difference between a soft roti and a leathery one. Roll evenly, cook on a tawa hot enough that the roti starts to blister within seconds, turn it once, then lift it onto an open flame or press it with a cloth to puff.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Keep working quantities in an airtight container and the rest of the sack closed and off the floor.

Heer Extra Long Basmati Rice is prized for its exceptional length, delicate fragrance, and fluffy texture when cooked. Ideal for biryanis, pilafs, and everyday meals.

Dildaar Extra Long Basmati is long-grain aromatic rice selected for grain length, which is the thing that matters in a biryani where every grain has to stay separate and visible. Cooked properly the grains stretch out, stay firm at the centre and do not clump together. The aroma shows itself in the pot and settles as the rice rests. This is the 5kg pack.

Best for

• Dum biryani, where separate grains matter most
• Pulao, jeera rice and fried rice
• Plain steamed rice alongside a rich gravy

How to cook it

Rinse gently until the water runs clear, then soak for twenty to thirty minutes; soaking is what lets a long grain elongate instead of snapping. For plain rice, use one cup of rice to one and a half cups of water, bring it to a boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, then rest it ten minutes off the heat before lifting the lid. For biryani, parboil in plenty of salted water to about seventy per cent, drain, layer and finish on dum. Separate the grains with a fork, never a spoon.

Pack and storage

5kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Keep it airtight and away from strong-smelling spices, as basmati takes up other aromas readily.

Dildaar Extra-Long Basmati in the 10kg sack is for kitchens that cook rice most days, or cook for a crowd. It is long-grain aromatic rice chosen for grain length: the grains elongate as they cook, hold their shape, and stay loose rather than sticking, which is what separates a proper biryani from a pot of savoury rice.

Best for

• Biryani and pulao for large gatherings
• Everyday steamed rice with curries and dal
• Fried rice and jeera rice

How to cook it

Wash the measured quantity gently until the water clears, then soak for twenty to thirty minutes before cooking. On the stove, one cup of soaked rice to one and a half cups of water, brought to a boil then covered on the lowest heat for twelve minutes, gives separate grains; leave it to stand another ten minutes before opening. For biryani, parboil to roughly seventy per cent in heavily salted water, drain well, layer over the meat and cook sealed on low heat. Always fork the rice apart rather than stirring it.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Move what you are using into an airtight container and keep the rest of the sack closed, away from damp and away from spices whose aroma it will pick up.

Green chilli, called hari mirch in Hindi and mostly known in German simply as gruene Chili, is the unripe form of the chilli pepper: slim, glossy, and firm, with heat that varies noticeably from mild to sharp even within the same batch.

It is used throughout Indian cooking as a base ingredient, slit or chopped into curries, dals and chutneys, or fried whole with salt as a side. It also flavours pickles and tempering (tadka) for dals.

How to use

• Wash and trim the stem before slitting, chopping, or using whole.
• Remove the seeds and inner white membrane for a milder result.
• Store in the fridge in a paper bag or open container; it keeps for around a week.

Aachi Chicken 65 Masala is the original spice blend for the iconic South Indian fried chicken dish. Its bold combination of chilli, pepper and aromatic spices creates the signature fiery, tangy Chicken 65 flavour.

• Authentic Chicken 65 flavour profile
• Bold chilli and pepper with aromatic spices
  

Aachi Garam Masala is a classic warming whole-spice blend made from cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and star anise. A finishing spice added to curries, biryanis and marinades for depth and fragrance.

• Classic warming blend of whole aromatic spices
• Use as a finishing spice or marinade enhancer
  

Aachi Ragi Flour Roasted is finger millet ground to a fine flour and roasted, so the raw, slightly bitter edge of plain ragi flour is already cooked out. It is dark brown, closer to a wholemeal flour in weight, and being pure millet it is naturally gluten-free.

Best for

• Ragi mudde and ragi sangati
• Ragi roti and dosa
• Ragi malt and porridge

How to cook it

For porridge or malt, mix the flour with a little cold water first to a smooth slurry, then pour it into simmering water or milk while stirring; adding flour straight to hot liquid guarantees lumps. For mudde, boil water with a pinch of salt, add the flour in one go, and work it against the sides of the pot with a wooden stick until it comes together as a smooth ball. For roti, make a stiff dough with hot water and pat it out by hand rather than rolling, as ragi dough has no gluten to hold it together.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight container.

Aachi Tandoori Chicken Masala is the marinade blend for tandoori chicken, carrying both the deep red colour and the spice profile of the clay-oven original so the dish can be made in an ordinary oven or on a grill. It is aromatic and moderately hot, built around chilli, ginger, garlic and warm spices.

Best for

• Whole or jointed tandoori chicken in the oven
• Chicken tikka and kebabs on skewers
• Grilled paneer, prawns and cauliflower

Using it

Marinate in two stages. First rub the scored chicken with lemon juice, salt and a spoon of the masala and leave it twenty minutes, then mix the rest of the masala into thick, hung curd with a little oil and coat the pieces properly. Give it four hours in the fridge, or overnight for a whole bird. Cook hot and fast, around 220C, on a rack so the heat circulates, and brush with butter or oil halfway through to keep the meat from drying.

Pack and storage

100g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Daawat Basmati Extra Long in the 5 kg green bag is the long-grain line Daawat is best known for. The grains are matured before packing, so they cook dry and separate and stretch noticeably in the pot rather than swelling and going soft.

The green bag is the Extra Long grade. It is a different grain from Daawat's Rozana and Super lines, which sit at different lengths and price points — worth knowing if you have cooked with those before and are expecting the same result.

Best for

• Biryani, where length and separation are the whole point
• Pulao and ghee rice
• Everyday steamed rice with dal, sambar or curry

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear, then soak for 20 to 30 minutes — extra-long grains need the soak to cook evenly. Use about 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice, bring to the boil, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes off the heat.

Pack and storage

5 kg green bag. Store somewhere cool and dry, sealed after opening.