Indian

Annam Plain Papadam (6") is the larger, unseasoned papad, the size meant to be broken and shared rather than eaten whole. Plain means no cumin, pepper or garlic, so it sits quietly next to strongly spiced food instead of competing with it. The wider disc puffs dramatically when fried and is easier to snap into pieces for a table. Deep fry it for a few seconds in hot oil, pressing it flat with a slotted spoon, or roast it over a low flame or in a dry pan, turning constantly so it colours evenly. Either way it is done the moment it turns pale and curls, and it crisps further as it cools.

Best with

• Rice meals with sambar, rasam or dal
• Curries, served as a crunchy side to break and dip
• Topping with chopped onion, tomato and chutney as masala papad

Pack and storage

200g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Haldiram Soan Papdi is the flaky, layered gram flour sweet that collapses into fine threads the moment you bite it. It is made with ghee and cardamom and topped with slivered nuts, and it is dry rather than syrupy, which makes it the easiest mithai to keep and to hand round.

Best with

• Chai in the afternoon
• Festival gifting and sweet boxes
• Serving at the end of a meal

Pack and storage

250 g. Store in a cool, dry place and keep the box closed — the layers absorb moisture and lose their flake if left open. Contains nuts and dairy.

Udhaiyam White Chickpeas are the pale, round chickpeas known as kabuli chana — larger and milder than the darker kala chana, with a soft, buttery texture once cooked.

Best for

• Chana masala and chole
• Hummus and salads
• Sundal and chaat

How to cook them

Soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours, then drain and rinse. Pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles, or simmer for about an hour until soft enough to crush between two fingers. A pinch of bicarbonate of soda in the soaking water softens them further.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

Schani Mustard Oil is a pungent, full-flavoured cooking oil widely used in North and East Indian cuisines. It imparts a distinctive sharp taste to pickles, curries, and stir-fries.

TRS Coriander Seeds (Dhania Whole) are the whole, round seeds — pale brown, hollow and light, with a citrus-and-sage aroma that is far brighter than anything you get from a packet of ready-ground powder.

Best for

• Grinding fresh coriander powder as you need it
• Homemade sambar, rasam and garam masala blends
• Coarse rubs, pickles and tempering

How to cook it

Dry-roast over medium heat for a minute or two, until the colour deepens slightly and the kitchen smells of them, then let them cool completely before grinding. Grind only what you will use within a month or so. Cracked coarsely rather than ground, they give a good texture on grilled meat and roast potatoes.

Pack and storage

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

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.

TRS Dried Red Chillies Long are the long slim dried chillies used for tempering across South India. They carry real heat, more than the Kashmiri type, and give a sharper, smokier note when they hit hot oil.

Best for

• Tempering dal, sambar, rasam and vegetables
• Grinding into chilli powder and chutney powders
• Pickles, and masala pastes

How to cook it

Break each chilli in half or leave it whole depending on how much heat you want — the seeds carry most of it, so shake them out for a gentler result. Drop into hot oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves for a few seconds until the skin darkens and puffs, but not until it blackens. For a paste, soak in hot water for twenty minutes first.

Pack and storage

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

TRS Rice Flakes Medium (Poha) is parboiled rice rolled flat and dried, in the medium thickness — the all-purpose grade that softens without falling apart. This is the small 300 g pack, enough for a few breakfasts.

Best for

• Kanda poha and batata poha
• Chivda and namkeen mixes
• Dahi poha, and adding body to batters

How to cook it

Never soak it in a bowl. Tip the flakes into a sieve, run cold water over them for about fifteen seconds, and leave to drain five minutes — they soften further as they sit. A flake should crush easily between the fingers without turning to paste. Fold the drained poha into the tempering at the end with a flat spatula rather than stirring it about.

Pack and storage

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

India Gate Jeerakasala Rice is a fragrant short-grain rice from Kerala, also known as Kaima or Jeerakashala. Its aromatic profile and tender texture make it the traditional choice for Kerala biryani and ghee rice.

• Aromatic short-grain Kerala rice
• Perfect for Kerala biryani and ghee rice
  

TRS Black Eye Beans (Lobiya) are small cream-coloured dried beans with a black spot where they were attached to the pod. They cook faster than most dried beans and keep a creamy centre with a mild, almost savoury taste.

Best for

• Lobiya masala and black eye bean curry
• Sundal, and coconut stir-fries
• Soups, stews and bean salads

How to cook it

Rinse and pick over. They do not strictly need an overnight soak — two to four hours is plenty, and at a push you can cook them unsoaked. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part beans for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until tender. Salt only at the end, or the skins stay tough.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Jeera Papadam is papad with whole cumin seed worked into the dough, so the roasted cumin comes forward the moment it hits heat. It is the most versatile of the flavoured papads, warm and savoury without being hot, which is why it suits a plain rice meal as readily as it suits drinks. The seeds also give the crisp surface a little texture. Roast it over a low flame or in a dry pan, turning constantly for twenty to thirty seconds a side, or deep fry it briefly in hot oil. Watch it closely either way, as cumin scorches faster than the papad around it and turns bitter.

Best with

• Curd rice, dal and everyday rice meals
• Masala papad topped with onion, tomato and lemon
• Drinks and chaat platters

Pack and storage

200g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Split Chickpeas (Chana Dal) in a larger bag for households that cook it often. Husked and split brown chickpeas, firm enough to stay in recognisable pieces after cooking, with a nutty taste that suits both wet dals and dry stir-fried sides.

Best for

• Dal with bottle gourd, pumpkin or spinach
• Sundal, paruppu usili and koshimbir
• Tempering, where a spoonful fried in oil adds crunch

How to cook it

Soak for an hour or more before cooking, since chana dal is the slowest of the common lentils. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water and turmeric for four to five whistles if you want it soft, or three if the dish needs whole pieces. Add salt only after it is cooked. Drain and cool it fully before grinding for vada.

Pack and storage

2kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Priya Gongura Pickle is the Andhra roselle-leaf pickle, made without garlic: gongura leaves cooked down in oil with chilli and mustard until they turn dark and jammy. The leaves carry their own sharp sourness, quite unlike tamarind or lime, and that sourness is the reason the pickle is eaten.

Best for

• Hot rice with a spoon of ghee
• A side with pappu, or dal, and rice
• Dosa, idli and ragi sangati

Serving

Mix a teaspoon into the first few mouthfuls of hot rice and eat it with something plain alongside; gongura is strong enough to carry a meal on its own. Use a dry spoon and smooth the surface afterwards so the oil covers the pickle again before the jar is closed. Keep the oil layer intact and it will hold well in the fridge once opened.

Pack and storage

300g jar. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Haldiram's Kaju Mixture is a namkeen built around whole cashews, mixed with fine sev, fried lentils and crisp flakes in a mild masala. The cashews make it the richest of the mixtures and the one worth putting out when you have people over.

Best with

• Serving with drinks and at gatherings
• Chai in the afternoon
• Gifting alongside sweets at festivals

Pack and storage

200 g pack. Keep sealed in a cool, dry place. Contains cashews.

Haldiram's Badam Pista Cookies are sweet, crumbly, ghee-rich biscuits studded with almond and pistachio — the bakery-style cookie eaten with chai rather than a savoury namkeen.

They have the short, melting texture that comes from baking with ghee, and enough nut through the crumb to taste it in every bite.

Best with

• Masala chai or filter coffee
• A sweet box alongside mithai at festivals
• Everyday snacking and lunchboxes

Pack and storage

200 g. Keep the pack sealed in a cool, dry place so they stay crisp. Contains nuts and dairy.

Telugu Foods Rice Rava is coarsely broken rice, the granular rice used where a recipe wants the grain to hold its shape but cook in minutes rather than the better part of an hour. It cooks softer and stickier than wheat rava, and being pure rice it is naturally gluten-free.

Best for

• Rice rava upma and uppudu pindi
• Idli batter made with urad dal
• Rice porridge and simple breakfast dishes

How to cook it

For upma, temper mustard seeds, chana dal, green chilli and curry leaves in oil, add two and a half parts boiling water to one part rava with salt, then pour the rava in slowly while stirring so it does not clump. Cover and steam on the lowest heat for five to six minutes until the grains are soft and no water sits at the bottom. For idli batter, soak the rava for twenty minutes, squeeze out the water, and fold it into ground urad dal before fermenting.

Pack and storage

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

Udhaiyam Idly Rice is the short-grain parboiled rice used specifically for idli batter. Parboiling changes how the starch behaves, and that is why a batter ground from idly rice ferments well and steams into a soft, white idli, where the same recipe with ordinary raw rice gives a flatter, denser result.

Best for

• Idli batter, ground with whole urad dal
• Dosa and uthappam batter
• Plain steamed rice, where a firmer grain is wanted

How to cook it

For batter, soak four parts idly rice and one part urad dal separately for four to six hours, adding a teaspoon of fenugreek to the dal. Grind the dal first with cold water until light and airy, then the rice to a slightly grainy paste, and combine them by hand. Add salt, cover, and leave in a warm place for eight to twelve hours until risen. Steam idlis for ten to twelve minutes in greased plates.

Pack and storage

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

Udhaiyam Chana Dal (split Bengal gram) is a versatile pulse with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. Used in dal preparations, chutneys, snacks and South Indian tempering, it is a true kitchen essential.

• Split Bengal gram with nutty, sweet flavour
• Ideal for dal, chutney and South Indian tempering
  

TRS Lotus Seeds (Phool Makhana) are puffed seeds of the lotus flower — light, white, and about the size of a marble, with almost no flavour of their own until they are roasted. They are very light for their volume, so a small pack goes a surprisingly long way.

Best for

• Roasted makhana with salt and pepper
• Makhana kheer
• Makhana curry, and fasting or vrat dishes

How to cook it

Roast them in a dry pan or in a spoonful of ghee over low to medium heat for five to seven minutes, stirring often, until they are crisp all the way through — undercooked makhana is chewy and disappointing. Season once off the heat. For kheer, roast them first, then simmer in milk until they soften and swell.

Pack and storage

50 g. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening — they go soft quickly if left exposed to air.

TRS Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) are split, skinned lentils with a bright salmon-orange colour that turns pale gold once cooked. They are the quickest dal in the cupboard — no soaking needed, and they break down to a soft purée in under half an hour.

Best for

• Everyday masoor dal with a garlic tempering
• Thick lentil soups and stews
• Khichdi, and thickening vegetable dishes

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear. Simmer with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 20 to 25 minutes, skimming the foam that rises in the first few minutes, or pressure cook for 2 whistles. Stir towards the end so it does not catch on the base. Finish with ghee or oil tempered with cumin, garlic and dried chilli.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Garam Masala is a finishing blend built on warm spices such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom and black pepper, ground fine for stirring into a dish near the end of cooking. It is aromatic rather than hot, and a small quantity carries a long way.

Best for

• Chicken, mutton and paneer curries
• Dal, chana masala and rajma
• Pulao, biryani and vegetable stir-fries

Using it

Add half to one teaspoon in the last two or three minutes of cooking rather than at the start. Long simmering drives off the volatile aroma that makes the blend worth using, which is why it goes in late while a coriander or chilli powder goes in early. For a marinade, mix it with curd and salt and let the meat sit for an hour. If you want a little more depth, warm the measured spoonful in a dry pan for a few seconds before it goes into the pot.

Pack and storage

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

Telugu Foods Guntur Red Chilli is the long dried red chilli that Andhra cooking is built on, and it is hot in a way that the milder Kashmiri chilli beside it on the shelf is not. Whole chillies keep their heat and aroma far longer than ground powder, so buying them whole and grinding as needed is worth the extra minute.

Best for

• Andhra curries, pappu and vepudu
• Pickles, podi and chutney powders
• Grinding into fresh chilli powder

Using it

Break or snip the chillies and shake out the seeds if you want colour and flavour without the full heat, since most of the heat sits in the seeds and the pale ribs. For a tempering, fry one or two whole in hot oil with mustard seeds for a few seconds only, until they darken slightly; let them blacken and the whole dish turns bitter. To grind, dry roast on low heat until brittle, cool completely, then grind. Start with fewer than a recipe suggests and adjust.

Pack and storage

100g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, in an airtight jar away from light.

Aachi Red Chilli Powder is made from premium dried red chillies, ground to a vibrant, fiery powder. It delivers consistent heat and colour to curries, marinades and everyday Indian cooking.

• Vibrant red colour and consistent heat
• Made from premium dried red chillies
  

Udhaiyam Black Urid Whole are whole black lentils with a deep, earthy flavour and creamy interior. A staple for Dal Makhani, these lentils slow-cook beautifully to create rich, indulgent gravies.

• Whole black lentils with skin retained
• Essential for slow-cooked Dal Makhani