Instant & Prepared Foods

Diamond - glasnudeln lang

MDH Chana Masala is the blend for Punjabi chole, and its defining character is sourness rather than heat. Dried mango and pomegranate seed give it the dark, tangy finish that chickpeas need, with cumin and coriander behind them.

Best for

• Chole with white chickpeas, served with bhature or rice
• Pindi chole cooked dry with very little gravy
• Chickpea and potato chaat

Using it

Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook them until they yield easily, six to seven whistles. Fry onion, ginger, garlic and tomato, then add about three teaspoons of the masala for 250g of dry chickpeas and cook it in the oil until it darkens. Add the chickpeas with some of their cooking water and simmer twenty minutes, crushing a few against the pan to thicken.

Pack and storage

Ground blend in a sealed pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Masala Noodles (Pack of 6) 420g  by Maggi. Buy More Save More multipack/value bundle.

Telugu Foods Bombay Rava, also sold as upma rava, is coarse wheat semolina, the granular flour left after the bran is removed. It is unroasted, so it needs a few minutes in a dry pan before it goes into a dish, and it cooks into distinct grains rather than a paste when the water ratio is right.

Best for

• Upma with onion, green chilli and curry leaves
• Rava dosa and rava idli
• Kesari, sheera and halwa

How to cook it

Dry roast the rava on medium heat for four or five minutes until it smells nutty and the grains move freely, then set it aside; skipping this is the usual reason upma turns to porridge. For upma, use one part rava to two and a half parts boiling water, add the rava in a steady stream while stirring constantly to stop lumps forming, then cover and cook on low heat for three to four minutes. For halwa, keep the same ratio but use milk or a milk and water mix.

Pack and storage

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

Bambino Vermicelli is thin, wheat-based vermicelli (seviyan), a pantry staple in Indian kitchens used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Bambino is a well-known vermicelli brand widely used across South India.

The vermicelli has a mild, wheaty taste that takes on the flavour of the dish it is cooked in, whether that is a milky, sweet payasam or kheer, or a savoury vermicelli upma.

How to use

• Roast the vermicelli lightly in ghee or oil if it is not pre-roasted, then add milk and sugar for a sweet payasam, or water and vegetables for a savoury upma.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vermicelli softens and the liquid is absorbed.

Pack size: 350g. Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container.

MTR Roasted Vermicelli (Seviyan) is wheat vermicelli that has already been roasted, so it can be used directly in cooking without the extra step of roasting it in ghee or oil first. It is commonly used to make both sweet dishes, such as payasam or kheer, and savoury dishes, such as vermicelli upma.

The vermicelli has a light, toasted flavour from the roasting and a soft texture once cooked, absorbing the taste of milk, sugar or spices depending on the dish.

How to use

• For a sweet dish, add the vermicelli directly to boiling milk with sugar and simmer until soft.
• For a savoury dish, add it to a pan with tempered vegetables and water or stock, then cook until the liquid is absorbed and the vermicelli is tender.

Pack size: 950g. Store in a cool, dry place.

Annam Dosa Mix is a ready ground blend of rice and lentil flours for making dosa without soaking, grinding and fermenting from scratch. You add water and salt and you have batter, which turns a weekend job into a weekday one.

Best for

• Plain and masala dosa at short notice
• Uttapam with onion, tomato and chilli
• Paniyaram and quick tiffin breakfasts

How to cook it

Whisk the mix with water to a smooth, pourable batter, a little thinner than pancake batter, and let it stand for twenty to thirty minutes so the flours take up the water. Heat a tava until a drop of water skitters, rub it with oil, pour a ladleful and spread it outward in a spiral. Drizzle oil at the edges and lift when the underside is golden and comes away cleanly.

Pack and storage

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

MTR Vermicelli (Seviyan) is unroasted wheat vermicelli, thin strands of wheat-based pasta commonly used in Indian cooking for both sweet and savoury dishes. Being unroasted, the vermicelli needs to be roasted in a little ghee or oil before cooking, which is the traditional first step in most seviyan recipes.

Once cooked, this vermicelli has a soft texture and a mild, wheaty taste that takes on the flavour of whatever it is cooked with, whether that is a sweet payasam or kheer, or a savoury upma-style dish.

How to use

• Roast the vermicelli in a little ghee or oil until lightly golden.
• For a sweet dish, add milk and sugar and simmer until soft; for a savoury dish, add water or stock and vegetables and cook until tender.

Pack size: 950g. Store in a cool, dry place in a sealed container after opening.

MTR Plain Upma Mix is a ready mix for making upma, a savoury South Indian breakfast dish based on roasted semolina (rava). Being a plain version, it gives a base upma to which you can add your own tempering, vegetables or chutney powder if you like.

Once cooked, the upma has a soft, fluffy texture and a mild, comforting taste, and is usually eaten hot for breakfast or as a light snack.

How to use

• Bring water to a boil in a pan.
• Slowly add the upma mix, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming.
• Cover and cook on low heat for a few minutes until the mixture softens and the water is absorbed, then serve.

Store in a cool, dry place and keep the pack tightly closed after opening.