saver combos

The Bhujia Combo 10 Pack is a bulk order of the two bhujias most Indian households never want to run out of — ten 200g bags in all.

Inside: 5 × Haldiram Aloo Bhujia 200g and 5 × Haldiram's Bhujia Plain 200g.

Aloo Bhujia is the softer, milder one, made with potato worked into the gram flour; plain Bhujia is finer, crisper and sharper on the spice. Both are the standard companion to chai, and both do more than snacking — scattered over poha, upma and dahi chaat, folded into bhel, or used as the crunch on top of a sandwich or a bowl of curd rice.

Ten bags is a stocking-up quantity for a family or a shared house. Keep them sealed in a cool, dry cupboard and clip each bag shut once opened.

The Perfect Thai Combo is the short list a Thai curry actually needs — three curry pastes and the coconut milk to cook them in.

Inside: Cock Brand Red Curry Paste 400g, Green Curry Paste 400g and Yellow Curry Paste 400g, with Aroy-D Coconut Milk 150ml.

Each paste makes a different curry: red is the all-rounder, built on dried red chillies, and the one for beef, duck and roasted vegetables; green is the hottest, made with fresh green chilli and basil, classically with chicken or fish balls; yellow is the mildest, turmeric-led and closest to an Indian curry, good with potato and chicken.

The method is the same for all three: fry a spoon of paste in the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk until it splits and smells, then add the rest of the milk, the protein and the vegetables. Refrigerate the pastes after opening.