Under €2

Townbus Banana Chips are raw bananas sliced thin and fried until golden, then salted while still warm. They are firmer and starchier than a potato crisp, with a clean banana flavour underneath the salt and no sweetness to speak of. The slices are thick enough to snap audibly.

Best with

• Tea or coffee
• A South Indian meal, served on the side of the plate
• Sadya-style festival spreads
• Packed lunches and long drives

Pack and storage

170g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Keep them away from heat and sunlight, which turn fried chips stale faster than anything else, and move them to an airtight jar once the pack has been opened.

Aachi Sambar Masala Powder is the general-purpose sambar blend, ground fine and balanced so it works with whatever vegetables are in the house rather than being tuned to one regional style. It is mildly hot with the roasted note that a sambar powder needs and a general curry powder does not have.

Best for

• Everyday sambar with mixed vegetables
• Idli, vada and dosa sambar
• Vegetable kootu and poriyal

Using it

Cook toor dal separately until it mashes easily. Boil the vegetables with tamarind water and salt until tender, then stir in one and a half to two teaspoons of the powder for four servings and let it simmer five minutes before the dal goes in, so the powder cooks out. Adding it at the very end leaves a raw, dusty taste. Finish with mustard seeds, dried red chilli, curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida fried in oil and poured over off the heat.

Pack and storage

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

Townbus Garlic Mixture is a South Indian snack mix carrying a strong roasted garlic flavour, with fried lentils, peanuts and crisp rice crackers through it. The garlic is the point rather than a background note, so it is a mixture for people who already know they like garlic. It is savoury and moderately hot.

Best with

• Tea or coffee in the evening
• A snack bowl for a gathering
• Plain curd rice, which balances the garlic
• Something to nibble alongside a drink

Pack and storage

170g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Keep it in a well-sealed jar and away from other snacks, since the garlic aroma travels and will find its way into anything stored open beside it.

Haldiram Boondi Masala is made of tiny gram flour pearls fried crisp and tossed in a warm, salty masala. The little spheres stay light and shatter easily, which is what makes them so good scattered over food as well as eaten on their own.

Best with

• Chai in the afternoon
• Sprinkling over curd rice, dal or chaat
• Snack bowls for guests

Pack and storage

200 g pack. Store in a cool, dry place and reseal after opening so the boondi stays crisp.

TRS Chilli Powder is ground dried red chilli and nothing else — no salt, no blended spices. It is there for heat rather than colour, which is what separates it from the Kashmiri grade.

Best for

• Curries, gravies and masala bases
• Marinades for meat and fish
• Pickles, chutneys and dry rubs

Using it

Add it to hot oil alongside the other ground spices for a few seconds only — it scorches fast and turns bitter if left. Start with less than you think you need; more can always be stirred in later. For a dish that looks red but eats gently, use Kashmiri chilli powder for most of the quantity and a pinch of this for the bite.

Pack and storage

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

TRS Whole Yellow Peas are dried whole peas with the skin on — firmer and sweeter than the split kind, and they stay whole through cooking rather than falling into a purée.

Best for

• Ragda for ragda pattice and Mumbai chaat
• Matar ki ghugni and pea curries
• Thick soups, and sprouting

How to cook it

Soak for at least eight hours or overnight — unlike split peas, these will not soften properly without it. Drain, rinse, then pressure cook with fresh water for 4 to 5 whistles, or simmer for about an hour, until a pea crushes between the fingers but still holds together. For ragda, mash a portion and stir it back to thicken.

Pack and storage

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

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's Chana Dal namkeen is split Bengal gram fried until crisp and seasoned with salt and a light dusting of spice. Each piece keeps a firm, nutty bite rather than shattering like sev, so it is a slower, more substantial snack.

Best with

• Serving with drinks
• Chai in the afternoon
• Mixing into homemade namkeen blends and chaat

Pack and storage

200 g pack. Store in a cool, dry place and reseal tightly 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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
  

MDH Dal Makhani Masala is the blend for the slow-cooked Punjabi dal of whole black urad and kidney beans finished with butter and cream. It is warm and mild rather than hot, so it supports the dairy richness instead of cutting through it.

Best for

• Dal makhani with whole urad and rajma
• Kali dal and other slow-simmered lentil dishes
• Buttery tomato-based gravies

Using it

Soak the whole urad and rajma overnight, then pressure cook until completely soft, six to eight whistles. Add the masala to the fried onion, ginger, garlic and tomato base and cook it in the ghee before the dal goes in. Two teaspoons suits a pot for four. Then simmer it low and long, stirring often, and add butter and cream at the end.

Pack and storage

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

TRS Cloves are whole dried flower buds, dark brown and nail-shaped, with a powerful sweet-hot aroma and a numbing edge on the tongue. They are one of the strongest spices in the cupboard, so three or four are usually enough for a whole pot.

Best for

• Biryani, pulao and korma
• Garam masala, both whole and ground
• Masala chai, and slow-cooked meat curries

How to cook it

Fry whole cloves in hot ghee at the start, alongside cinnamon, bay leaf and cardamom, for a few seconds until they swell slightly. Take them out before serving if you can find them — a whole clove bitten into is unpleasantly strong. For chai, one or two crushed cloves simmered with the tea is plenty.

Pack and storage

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

Townbus Madras Mixture is the Chennai-style snack medley: sev, fried lentils, peanuts and gram-flour strands tumbled together with curry leaves and spices. What makes a good mixture is the variety of textures in a single handful, and this one runs from fine threads to whole nuts. It is savoury with a steady chilli warmth behind it.

Best with

• Tea and filter coffee
• A snack bowl put out for guests
• Spooned over curd rice or bhel
• Evening snacking and travel

Pack and storage

170g pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Tip it into an airtight jar once the pack is open, as the fine sev in the mix absorbs moisture first and takes the rest of the mixture soft with it.

Schani Black Salt Powder (Kala Namak) has a distinctive sulphurous flavour widely used in Indian chaat masala, chutneys, and refreshing drinks like jal jeera.

TRS Ajwain / Lovage Seeds are tiny ridged seeds with a sharp, thyme-like pungency — the same compound that gives thyme its bite is what you taste here. They are strong, so a pinch goes a long way.

Best for

• Paratha, puri and savoury pastry dough
• Pakora and bhajia batter
• Fish and prawn marinades, and pickles

How to cook it

Crush the seeds lightly between your palms as you add them — whole and uncrushed they give up very little. A quarter teaspoon is plenty for a batch of dough or batter. In a tempering they go into hot oil for a few seconds only, usually alongside cumin.

Pack and storage

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

Priya Lime Pickle in Lime Juice is lime pieces cured in their own juice and salt rather than in oil, which makes it sharper and cleaner on the palate than an oil pickle. The rind softens as the jar stands, and sourness leads, with chilli behind it.

Best for

• Curd rice
• Sambar rice and a South Indian thali
• Dosa, idli and chapati

Serving

Serve a piece or two at the side of the plate; this is a sharp pickle and a little sets off a whole meal. Use a dry spoon every time and press the pieces back under the juice before closing the jar, since fruit left above the liquid is what spoils first. There is no oil layer here, so the juice is doing that job and should never be poured away.

Pack and storage

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

Haldiram Kashmiri Mixture is a ready-to-eat namkeen built from fine gram flour sev, fried lentils, peanuts and raisins in a lightly spiced blend. The raisins give it a sweet-sour lift against the salt, so it eats milder and rounder than a Bombay or Punjabi mixture.

Best with

• Afternoon chai or coffee
• Scattering over bhel, chaat or curd rice
• Snack bowls when guests drop in

Pack and storage

200 g pack. Store in a cool, dry place and keep the pack sealed after opening so the mix stays crisp.

TRS Semolina Fine is durum wheat milled to a fine grain — smoother and more powdery than the coarse rava, closer in feel to flour. The fine cut absorbs liquid quickly and sets soft, which is what a smooth halwa or a batter needs.

Best for

• Sooji halwa and sheera
• Rava idli, and soft idli and dosa batters
• Sooji ka cheela, and light baking

How to cook it

Roast it in ghee over low heat for five to seven minutes until it turns a shade darker and smells nutty — fine semolina catches faster than coarse, so keep it moving. For halwa, use roughly 1 part semolina to 3 parts hot liquid, added slowly and stirred hard to stop lumps. Do not substitute it for coarse rava in upma; it goes sticky.

Pack and storage

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