Haldiram's

Haldiram Veg Pulao is a ready-to-eat basmati rice dish cooked with vegetables and whole aromatic spices, sealed in a pouch that keeps at room temperature. The rice is already cooked through, so it only needs heating — useful when there is no time to cook from scratch.

Best for

• A quick meal on a busy evening
• Office lunches and travel
• Rounding out a meal of curries

How to cook it

Drop the sealed pouch into boiling water for about five minutes, or empty the contents into a pan and heat gently for three to four minutes, stirring so the grains do not stick. It can also be microwaved in a covered bowl for around two minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Pack and storage

200 g pouch. Store in a cool, dry place. Once opened, refrigerate any leftovers and eat the same day.

Haldiram's Dakshin Express Madras Mixture is a south Indian style namkeen of thin sev, fried lentils, peanuts and curry leaves in a coconut-and-chilli seasoning. The curry leaf and the heat are more pronounced than in a northern mixture, giving it a drier, spicier finish.

Best with

• Filter coffee or chai
• Evening snacking with a bit of heat
• Serving alongside upma or curd rice

Pack and storage

180 g pack. Keep in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Haldiram's Dry Petha is the Agra-style sweet made from ash gourd, candied in sugar syrup and then dried so the outside is firm and lightly crystallised while the inside stays soft and juicy. It is a sweet, not a namkeen, and it is far less rich than a milk-based mithai.

Best with

• Serving after a meal
• Festival sweet boxes and gifting
• Chai in the afternoon

Pack and storage

400 g pack. Store in a cool, dry place and keep the pack sealed after opening.

Pack of 6 × Haldiram's Khatta Meetha 200g.

Pack of 4 × Haldiram Aloo Bhujia 200g.

Pack of 6 × Haldiram's Bhujia Plain 200g.

Pack of 2 × Haldiram's Boondi Masala 200g.

Pack of 3 × Haldiram Ready to Eat Choley 300g.

Haldiram's Bombay Mixture is the western Indian style of namkeen — thin sev, fried split peas and lentils, peanuts and curry leaves tossed in a tangy, chilli-warm masala. It is sharper and more citrusy than a Punjabi mix, with the curry leaf coming through clearly.

Best with

• Chai in the evening
• Snacking with cold drinks
• Mixing into bhel or sprinkling over chaat

Pack and storage

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

Haldiram's Methi Sev is fine gram flour sev seasoned with dried fenugreek leaves, giving it a gently bitter, herby note behind the salt. That methi edge is what separates it from plain or aloo sev — savoury, a little grassy, and good on its own without anything else.

Best with

• Chai and coffee breaks
• Scattering over dal, khichdi or curd rice
• Building bhel and chaat at home

Pack and storage

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

Haldiram Gulab Jamun are soft milk-solid dumplings fried deep brown and left to soak in cardamom-scented sugar syrup. They arrive ready in their syrup, so there is nothing to make — the sponge is already saturated right through to the middle.

Best with

• Serving warm after dinner
• Festivals, weddings and gatherings
• Alongside vanilla ice cream

Pack and storage

1 kg, packed in syrup. Store in a cool, dry place while sealed. Once opened, keep refrigerated and eat within a few days, making sure the pieces stay covered by the syrup.