annam

Annam Ponni Boiled Rice is parboiled Ponni, the staple table rice of Tamil Nadu. Parboiling before milling firms the grain, so cooked rice stays separate and does not go pasty, and it holds up well to being reheated.

Best for

• Daily steamed rice with sambar, rasam and kuzhambu
• Curd rice and lemon rice
• Lunchboxes, where it holds its texture for hours

How to cook it

Parboiled rice needs more water and more time than raw rice. Rinse twice, then pressure cook one cup to two and a half cups of water for three to four whistles, or boil it in plenty of water for about twenty-five minutes and drain. Soaking for thirty minutes first shortens the cooking and gives a more even grain.

Pack and storage

5Kg bag. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Idly Rice is a short, parboiled rice grown and milled specifically for batter, not for the table. Parboiling changes the starch so that ground with urad it ferments reliably and sets into idlis that are soft and spongy rather than dense.

Best for

• Idli batter, ground with whole urad
• Dosa, uttapam and paniyaram batter
• Adai and other ground rice tiffin dishes

How to cook it

This is a grinding rice. Rinse and soak it four to six hours, separately from the urad, then grind it slightly coarse, like fine semolina. Combine with smoothly ground urad at roughly three or four parts rice to one part urad, add salt and ferment eight to twelve hours somewhere warm until it has risen and smells faintly sour. Do not stir it down hard afterwards.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Black Gram (Urid Dal Gota) is whole urad with the skin removed, so the grains are round and white rather than black. This is the form used for batter, because it grinds to a smooth paste that traps air and gives idli and vada their lift.

Best for

• Idli and dosa batter, ground with rice or idly rawa
• Medu vada and thayir vada
• Papad and batter-based tiffin dishes

How to cook it

For batter, rinse and soak four to six hours with a teaspoon of fenugreek seed, then grind with very little cold water until light and fluffy. Combine with soaked rice in roughly one part urad to three or four parts rice, add salt and ferment overnight in a warm place. For vada, grind thick and use the batter straight away.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Puffed Rice (Mumra) is rice puffed dry until it is light, crisp and almost weightless, sold plain and unsalted. It has little flavour of its own, which is exactly the point: it takes on whatever chutney, tempering or masala you mix through it and supplies the crunch. Straight from the pack it should snap rather than bend. If it has picked up any softness, spread it on a tray and warm it in a low oven or a dry pan for two or three minutes, then let it cool completely before using, which brings the crispness back.

Best with

• Bhel puri with onion, tomato and chutneys
• Chivda and other dry tempered snack mixes
• Jhal muri and quick masala mumra with peanuts

Pack and storage

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

Ragi flour is stone-ground finger millet — an earthy wholegrain flour with a deep reddish-brown colour and a nutty flavour.

Best for

• Ragi mudde and ragi ball, the Karnataka staple
• Ragi roti and ragi dosa
• Ragi malt and porridge
• Blending into chapati atta for a wholegrain lift

Working with it

Ragi has no gluten, so on its own it will not hold together like wheat dough. For rotis, either mix with hot water and knead while warm, or combine with wheat atta. For porridge, roast the flour briefly first — it deepens the flavour and stops lumps forming.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal) are split pigeon peas, the yellow lentil at the base of everyday South Indian cooking. They cook down to a soft, slightly sweet purée that carries tamarind and tempering better than firmer lentils do.

Best for

• Sambar and vegetable kootu
• Everyday dal with tomato and tempering
• Dal palak, dal fry and pappu with greens

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for twenty to thirty minutes, which makes a noticeable difference to how evenly it breaks down. Pressure cook one cup of dal with two and a half to three cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for three to four whistles, then mash it smooth. Salt goes in after cooking, since adding it early keeps the lentils firm.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Brown Sona Masuri is the same medium-grain South Indian rice left unpolished, so the bran layer stays on the grain. That gives it a tan colour, a firmer, chewier bite and a nuttier taste than white Sona Masoori, and it needs more water and more time in the pot.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam or curry
• Curd rice and lemon rice, where the firmer grain holds up
• Pulao and one-pot rice dishes

How to cook it

Soak it for at least an hour before cooking; without a soak the bran keeps the grain tough. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half to three cups of water for four to five whistles and let the pressure fall naturally. In an open pot, boil in plenty of water for about thirty-five minutes and drain. Rest it covered for ten minutes before fluffing.

Pack and storage

5kg bag. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Idly Rawa is rice broken into coarse granules, made so you can build idli batter without grinding rice at all. You grind only the urad and stir the rawa in, which is why it is the shortcut most households in a hurry rely on.

Best for

• Quick idli batter, paired with ground urad
• Uttapam and thick set dosa
• Rava idli and steamed tiffin dishes

How to cook it

Soak the idly rawa in water for about thirty minutes, then squeeze out the excess by hand. Grind soaked whole urad separately until light and fluffy, and fold the squeezed rawa into it at roughly two parts rawa to one part urad. Add salt and ferment eight to twelve hours in a warm place until risen, then spoon gently into greased moulds and steam twelve minutes.

Pack and storage

1kg pack. 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.

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.

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 Black Gram (Urid Dal Chilka) is urad split in half with the dark skin left on, which is what the word chilka refers to. It cooks softer than whole urad but keeps more texture and a deeper, earthier taste than the skinless white dal.

Best for

• Urad chilka dal with ginger and garlic
• Mixed dal, panchmel dal and dhaba-style lentils
• Adding body to dosa and adai batters

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear and soak for about an hour. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for four to five whistles, then finish with a tempering of cumin, garlic and chilli in ghee. It thickens as it stands, so keep a little hot water aside to loosen it before serving.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Black Gram (Urid Dal Gota) in a smaller pack, whole skinless urad with the round white grains used for grinding rather than for dal. It is the batter lentil, valued because it whips up light and holds air through fermentation.

Best for

• Idli and dosa batter
• Medu vada, ulundu vadai and thayir vada
• Ulundhu kanji and batter-based tiffin dishes

How to cook it

Rinse well, then soak four to six hours, adding a teaspoon of fenugreek seed if you are making idli. Grind with small additions of cold water until the paste is smooth and visibly aerated. Mix with ground soaked rice at about one part urad to three or four parts rice, salt it and leave it to ferment overnight somewhere warm.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Split Chickpeas (Chana Dal) are husked, split brown chickpeas, noticeably firmer than toor or moong. They hold their shape when cooked, so you get distinct pieces rather than a smooth purée, with a nutty, mildly sweet taste.

Best for

• Chana dal tadka and dal with bottle gourd
• Sundal, usili and dry South Indian sides
• Grinding into vada batter and stuffing for puran poli

How to cook it

Rinse and soak for at least an hour, longer if you can, as unsoaked chana dal takes a long time to give way. Pressure cook one cup with three cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for four to five whistles for a soft dal, or three whistles if you want the pieces intact. Salt at the end. For vada or sundal, soak but do not overcook.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Red Parboiled (Matta) Rice is the bold, reddish-brown rice of Kerala, parboiled before milling with part of the red bran left on the grain. It has a distinctly earthy taste and a firm, chewy bite, and it is the rice that Kerala meals are actually built around rather than a substitute for white rice.

Best for

• Kerala meals with fish curry, sambar or thoran
• Kanji, the rice gruel eaten with pickle and pappadam
• Puttu and other ground rice preparations

How to cook it

It takes far longer than ordinary rice. Rinse, soak for an hour, then boil in plenty of water in an open pot for thirty-five to forty-five minutes until the grains are soft but still have bite, and drain. In a pressure cooker use one cup to three cups of water for five to six whistles. Keep the starchy drained water for kanji.

Pack and storage

5Kg bag. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening.

Annam Toor Dal is split pigeon pea, the workhorse lentil of South Indian kitchens, in a smaller pack for households that cook dal a few times a week. It softens into a smooth, mildly sweet purée and takes a mustard-and-curry-leaf tempering well.

Best for

• Sambar for rice, idli and dosa
• Plain dal with tomato, garlic and green chilli
• Kootu, pappu and dal with spinach or gourd

How to cook it

Rinse well and soak for half an hour if you have the time. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half to three cups of water and a little turmeric and oil for three to four whistles, then whisk it smooth. Add salt and tamarind only once the dal is cooked, as both slow down softening if they go in at the start.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Whole Ragi is finger millet sold as the whole grain rather than as flour, so the small round reddish-brown seeds are intact. Keeping it whole means you control what happens to it, whether that is sprouting, cooking it as a grain or grinding it fresh.

Best for

• Ragi mudde and ragi ambali
• Sprouting, then drying and grinding into flour
• Porridge and thick savoury gruels

How to cook it

Rinse and soak the grain for six to eight hours before you do anything with it. To cook it whole, use one cup to three cups of water and simmer for around forty minutes until tender. To sprout, drain after soaking and leave loosely covered for a day or two, then sun or oven dry completely before grinding. It is naturally gluten-free.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Plain Papadam (4") is the small, unseasoned papad served alongside a rice meal or handed round with drinks. Cooked properly it puffs and blisters within seconds and stays brittle right through, with a clean salty taste and none of the cumin or pepper of the flavoured versions. The four inch size is the one that sits on a thali, where each person takes one or two rather than sharing a large disc. Roast it over a low gas flame or in a dry pan, turning constantly for twenty to thirty seconds a side until it lightens and curls, or deep fry it for a few seconds in hot oil and drain it upright. It softens in humid air, so cook only as many as you will eat at once.

Best with

• Rice with sambar, rasam or curd
• Crushed over salads and chaat
• Drinks, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chilli

Pack and storage

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

Annam Black Pepper Papadam carries cracked black pepper through the dough, giving a sharp, warming bite that plain papad does not have. The heat is peppery rather than chilli heat, so it builds slowly and clears quickly, and it stands up well next to mild food such as curd rice or a coconut-based curry. Roast it over a low gas flame or in a dry pan, turning constantly for twenty to thirty seconds a side until it lightens and curls, or deep fry it for a few seconds and drain it upright. Serve it soon after cooking, while it is at its most brittle.

Best with

• Curd rice, rasam and mild coconut curries
• Masala papad with onion, tomato and coriander
• Drinks, on its own as a peppery snack

Pack and storage

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

Annam Horse Gram is the small, hard, flat brown pulse known as kollu in Tamil and ulavalu in Telugu, eaten across the southern states. It is much firmer than any lentil, with a dry, earthy taste, and it needs longer cooking than its size suggests.

Best for

• Kollu rasam and horse gram sundal
• Kollu paruppu and thogayal ground with coconut
• Ulava charu and slow-cooked gravies

How to cook it

Soak it for at least eight hours, or overnight, in plenty of water. Drain, then pressure cook one cup with three to four cups of fresh water for eight to ten whistles, as it stays stubborn well past the point most pulses give way. Keep the dark cooking water, which is the base of kollu rasam. Salt only once the grains crush easily.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Canned Boiled Chick Peas are white chickpeas already cooked and packed in brine, so there is no overnight soak and no pressure cooker. They are soft enough to eat straight from the tin and firm enough to hold their shape in a gravy.

Best for

• Quick chole and chickpea curry on a weeknight
• Chana chaat with onion, tomato and lemon
• Salads, wraps and hummus

Using it

Drain and rinse them well under cold water first, which takes the brine taste off. For a curry, add them to the finished onion and tomato masala and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes rather than the usual half hour, since they only need to take up flavour. Crush a few against the pan to thicken the gravy. Season at the end, as the brine already carries salt.

Pack and storage

400g tin. Once opened, transfer any unused chickpeas to a covered container and keep refrigerated.

Annam Moong Dal Clean is split, skinned moong, the small yellow lentil that cooks faster and lighter than any other common dal. It breaks down quickly into a soft, mild purée and takes on a tempering without much coaxing, which makes it the everyday weekday dal.

Best for

• Everyday moong dal tadka with cumin and garlic
• Pesarattu, khichdi and ven pongal
• Dal with spinach, bottle gourd or tomato

How to cook it

No long soak is needed; fifteen minutes is plenty, and you can skip it. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for two to three whistles, or simmer it in an open pot for about twenty-five minutes. Whisk it smooth, then add salt and a tempering of cumin, garlic and dried chilli in hot ghee.

Pack and storage

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

Annam Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana) in a larger pack, the small dark chickpea with a firm skin that holds its shape through long cooking. It is denser and earthier than the white kabuli chickpea and does not break down into a purée, which is why it works as well cold as hot.

Best for

• Kala chana masala and Punjabi-style gravies
• Sundal for festivals, tempered with coconut and curry leaf
• Sprouting for salads and chaat

How to cook it

Soak overnight in plenty of water; eight hours is the minimum and twelve is better. Drain, then pressure cook one cup with three cups of fresh water for six to eight whistles until they crush easily between finger and thumb. Salt after cooking. To sprout them, soak overnight, drain and leave loosely covered for a day.

Pack and storage

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

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.