Indian

Dildaar Sona Masoori is the medium-grain rice that most South Indian households cook every day. The grains are shorter and lighter than basmati, they cook soft, and they take up whatever goes on top of them instead of competing with it, which is exactly what is wanted under sambar, rasam or a curry. This is the full 10kg household sack.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam and curries
• Curd rice, lemon rice and pulihora
• Pongal, and batter for idli and dosa

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs mostly clear. Sona masoori carries more surface starch than aged basmati and turns gluey if you skip this. In a pressure cooker, use one cup of rice to two cups of water and cook for three whistles, then let the pressure fall on its own rather than releasing it. In an open pot, boil one cup of rice in four cups of water until the grains are soft and drain the excess. Fluff with a fork; stirring with a spoon mashes the grain.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Decant into an airtight container and keep it off the floor; a couple of dried bay leaves in the container is the usual way to keep weevils out.

Daawat Basmati Extra Long in the 5 kg green bag is the long-grain line Daawat is best known for. The grains are matured before packing, so they cook dry and separate and stretch noticeably in the pot rather than swelling and going soft.

The green bag is the Extra Long grade. It is a different grain from Daawat's Rozana and Super lines, which sit at different lengths and price points — worth knowing if you have cooked with those before and are expecting the same result.

Best for

• Biryani, where length and separation are the whole point
• Pulao and ghee rice
• Everyday steamed rice with dal, sambar or curry

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear, then soak for 20 to 30 minutes — extra-long grains need the soak to cook evenly. Use about 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice, bring to the boil, cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes off the heat.

Pack and storage

5 kg green bag. Store somewhere cool and dry, sealed after opening.

India Gate Sona Masoori is a medium-grain, lightly polished rice from South India — softer and more absorbent than basmati, and not trying to be it. The grains are shorter, cook fluffy, and take on the flavour of whatever they are served with, which is exactly why it is the everyday rice across Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka.

It is lighter to eat than a long-grain basmati, and the 10 kg bag is sized for a household that cooks rice most days.

Best for

• Everyday steamed rice with sambar, rasam or dal
• Curd rice, where a softer grain is what you want
• Lemon rice, tamarind rice and other South Indian rice dishes
• Idli and dosa batter, ground with urad dal

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times. Sona Masoori needs no long soak — 10 minutes is plenty. Use about 2 parts water to 1 part rice, or cook it in a pressure cooker for 2 to 3 whistles. It is more forgiving than basmati and reheats well.

Pack and storage

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

Aashirvaad Multigrain Wheat Flour is an atta with other grains and pulses milled in alongside the wheat, which gives a roti a denser bite and a nuttier flavour than plain wheat atta. The dough also behaves differently: it drinks more water, it is less stretchy, and it repays a longer rest before you start rolling.

Best for

• Everyday chapati and phulka
• Paratha, plain or stuffed
• Thepla and puri

How to cook it

Add the water gradually, as this flour takes noticeably more than plain wheat atta, and knead to a soft dough that does not stick to the fingers. Cover it and rest it for at least twenty minutes so the bran softens, or the rotis will come out tough. Roll a little thicker than a plain chapati, since rolled thin this dough tears. Cook on a hot tawa until the surface bubbles, turn once, and press gently with a folded cloth to make it puff.

Pack and storage

5kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, and keep it in an airtight container away from damp.

Udhaiyam Urid Whole Gota (whole black gram) is the key ingredient for iconic dishes like Dal Makhani and Idli batter. These whole, unpolished lentils deliver a rich, earthy flavour and creamy texture when cooked.

Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Flour is atta with the bran and germ left in, the everyday flour for Indian flatbreads rather than for cakes or pastry. It absorbs more water than a white flour and produces a soft dough that rolls thin without tearing, which is what gives a roti the pliability to be folded around a curry. This is the 5kg pack.

Best for

• Chapati, roti and phulka
• Paratha and thepla
• Puri and dough for rolls and wraps

How to cook it

Use about two parts flour to one part water by volume, adding the water gradually rather than all at once, and knead for a good five minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed. Cover and rest for fifteen to twenty minutes before rolling. Cook on a tawa that is properly hot, turn once when the surface bubbles, and finish over a flame or under gentle pressure from a cloth so the roti puffs and the steam inside keeps it soft.

Pack and storage

5kg pack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening, and keep it airtight; atta picks up damp and odours quickly.

India Gate Premium Basmati Rice is aged before milling, and that ageing is what gives it the long, slender grain and the clean aroma that lifts as soon as the pot comes to steam. The grains cook dry and separate and roughly double in length, so they hold their shape in a biryani instead of collapsing into the masala.

This is the Premium line — India Gate's everyday aged basmati, and the one most households cook with week to week rather than saving for special occasions.

Best for

• Biryani and pulao, where separate grains matter
• Jeera rice and plain steamed rice alongside dal or curry
• Fried rice, and any dish where the rice gets reheated

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear, then soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Use about 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice. Bring to the boil, cover, and cook on a low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Pack and storage

5 kg bag. Keep in a cool, dry place and reseal after opening.

Udhaiyam Toor Dal in the 2 kg pack — split pigeon pea, the base of sambar and the everyday dal across South India. Mild, faintly sweet, and it cooks down to a smooth golden consistency.

The 2 kg size suits a household cooking dal several times a week.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka, dal fry and rasam
• Kootu, and anywhere a little dal is used to thicken

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear. Pressure cook with roughly 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer for 35 to 45 minutes. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin, dried chilli and curry leaves to finish.

Pack and storage

2 kg. Keep in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

TRS Chilli Powder Kashmir is ground Kashmiri chilli, prized for the deep red colour it gives a dish rather than for heat. It is noticeably milder than ordinary chilli powder, so you can use a generous spoonful without the gravy becoming fierce.

Best for

• Rogan josh, butter chicken and tandoori marinades
• Rajma, chole and other tomato-based gravies
• Tempering, where colour matters as much as flavour

Using it

Bloom it in warm oil or ghee for a few seconds before the onions or tomatoes go in — that is what releases the colour. Keep the heat moderate; even a mild chilli powder turns bitter if it burns. If a recipe calls for both, use this for the body of the colour and a small pinch of hot chilli powder for the heat.

Pack and storage

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

Daawat Basmati Extra Long in the 20 kg green bag, supplied with an extra 2 kg included — 22 kg in total. This is the bulk pack for households that cook rice most days, and for restaurants and caterers who want one grain they can rely on across the menu.

The grains are matured before packing, so they cook dry and separate and stretch noticeably rather than softening. The green bag is the Extra Long grade, a different grain from Daawat's Rozana and Super lines.

Best for

• Biryani in quantity, where every grain needs to stay separate
• Restaurant and catering service
• Households cooking rice daily who would rather buy once a season

How to cook it

Rinse until the water runs clear, then soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Use about 1.5 parts water to 1 part rice. Bring to the boil, cover, cook on low for 10 to 12 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes before fluffing.

Pack and storage

20 kg plus 2 kg free. Store in a cool, dry place. For a bag this size, decant what you need into a smaller sealed container and keep the main bag closed.

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.

Udhaiyam Toor Dal is split pigeon pea — tuvar or arhar dal — the lentil that sambar is built on and the everyday dal in most South Indian kitchens. It cooks down soft and golden with a mild, faintly sweet flavour.

Best for

• Sambar
• Dal tadka, dal fry and rasam
• Kootu and poriyal, where a little dal thickens the dish

How to cook it

Rinse two or three times until the water runs clear. Pressure cook with about 3 parts water to 1 part dal for 3 to 4 whistles, or simmer 35 to 45 minutes until it breaks down when pressed. Finish with mustard seeds, cumin, dried chilli and curry leaves in hot oil or ghee.

Pack and storage

1 kg. Store in a cool, dry place in a sealed container.

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.

TRS Cumin Seeds (Jeera Whole) are the slim, ridged brown seeds that start most Indian tempering. Whole cumin gives bursts of warm, smoky flavour through a dish in a way that ground cumin, which disappears into the gravy, does not.

Best for

• Tempering for dal, rice and vegetables
• Jeera rice and jeera aloo
• Roasting and grinding for raita, chaat and masala blends

How to cook it

Drop the seeds into hot oil or ghee and wait for them to sizzle and darken by a shade — about ten seconds — before the onions go in. For raita or chaat, dry-roast them in a pan with no oil until fragrant, cool, then crush coarsely; roasted cumin tastes completely different from raw and is worth the two minutes.

Pack and storage

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

Aashirvaad Chakki Atta is whole wheat flour ground on a chakki, a stone mill, so the bran and germ stay in the flour instead of being sifted out. It is what a North Indian kitchen means when it says atta, and it makes rotis that stay soft and pliable for hours rather than stiffening as they cool. This is the 10kg sack for a household that makes roti daily.

Best for

• Everyday chapati, roti and phulka
• Paratha, stuffed or plain
• Puri, bhatura and roti dough for the freezer

How to cook it

Work to roughly two parts flour to one part water by volume, adding the water in stages and kneading for five minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. Rest it, covered, for fifteen to twenty minutes; kneading and resting are what make the difference between a soft roti and a leathery one. Roll evenly, cook on a tawa hot enough that the roti starts to blister within seconds, turn it once, then lift it onto an open flame or press it with a cloth to puff.

Pack and storage

10kg sack. Store in a cool, dry place, sealed after opening. Keep working quantities in an airtight container and the rest of the sack closed and off the floor.

Udhaiyam Urid Whole Gota is whole white urad dal — the black gram with its skin removed, left whole rather than split. Creamy-white, and the grain behind idli, dosa and vada batter.

Whole gota grinds to a smoother, better-aerated batter than split urad, which is why it is the one traditionally used for idli.

Best for

• Idli and dosa batter, ground with rice
• Medu vada and uzhunnu vada
• Papad, and thick North Indian dals

How to use it

For batter, soak 4 to 6 hours with a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, then grind with cold water until light and fluffy. Combine with soaked rice and leave to ferment overnight in a warm place.

Pack and storage

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

TRS Mustard Seeds Brown are the small reddish-brown seeds used across South and West Indian cooking. Raw they taste of almost nothing; the flavour only appears once they hit hot oil and pop, turning nutty and gently pungent.

Best for

• Tempering for dal, sambar and rasam
• Poriyal, thoran and other South Indian vegetable dishes
• Pickles, and Bengali fish curries

How to cook it

Heat the oil until it shimmers, add the seeds, and cover the pan — they jump. Once the popping slows, add curry leaves, dried chilli or urad dal and pour the lot over the dish. If the seeds sit in lukewarm oil without popping, the tempering will taste raw; if they blacken, start again.

Pack and storage

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

TRS Gram Flour is besan — flour milled from split brown chickpeas, pale yellow and finer than it looks, with a distinctly savoury, slightly bitter taste when raw that cooks out completely. It is naturally gluten-free.

Best for

• Pakora, bhajia and onion fritters
• Kadhi, besan chilla and dhokla
• Mysore pak, besan laddu, and thickening gravies

How to cook it

Besan lumps easily, so whisk it into water a little at a time rather than tipping the water in. For pakora batter aim for the thickness of double cream and let it rest ten minutes. For kadhi, mix the besan into the yoghurt cold and bring it up slowly, stirring, or it will split. Batters and gravies both need a good ten minutes of cooking to lose the raw taste.

Pack and storage

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

Udhaiyam Green Mung Beans are whole green gram — small olive-green beans with the skin intact. They cook softer than most whole pulses while still holding their shape, and have a mild, faintly sweet, grassy flavour that takes a tempering well.

Best for

• Sprouting for salads and sundal
• Whole green gram curry and pachai payaru
• Soups, stews and thick dal finished with coconut

How to cook it

Soak six to eight hours, or overnight, before cooking. Pressure cook one cup with two and a half cups of water for four to five whistles — the beans should give under a spoon without collapsing. To sprout them, soak eight hours, drain thoroughly, then leave them tied in a damp cloth somewhere warm for a day or two, rinsing once a day. Finish cooked beans with mustard seeds, curry leaves and grated coconut.

Pack and storage

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

TRS Rice Flakes Medium (Poha) is parboiled rice rolled flat and dried. The medium thickness is the all-purpose grade — sturdy enough to soften without disintegrating, which is exactly what a poha breakfast needs.

Best for

• Kanda poha and batata poha
• Chivda and namkeen mixes
• Dahi poha, and thickening batters

How to cook it

Do not soak it. Put the flakes in a sieve, run cold water over them for about fifteen seconds, and leave to drain for five minutes — they carry on softening as they sit. Squeezed between the fingers a flake should crush easily but not turn to paste. Add the drained poha to the tempering at the very end and fold gently with a flat spatula rather than stirring.

Pack and storage

1 kg. 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
  

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.

Haldiram's Bhujia Plain is the classic fine gram flour bhujia — thin, brittle strands seasoned simply with salt and spice, with no potato or nuts in the mix. It is the everyday namkeen most kitchens keep on hand, crisp enough to eat by the handful or scatter straight over a plate.

Best with

• Everyday tea-time snacking
• Topping khichdi, dal or curd rice
• Building bhel and chaat at home

Pack and storage

200 g pack. Keep sealed in a cool, dry place away from steam and sunlight.

Haldiram Aloo Bhujia is fine, brittle bhujia made with potato and gram flour, seasoned with a warm everyday spice blend. The potato gives the strands a softer bite and a rounder, less sharp flavour than plain bhujia, which is why it disappears so fast from the bowl.

Best with

• Chai in the afternoon
• Sprinkling over dal, khichdi or curd rice
• Adding crunch to sandwiches and wraps

Pack and storage

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