KASHMIRI PANTRY
When we left home, Dad sent each of my two brothers and me an email listing all of the staples we would need in order to start and stock our Kashmiri pantry. At the time I rolled my eyes: what 19-year-old wants to be told what to do by their parents? But I’m so grateful for all of that information now.
Having a pantry stoked with the essentials to cook these recipes makes life so much easier. It just means that you can cook on a bit of a whim. Want to make dal? Easy. Keen to put together some chapatti and sabzi for a simple lunch? Done.
These staples are the supporting co-stars to spice. Without them, executing a lot of the dishes on this—or any other Indian-based cooking channel—will prove a lot more difficult.
Look here for an insight into how to stock a general pantry in order to make cooking off the cuff easier. And read on below for some of the reasons behind the staples.
KASHMIRI PANTRY STAPLES:
Having an array of lentils in the pantry means you can play with different dal recipes: channa dal, red lentils, and toor dal are those that I list here and each has a very different taste and use profile.
A good quality Basmati rice is essential. Basmati rice is fragrant, elegant, a staple of Indian cuisine across the Subcontinent, and beautiful when cooked correctly: follow this video as a guide for how to make fluffy rice.
Atta flour and besan flour are very different. Atta flour is made from wheat and is used in the making of chapatti, samosa, parantha, and poori. Besan flour is a staple when making pakoras and is a great gluten-free option to get to know.
Having a well-stoked pantry with essential fats is fundamental to being able to re-create the authentic taste of regional Indian recipes. Ghee, mustard oil, yoghurt, and vegetable oil are commonly used in the making of Northern Indian cuisine. This Western Australian canola oil is brilliant, too.
Jaggery is the sugar of choice. It is unrefined cane sugar, buttery, creamy, and with a soft and dense texture that’s ideally suited to use with complex spice. It’s also a great way to help introduce kids to spice.
Asafoetida is key to Kashmiri Pandit food. As a garlic and onion replacement it has specific Ayurvedic and taste qualities that are difficult to recreate.