Imagine you are cooking for your date or you want to surprise your parents or to pack the tiffin and you discover that you run out of stock of a few ingredients or you don’t have the required amount of ingredients. Perfect example of a nightmare right?

It is necessary to have a check on your ingredients and refill them in timely intervals. Here is a list of basic ingredients that a kitchen must have:

Masala/powdered masala: 

Red chilli powder/Laal mirch powder, Turmeric powder/haldi powder, Coriander powder/dhaniya powder, Black masala, Garam masala, Asafoetida/hing, Raw Mango powder/amchur powder, Kachari powder,

Cumin powder/jeera powder, Chat masala, Dried ginger powder/saunt powder, Fennel/ saunf powder, Split kernels/Rai ki dal, Black pepper powder, Sambar masala, Iodised salt, Black salt, Rock salt/

himalayan salt, Soda powder, Baking powder, Eno fruit salt,

Alum powder/fitakri powder, Cardamom powder/Elaichi powder,

Tea masala, Milk masala powder

Whole masalas:

Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Carrom seeds/Ajwain, Sesame seeds/til , Khus khus, Whole coriander seeds,Green Elaichi,

Masala Elaichi, Clove/lavang, Cinnamon/Dalchini, Caraway seeds/shahi jeera, Bay leaf/tej patta, Nutmeg/jayfal , Whole black pepper/ sabut kali mirch, Round gundu chilli, Dried red chilli/ sukhi Lal mirch

Varieties of flours:

Whole wheat flour/ gehu ka atta, All purpose flour/ maida ka atta,

Sooji atta, Rice flour/chawal ka atta, Maize flour/ makai ka atta,

Gram flour/ besan ka atta, Sorghum flour/jowar atta

Pearl millet flour/ bajra atta, Water chestnut flour/ singhara atta

Corn flour

Crops&Lentils/Anaj&Dal:

Wheat, Basmati rice, Rice, Jowar, Bajra, Makai

Bengal gram dal/ channa dal, Whole green moong dal

Split green moong dal, Whole urad dal, Split urad dal

Arhar/Tuhar dal, Masoor dal, Maunt dal, Channa(green,yellow,kabuli)

Chawlai, Rajma, Matar(green,white), Black dal

Dry fruits:

Cashew nut/kaju, Almonds/badam, Raisins/kishmish

Black grape raisins/munakka ,Pistachio/pista, Walnut/akrot 

Figs/ anjeer, Dates/khajur, Kesar, Chandi barak , Cherries, Tutty frutty

Dried rose petals

Other ingredients:

Suji, Poha, Idli rava, Vermicelli , Sabudana, Peanuts, Dry coconut,

Kokum, Tamarind/imli, Jaggery/Gud, Sugar, Powdered sugar,

Fried or roasted gram/ futana , Supari, Milk powder, Cocoa powder,

Tea leaf/Chai patti , Coffee powder, Oil, Ghee, Cheese, Butter

Ketchup, Pickle, Jam, Vinegar, Essence, Papad/appalam, Milk, Curd

Check our blogs for more such information.

Cooking is an art and it is essential for the artist to know it’s kitchen really well. There is so much that is kept in the kitchen and if one does not know what is there then it can take a toll on us. Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind and familiarise with the kitchen:

• Know the ingredients: One should have the knowledge of the basic ingredients needed in a kitchen. Why are they used, for what are they used and how are they stored.
• Know your appliances: one should have the knowledge of the basic appliances needed in the kitchen. Why are they used for what are they used, how are they used, and how to maintain them.
• Organising the kitchen: with so many things to be kept. It is necessary to keep every thing in an organised manner. Right from the masalas, groceries, appliances, ingredients. Every thing should be labelled well for smooth working.
• Keep it clean: it is necessary to keep the kitchen, clean and tidy. When you have every thing right at its place, it saves your time while cooking and is always a win-win situation.

We hope these tips and tricks are helpful. For further assistance, we are just one click away. You can check our blogs for more useful information. Contact us for further queries and feedback.

The first thing that comes to one’s mind, in regards to cooking is – art, skill, perfection, technique, and so on. What we forget is, it can be fun and therapeutic to. Cooking is considered to be a stressful and tiring job for a lot of reasons:

• Not familiar with the kitchen: if one doesn’t have the knowledge of the very basics, like what is kept, where, what is what, which appliance to use, how to chop or wash or store – it can get really stressful..
• Trying to achieve the perfection: cooking as an art and every person is an artist. We look at our parents, recipes/images online, and try to achieve that perfection. There in the end result is beyond all this. One must enjoy.
• Poor planning: setting and realistic targets, choosing complicated recipes when you don’t have ample amount of time, can get really get stressful and might make it look like one hell of a job.

Times have changed. With technology, availability of resources in terms of knowledge, ingredients, one can give this at a second chance. Here are a few steps you can follow to make it a little less stressful and awake in the chef inside you.

• Know your kitchen: this is the foundation. When you know well about your resources, your confidence grows, stronger. Right from what is kept where,which appliance to use or which ingredient to use, for what is it used, to how to maintain it.
• Pressure free: you first need to start loving what you do. You have to learn to enjoy the process. Don’t put yourself under pressure thinking of what if there is a failure in the end.
• Set realistic targets: always start with simple recipes and ingredients that you are familiar with. Don’t opt for technically skilled or complicated recipes when you don’t have time. Take your own time.
• Have fun: we often forget to live in the moment and just focus on perfection and result. Life is all about creating memories and giving every moment to the fullest. Don’t take Phalia seriously and just enjoy the process.

Let us know your amazing stories and experiences with your feedback. Follow and blogs for more information.