Indian Grocery Essentials

This is part 3 of the Indian "Essentials" postings.  If you haven't already visited parts 1 and 2, you can find them here: Indian Pantry Essentials and Beyond the Indian Pantry Essentials.

These are the fresh items which I like to have on hand for Indian cooking, non-vegetarian and vegetarian.  

Grocery Essentials

Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Tomatoes
Curry leaves, fresh (if possible!)
Coriander/cilantro leaves
Mint leaves
Coconut, grated (frozen)
Coconut, whole (fresh)
Assorted Vegetables (which I find are widely available in the USA and commonly used in Indian cooking)
    potatoes, okra, eggplant, leafy greens (i.e. spinach, fenugreek leaves), radishes (daikon or common red), cabbage, carrots, green beans, and more
Mixed vegetables (frozen)
Green peas (frozen)
Green chiles (I recommend serrano peppers)
Yogurt (plain)
Heavy cream
Eggs
Chicken thighs, bone in, skinned (I do NOT recommend chicken breast for Indian cooking unless I specifically state so on a particular recipe.  It is too dry.)
Chicken drumsticks, skinned
Mutton (goat meat)
Shrimp (raw, deveined, frozen)
Fish (frozen catfish, tilapia, and salmon pieces are my favorites, but my husband loves kingfish)

Beyond the Indian Pantry Essentials

Due to popularity of my previous blog post on the Indian pantry essentials, this list is for those interested in the next level of Indian cooking!  Of course, this list is not exhaustive, and is based on the method of cooking I am most familiar with: south Indian cuisine.

The Indian Pantry Essentials part one is available here.

Now, onto the list.

Beyond the Indian Pantry Essentials:


Dried curry leaves
Ghee (clarified butter...substitute unsalted butter if necessary)
Cashews (raw, pieces, unsalted)
Almonds (raw, pieces, unsalted)
Cumin powder
Chaat masala (not really a must have, but I love the taste...it goes back to the 90's when I first tasted it when my dad brought some home from a business trip to India)
Urad dal (black lentil, outer skin removed to leave white interior)
Moong dal (mung bean)
Chana (chickepeas)
Fenugreek seeds
Coriander seeds (whole)
Poppy seeds (white)
Cumin powder
Chana dalia (roasted gram
Asoefatida
Saffron
Vermicelli
Pearl tapioca
Rava (cream of wheat)
Golden raisins
Atta (whole wheat flour)
Gingelly oil (light sesame oil - the Asian sesame oil is darker and has a different flavor)
Coconut oil
Coconut milk (canned)

I hope to add to this list as items come to mind.

What about you?  Indian food lovers, what would you recommend? 

Indian Pantry Essentials

After a conversation with my sister Janna, wherein she was surprised I don't use curry powder, I've put together a list of pantry essentials I personally recommend for Indian cooking. :) 

Coriander powder

Turmeric powder

Pure red chili powder (an acceptable substitute is cayenne pepper)

Garam masala powder

Mustard seeds (black)

Cumin seeds

Fennel seeds

Cinnamon stick (whole)

Cloves (whole)

Green cardamom pods (whole)

Star anise (whole)

Bay leaves (whole cassia leaves)

Black peppercorn (whole and ground)

Red chiles (dried, whole)

Tamarind pulp or tamarind concentrate

Toor dal (yellow split peas)

Masoor dal (red/pink lentils)

Basmati rice