Here are the staples we keep cold. I go a little nuts for fun bottles and pastes!

Vegetables & Herbs

• Ginger – Fresh ginger is always preferable to the jar.
• Green Chilis – Spicy!
• Limes/Lemons
• Curry Leaves – Oh I love the smell of curry leaves frying. Used in South Indian cooking.
• Cilantro – For everything!
• Other herbs: Thai Basil, Mint, Methi Leaves – We don’t keep these on hand all the time since they go bad so fast, but they are essential in some dishes.
• Vegetables: Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower + Vegetables We’ll Use Soon – The first three tend to keep for a while, whereas other vegetables (green beans, okra, tindora, eggplant, spinach, etc.) tend to go bad faster.

Breads

• Fresh Roti – From the Indian market down the street. I dread the day we won’t live near an Indian market and I’ll finally have to learn how to make these right!
• Bread for Toast – Whole wheat, gluten free, sourdough, etc.
• Corn Tortillas – The kind from the regular grocery store last a long time. Not sure if this is a good thing, but it is convenient :-). Sometimes we have flour tortillas too, but they just don’t last the same so we get them when we need them.
• Yeast – For pizza dough.

Dairy, Etc.

• Milk – I like whole milk for lattes
• Yogurt – So many good kinds.
• Sour cream – Only Knudsen brand, ever.
• Olive Oil/Butter Spread – Just olive oil and butter. Those other “heart healthy” spreads have things in them that I don’t trust!
• Butter – Salted sticks.
• Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Keeps for a while and can be used in anything. We get other cheeses sometimes, but they aren’t a staple.
• Jam – For toast.

Bottles/Pastes

• Srirachi Sauce (Rooster) – Asian hot sauce.
• Sambal Oelek – Asian chili paste.
• Ketchup – Not just for french fries. Fantastic to richen up spaghetti sauce and paneer makhani.
• Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato Chili Sauce – Tejas’s go to condiment.
• Ginger Paste – I like the Trader Joe’s frozen garlic cubes, otherwise I would get ginger and garlic paste instead.
• Tamarind Date Chutney – For chaat! The bottle on the right is the best.
• Mint Chutney – For chaat!
• Tangy Tomato Pickle – So good with yellow dal.
• Tamarind – I like two kinds, the natural kind for Indian food and the kind in the bottle on the left for pad thai. I will try the natural kind next time I make pad thai though, maybe I’ll change my mind 🙂
• Kokum – Not really a bottle, but I store it in a glass container. It is used in Gujarati cooking and has similar properties to tamarind. It adds tang.
• Gyoza Dipping Sauce – Mmm, tangy, salty, sweet.
• Trader Joe’s General Tsao Sauce – Good for quick stir fries.
• Whole Foods Thai Red Curry Paste – I like this better than the versions at the Asian market.
• Thai Green Curry Paste – Aroy-D has a good vegetarian one.
• Hoisin Sauce – For moo shu.
• Chili Paste with Fermented Bean Paste – We usually have a version or two of this.
• Gochujang – Korean hot pepper and fermented bean paste.
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Hoisin Sauce – For moo shu.
• BBQ Sauce – A bold and smokey version. Great with ranch dressing on a BBQ ranch salad.
• Mustard
• Mayo – Only the full fat kind, none of this light mayo, ew!
• Ranch Dressing – Trader Joe’s Parmesan Ranch is my favorite!