350 Indian Pantry Staple Recipes and Ingredients

Indian cuisine largely comprises of the regular Indian Pantry staples. But yes, there are some ingredients that will be a pantry staple in some regions and not in another region. So apart from the usual pantry staples like flour, rice, etc, I have also included region-specific pantry staples in this post.

I have made a list of the pantry staples and their recipes with a PDF considering the fact that finding veggies and some other items may not be easy for everyone. You can easily alter these recipes and make them with the ingredients you have in your kitchen.

Indian Pantry Staple Items

✓  Rice: Any variety like basmati rice, sona masuri, parmal, indrayani, kolam etc.

✓  Idli Rice: Idli Rice or parboiled rice (ukda chawal or sela chawal) and Idli Rava.

✓  Flours:

• Whole Wheat Flour (Chapati Atta)
• All-Purpose Flour (Maida)
• Rice Flour
• Gram Flour (Besan or Chickpea flour)
• Ragi Flour (Finger Millet Flour)
• Dalia (Broken wheat or cracked wheat).

✓  Lentils:

• Chana Dal (husked & split Bengal gram)
• Moong Dal (Mung Lentils)
• Arhar Dal (Pigeon Pea Lentils or Tuvar Dal)
• Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)
• Urad Dal (Husked whole or split black gram).

✓  Legumes & Beans: White Chickpeas, Black Chickpeas, Kidney Beans (Rajma) and Black Eyed Beans (Lobia or Chawli).

✓  Dairy Products: Curd, Milk, Butter, Ghee, Cheese, Condensed Milk and Cream.

✓  Essential Cooking Items: Oil, Salt, Sugar.

✓  Essential herbs and veggies: Green chilies, ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, potato, lemon.

✓  Spices: Asafoetida (hing), mustard, fennel, cumin, fenugreek seeds, turmeric powder, red chili powder, whole red chilies, tamarind, dry fenugreek leaves, cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, cumin powder, whole black peppercorns, etc.

✓  Spice blends: Coriander powder, dry mango powder, garam masala powder, sambar powder, pav bhaji masala powder, rasam powder, goda masala and idli podi.

✓  Items usually stored in the refrigerator and freezer: Frozen peas, corn, shredded coconut, tomato ketchup, rose water and mixed herbs.

✓  Useful Pantry Staples: Oats, Pasta, Noodles, Poha (Flattened Rice), Rava (Sooji or Cream of Wheat), Jaggery, Saffron, Vermicelli, Sabudana, Eno, Baking Soda & Baking Powder, Instant Yeast, Sabja Seeds, Chocolate, Puffed rice and Cocoa Powder.

✓  Dry Fruits & Nuts: Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds, Raisins, Pistachios.

✓  Other common ingredients: Tea, Coffee, Green Tea, Coconut Milk, Chyawanprash, Bournvita, Horlicks, etc.

Notes

• If you don’t have Herbs like Curry Leaves, Coriander Leaves, Mint leaves, Basil, etc then you can skip adding them and the recipe will still taste good. You can even used dried herbs like dried mint, dried curry leaves or dried basil.
• In some recipes veggies like carrots, capsicum, beans are added. Skip them if you don’t have them.
• I have tried my best to avoid adding recipes made with pasta, noodles, all-purpose flour. In this time we should avoid processed foods and eat healthy. However keeping the fussy kids in mind, a few of these recipes will be there.

How to save this information: You can bookmark this page or download the list of recipes in a pdf format.

DOWNLOAD INDIAN PANTRY STAPLE RECIPES PDF

In case you have some fresh veggies, then you can also check this post – 50 Immune Boosting Vegetarian Recipes.

Kindly do share this info with your family and friends. Stay safe, Stay Healthy and Stay at home.

Indian Pantry Staple Recipes

Whole Wheat Flour

Parathas

1. Aloo Paratha
2. Onion Paratha
3. Plain Paratha
4. Ajwain Paratha – Carom seeds flatbread
5. Jeera Paratha
6. Dal Paratha
7. Sugar Paratha
8. Masala Paratha

Other Recipes with wheat flour

1. Roti (Phulka)
2. Poori
3. Masala Poori – Spicy and tasty pooris made with whole wheat flour and spices.
4. Butter Naan
5. Wheat Dosa
6. Whole Wheat Pancakes
7. Whole Wheat Waffles
8. Gulgule
9. Wheat Nankhatai
10. Wheat Ladoo
11. Panjiri
12. Atta Halwa
13. Karah Prashad
14. Pita Bread
15. Tandoori Roti – Soft, chewy and slightly charred butter roti made on stovetop or tawa.
16. Khasta Roti – Crisp and flaky flatbreads made from whole wheat flour (atta), cumin and ghee.
17. Baked Aloo Samosa – Healthy + Vegan.
18. Sweet Dalia – Sweet porridge made with cracked wheat (broken wheat), milk, sugar and dry fruits.

Besan (Gram Flour or Chickpea Flour)

1. Besan Chilla
2. Missi Roti
3. Besan Halwa
4. Gatte ki Sabji
5. Besan Ladoo

Bajra (Pearl Millet) and Jowar (Sorghum)

1. Bajra Roti – made from pearl millet flour.
2. Jowar Roti – made from Sorghum Flour.
3. Bajra Khichdi – nutritious khichdi variety made with pearl millet and mung lentils.
4. Instant Thalipeeth –  a spiced and healthy flatbread made from multigrain flour.

Sattu (Roasted gram flour)

1. Sattu Sharbat
2. Savory Sattu Drink
3. Sattu Ladoo
4. Litti Chokha

Moong Dal (Mung Lentils)

1. Moong Dal Dosa
2. Moong Dal Khichdi
3. Moong Dal Fry
4. Moong Dal Tadka
5. Moong Dal Chilla
6. Moong Dal Halwa
7. Moong Sprouts Sabzi
8. Mixed Sprouts Curry
9. Sabut Moong Dal – homely Punjabi style dal made with whole moong beans.
10. Parippu Curry – Delicious moong dal curry made with coconut and spices from the Kerala Cuisine.
11. Pasi Paruppu Payasam – delicious creamy moong dal payasam (kheer) made with yellow moong lentils, jaggery and coconut milk.

Chana Dal (husked & split Bengal gram)

1. Dhokla
2. Cholar Dal
3. Puran Poli
4. Chana Dal Khichdi
5. Chana Dal Recipe
6. Chana Dal Sundal
7. Langarwali Dal
8. Maah Chole di Dal
9. Kadalai Paruppu Payasam – a delicious payasam (kheer) variety made with coconut milk, chana dal, jaggery and cardamom powder.

Urad Dal (Husked whole or split black gram)

1. Dal Bukhara
2. Dal Makhani
3. Urad Dal Dosa
4. Sunnundalu Recipe (Urad Dal Ladoo)
5. Kali Dal – made with whole urad dal or black gram dal.
6. Sukhi Urad Dal – Dry Version.

Arhar Dal (Tuvar Dal or Pigeon Pea Lentils)

1. Dal Fry – Restaurant Style
2. Dal Tadka – Restaurant Style
3. Gujarati Dal – easy to make, mildly sweet and sour dal recipe. No onion no garlic and a vegan dish.
4. Khatti Meethi Dal – a staple in Gujarati cuisine. It is a flavorful, sweet and sour dal.
5. Surati Dal – Sweet & sour Gujarat dal.
6. Arhar Dal fry – Punjabi Style
7. Varan Bhaat – Popular Dish from Maharashtrian Cuisine.
8. Goan Varan Bhaat – A lentil preparation made with tuvar dal, coconut, some spices and herbs.
9. Dali Toye – A simple yet tasty dal from the Gowd Saraswat Brahman Community (GSB).
10. Khatti Dal – a sour lentil dish from the Hyderabadi cuisine.

Masoor Dal (Pink or Red Lentils)

1. Masoor Dal
2. Sabut Masoor Dal
3. Akkha Masoor – spiced whole red lentils or sabut masoor dal dish from the Kolhapuri cuisine.

Mixed Lentils (made with a combination of more than 2 to 3 lentils)

1. Adai
2. Trevti Dal
3. Mixed Dal Dosa
4. Dhaba Style Dal Fry
5. Rajasthani Panchmel Dal

White Chickpeas

1. Punjabi Chana Masala
2. Chickpea Curry – South Indian Style Slightly Spicy Chickpea Curry with coconut.
3. Instant Pot Chana Masala – This recipe is one pot, super easy and does not require the special chana masala spice blend or powder.
4. Pindi Chole
5. Amritsari Chole
6. Peshawari Chole
7. Aloo Chole
8. Chana Pulao
9. Chana Biryani
10. Chana Sundal
11. Aloo Chana Chaat
12. White Chickpeas Chaat
13. Hummus – Popular middle eastern dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas.

Black Chickpeas

1. Kala Chana Curry – from the Punjabi Cuisine.
2. Kadala Curry – Black Chickpeas Curry from the Kerala Cuisine.
3. Kala Chana Ghugni – a delicious spiced curry made with black or brown chickpeas from the Bihari cuisine.
4. Kala Chana Usal – Malvani recipe of usal made with black chickpeas.
5. Black Chickpeas Chaat
6. Kala Chana Sundal

Rajma – Kidney Beans

1. Rajma Masala (Restaurant Style)
2. Rajma Pulao
3. Rajma Madra – Curd and Kidney beans based curry from the Himachali cuisine.
4. Jammu Rajma – a delicious curry made with dark red kidney beans in an onion-tomato-spice base.
5. Rajma Sundal

Lobia (Chawli or Black Eyed Beans)

1. Lobia Masala – Punjabi Style
2. Vellapayar curry – Kerala Style curry made with black-eyed beans.
3. Chawli Usal – a deliciously spiced coconut-based curry from the Maharashtrian Cuisine.
4. Lobia Sabzi – simple and tasty sabzi prepared with lobia, onions, coconut, chilies and other spices.

Idli Dosa Rice and Idli Rava

1. Idli
2. Uttapam
3. Set Dosa
4. Sada Dosa
5. Crispy Dosa
6. Masala Dosa
7. Ghee Roast Dosa
8. Kanchipuram Idli
9. Davangere Benne Dosa
10. Andhra Style Idli
11. Cooked Rice Idli
12. Paniyaram
13. Onion Uttapam
14. Onion Tomato Uttapam

Rice

1. Neer Dosa
2. Ghee Rice
3. Jeera Rice
4. Potato Rice
5. Curd Rice
6. Matar Pulao
7. Tamarind Rice
8. Saffron Rice
9. Ven Pongal
10. Sweet Pongal
11. Kuska Rice (Plain Biryani)
12. Ney Choru (Kerala Style Ghee Rice)
13. Rice Kheer
14. Rice Pudding
15. Parsi Brown Rice (made with basmati rice)
16. Phirni – classic north Indian sweet pudding.
17. Paal payasam – a simple South Indian kheer made with rice and milk.

Puffed Rice

1. Churumuri
2. Easy Puffed Rice Recipe
3. Jhal Muri
4. Bhel Puri
5. Pori Urundai – Murmura ladoo

Poha (Flattened Rice or Aval)

1. Poha Idli
2. Aval Laddu
3. Curd Dosa
4. Instant Poha Idli
5. Onion Poha
6. Poha Upma
7. Potato Poha
8. Paper Dosa
9. Poha Cutlet
10. Chura Matar
11. Sweet Poha (Skip Banana if you don’t have).
12. Onion Potato Poha

Rava (Sooji or Cream or Wheat or Semolina)

1. Rava Upma
2. Rava Dosa
3. Rava Idli
4. Rava Chilla
5. Rava Dhokla
6. Rava Pongal
7. Sooji Halwa
8. Rava Kesari
9. Rava Ladoo
10. Rava Kichadi
11. Rava Uttapam
12. Onion Rava Dosa
13. Butter Rava Dosa
14. Kesari bath
15. Sooji Kheer
16. Milk Kesari

Potato

1. Dum Aloo – Easy and Restaurant Style
2. Kashmiri Dum Aloo – Spicy
3. Banarasi Dum Aloo – No onion no garlic recipe from the Uttar Pradesh cuisine.
4. Bengali Dum Aloor – Lightly spiced and slightly sweet potato curry
5. Punjabi Dum Aloo
6. Jeera Aloo
7. Hing Jeera Aloo – A no onion no garlic dish of potatoes sauteed in a spice base of cumin, asafoetida and other spices.
8. Vrat ke Jeera Aloo – Quick dish made for Navratri Fasting.
9. Potato Stew – Kerala style stew made with coconut milk and spices.
10. Aloo Puri – North Indian (Punjabi) potato curry to go with pooris.
11. Potato Bhaji – Maharashtrian version of potato curry with pooris.
12. Poori Masala – South Indian potato masala gravy for pooris.
13. Aloo Jhol – Thin spiced potato and tomato curry from the Uttar Pradesh cuisine and served with pooris.
14. Potato Sagu – Lightly spiced potato curry from the Karnataka cuisine usually served with pooris, chapati, poha dosa or rava idli.
15. Potato Curry
16. Potato Kurma
17. Aloo Posto – Traditional Bengali recipe of potatoes in a lightly spiced poppy seeds paste.
18. Potato Fry – Simple, easy and no onion no garlic recipe. vegan.
19. Baked Potato Chips
20. Aloo Matar Gravy
21. Aloo Matar ki Sabji
22. Aloo Tamatar ki Sabji
23. Potato Salad
24. Potato Dum Biryani – Layered and dum cooked biryani made from baby potatoes.
25. Mashed Potatoes – American Style
26. Potato Podimas – Mashed potatoes that are tempered and spiced with the regular South Indian spices and herbs.
27. Aloo Chokha – Spiced mashed potatoes from the Bihari cuisine.
28. Aloo Rasedar – Spiced, thin potato curry made with tomatoes, ginger & spices.
29. Mathura ke Dubki wale Aloo – Spiced, thin potato curry flavored only with spices. No onion no garlic recipe and a specialty from Mathura.
30. Lasaniya Batata – spicy garlicky baby potatoes recipe from the Gujarati cuisine.
31. Batata nu Shaak – no-frills easy recipe of dry spiced potatoes made Gujarati style.
32. Batata Bhaji – an easy recipe of boiled potatoes tempered with spices and sautéed. From the Maharashtrian Cuisine.
33. Potato Roast – quick and easy to prepare vegan dish. serve the purpose of a spicy side dish.

Green Peas

1. Matar ki Sabzi
2. Green Peas Curry
3. Green Peas Korma
4. Green Peas Paratha – whole wheat flatbread stuffed with spiced mashed green peas filling.
5. Matar ka Nimona – a gravy-like dish prepared with fresh green peas, onions, tomatoes and spices from the Uttar Pradesh Cuisine.
6. Peas Usal – a coconut and spice based fresh green peas curry from the Maharashtrian cuisine.

Tomato

1. Tomato Omelette
2. Tomato Chutney
3. Tomato Pachadi
4. Tomato Rasam
5. Tomato Soup
6. Tomato Rice
7. Tomato Bath
8. Tomato Dal
9. Tomato Upma
10. Tomato Sambar
11. Tomato Curry
12. Shorba – a side onion-tomato gravy for veg biryani or pulao.
13. Tomato Saar – Tangy curry made with tomatoes, coconut and spices from the Maharashtrian Cuisine.
14. Tomato Charu
15. Tomato Raita
16. Tomato Chokha
17. Tomato Salsa
18. Tomato Sabzi
19. Tomato Shorba
20. Roasted Tomato Soup
21. Cream of Tomato Soup
22. Onion Tomato Chutney
23. Instant Pot Tomato Rasam

Rasam Varieties – Good for cough and cold

1. Rasam – Easy recipe made without Rasam Powder and lentils.
2. Milagu Rasam – Pepper Rasam
3. Garlic Rasam
4. Tamarind Rasam
5. Paruppu Rasam – Spicy rasam made from pigeon pea lentils.
6. Jeera Milagu Rasam – Pepper Cumin Rasam

Onions and Pearl Onions

1. Onion Salad
2. Onion Chutney
3. Pickled Onions – Sirke wale Pyaaz
4. Vengaya Sambar – an easy sambar made with pearl onions or small onions.
5. Ulli Theeyal – Shallots in a curry made with spices and toasted coconut from the Kerala Cuisine.

Oats

1. Oats Idli
2. Oats Dosa
3. Oats Upma
4. Oats Uttapam
5. Oats Chilla
6. Oats Kheer
7. Oats Khichdi
8. Oats Porridge
9. Oatmeal Cookies

Ragi (Finger Millet)

1. Ragi Dosa
2. Ragi Malt
3. Ragi Idli
4. Ragi Kheer
5. Ragi Ladoo
6. Ragi Halwa
7. Instant Ragi Dosa

Jaggery

1. Jaggery Roti
2. Jaggery Rice
3. Nolen Gurer Payesh – delicious rice kheer from the Bengali Cuisine.
4. Mishti Doi – A classic Bengali sweet made with milk, curd culture and jaggery or sugar.

Almonds

1. Badam Milk
2. Badam Kheer
3. Badam Halwa
4. Badam Ladoo

Peanuts

1. Peanut Chutney
2. Peanut Thecha
3. Peanut Rice
4. Peanut Ladoo
5. Peanut Amti – Maharashtrian peanut curry

Cashews

1. Kaju Katli
2. Kaju Curry
3. Cashew Pulao

Dry Fruits

1. Dry Fruits Burfi
2. Dry Fruits Ladoo
3. Dry Fruits Milkshake

Lemon

1. Lemon Rice
2. Lemon Rasam
3. Lemon Pickle
4. Nimbu Pani – lemonade with Sabja seeds.
5. Lemon Mojito – Replace basil with mint leaves or skip altogether. Avoid ice cubes.
6. Lemon Coriander Soup

Rice Flour

1. Akki Roti
2. Instant Idli
3. Wheat Paniyaram
4. No Grind Easy Dosa

Vermicelli (Seviyan or Semiya)

1. Vermicelli Kheer
2. Vermicelli Payasam
3. Vermicelli Upma
4. Sheer Khurma
5. Meethi Seviyan

Curd

1. Lassi
2. Shrikhand
3. Piyush – made with Shrikhand.
4. Curd Rasam – Mor Rasam.
5. Buttermilk – Chass
6. Dahi Aloo – Potatoes simmered in curd sauce.
7. Punjabi Kadhi
8. Gujarati Kadhi
9. Rajasthani Kadhi
10. Maharashtrian Kadhi

Sabudana

1. Sabudana Vada
2. Sabudana Kheer
3. Sabudana Khichdi
4. Sabudana Payasam
5. Sabudana Thalipeeth

Fasting Flours – Rajgira (Amaranth or Ramdana) and Kuttu (Buckwheat)

• Rajgira Paratha – made with amaranth flour or rajgira flour.
• Kuttu ka Paratha – made with buckwheat flour.
• Vrat ki Kadhi – made with rajgira flour.
• Rajgira Kheer
• Kuttu ki Khichdi – made with buckwheat or buckwheat groats.

Cheese

1. Cheese Dosa
2. Cheese Paratha

Ginger

1. Ginger Tea
2. Carrot Ginger Soup
3. Gingerbread Cake

Chocolate and Cocoa Powder

1. Hot Chocolate
2. Chocolate Pudding
3. Chocolate Cake
4. Chocolate Lava Cake

Beverages

1. Thandai
2. Green Tea
3. Kahwa Tea
4. Herbal Tea
5. Masala Chai
6. Filter Coffee
7. Sattu Sherbet
8. Turmeric milk

Coconut and Coconut Milk

• 7 Cup Burfi
• Coconut Chutney
• Vegetable Stew
• Coconut Rice
• Coconut Cookies
• Coconut Milk Rasam
• Narkel Naru – delicious coconut ladoos from the Bengali cuisine made with fresh grated coconut and jaggery.

Chutney Recipes

• Momos Chutney – Spicy chutney made with tomatoes, garlic and red chilies.
• Tamarind Chutney
• Nariyal ki chutney
• Garlic coconut chutney
• Coconut sesame chutney
• Red Chilli Garlic Chutney
• Red chilli coconut chutney
• Tomato khejur chutney – Bengali style tomato and date chutney

Make at home + DIY (with step by step photos)

1. Whole Wheat Bread
2. Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
3. Instant Idli Mix
4. Instant Dosa Mix
5. Idli Dosa Batter in a Mixie
6. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough + Pizza Sauce + Wheat Pizza
7. How to make Curd (Dairy)
8. How to make Paneer
9. How to make moong sprouts
10. How to preserve curry leaves
11. How to cook basmati rice in a pot or pan
12. How to make Ginger Garlic Paste
13. How to make Coconut Milk
14. How to make Almond Milk
15. How to make Vegan Yogurt
16. How to make Puri for pani puri or golgappa.

Kindly do share this info with your friends and loved ones. Stay safe, Stay Healthy and Stay at home.

Let us know if you want any particular recipe to be published during the lockdown time.