You are what you eat! Definitely. But we go a step ahead in saying that “You are what you buy!” If you stock up your pantry with ingredients that scream junk n crap, that’s what you end up making and eating, on the other had if you have good nutritious healthy ingredients handy, you’ll be inspired to make great nourishing food with it.
So we thought of putting together our top 10 kitchen essentials, which help us plan and prepare amazing healthy and tasty meals most times. Of course they may change and rotate based on season and moods, but this gives you a good overview to start planning for your pantry!
Here are our top 10 (not necessarily in order).
1. Chickpeas/ Chole – Versatile ingredient high in protein, soluble and insoluble fibre and filled with goodness. Gives you satiety (feeling of fullness) after meals.
Used for – salads, one dish meals, chana chaat, roasted chole snack, cutlets/ tikkis, falafels, hummus (as dips/ spread on bread/ wrap), cake/ brownies or occasionally Punjabi chole too with yummy parathas or puris.
2. Oats & Oats flour – another super versatile high fibre ingredient. It has very high fibre content, helps to satiate hunger, helps reduce and maintain weight, cholesterol, heart friendly!
Used for – Any and everything! Parathas, pancakes, muthias, upma, pav bhaji, tikkis, soups, gravies, energy bars, laddoos, kheer and porridges, cutlets, basically to increase fibre in any recipe. Not all from cereal category are so adaptable. Prefer rolled oat than instant oats.
3. Jowar/ Ragi/ Millet flours – Millets are a must in the diet. They are naturally gluten free, high in fibre, minerals, B complex vitamins and much more. They can be lighter than wheat/wheat flour yet a very filling option!
Used for – Bhakris, Stuffed bhakris, porridges, kheers, halwas, muthias, dhoklas, idlis, dosa, chilla, appe (paneeyarams) etc
4. Spice mixes / Natural flavourings/ Dried Herbs – the main hero of cooking is in the spice rack! We stock up on several ready spice mixes which come handy for various recipes from day to day cooking to something unique. Different cuisines/ countries have something unique to offer. Currently apart from regular Indian spices like garam masala, chole masala, pavbhaji, egg curry, tandoori etc we have stocked on Indonesian Nasi goreng mix, Mexican Taco & Burrito mix, Maharashtrian missal masala, Peri peri mix, Lemon Pepper sprinkle, Mixed dried herbs, Mustard sauce etc. Now these may have little proportions of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, emulsifiers, but as a nutritionist I can safely say- that in limits its ok to be a part of healthy diet as you would anyways use it to flavour in limited amounts.
Used in – salads, rice meals, pulaos, one dish meals, stir fries, sandwiches, wraps and all my recipes!
5. Whole Pulses – There can’t be an easier way to increase protein through diet. So much variety of pulses available which are a nutrition power house. Make sure to use them in diet at least 3 times a week. By whole we mean with the outer cover not dals. Include Moong (green gram), Matki/ Math (moth beans), Rajmah (kidney beans), Brown or green Chana (whole Bengal gram), Urad (Black Gram), Masoor (lentils), Chawli (black eyed beans) and so many more all over India. We keep rotating our kind of pulses we buy so there is no unnecessary spoilage. Note- sprouting increases the nutrient value and digestion many fold – always prefer to sprout them (though not mandatory).
Used for – Usal, Misal, Sprout chaat, Sprout Bhel, cutlet, burger cutlet, Dosa, Pancakes, Dhoklas, Pav bhaji, filling for cutlets, sandwich, parathas, dosas etc
6. Cocoa/Coco Powder – Rich in antioxidants and minerals, heart friendly. All the health benefits we hear for chocolate are actually of cocoa. Plus being a chocoholic I get frequent cravings for the chocolatey flavour and aroma. Cocoa helps to satisfy that without the sugar and fat of chocolate!
Used in – milk, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, frozen milk treats, energy bars, healthy cakes/brownies, healthy puddings and desserts.
7. Basil &/or Chia seeds – These are again something we have become habituated to. They are great tiny powerhouses of nutrition. Esp the soluble fibre is noteworthy! Chia also are good source of protein and have other health benefits. Since we are smoothie, thick shakes n healthy dessert fans, they help to thicken the same easily. They can be used as a replacement for egg in baking recipes.
Used for – drinks, teas, juices, flavoured water, smoothies, puddings, overnight oats, adding to pancakes, waffles, thick shakes and smoothies etc
8. Nuts – either almonds/walnuts/ pistachios/ hazelnuts- Our favourite crunch factor in many recipes. They not only give an interesting texture, but also protein, healthy fats, b complex vitamins, minerals and some fibre. They can be used whole, roasted, chopped, powdered for taking a recipe notch higher.
Used for – cereals, muesli, energy bars, laddoos, milkshakes, flavoured milk, salad toppings, as a snack, flavoured roasted nuts, occasional halwas etc.
9. Dried fruits (no sugar) – dates/ figs/ apricots/ raisins/ berries etc- they are natures candies. No added sugars ones are what you look out for. Along with nutrition they help to satisfy sweet cravings as well as replace sugar in many recipes/ desserts.
Used for – any sweet recipe instead of sugar, halwas, laddoos, energy bars, mithais, fudge, healthy cakes, trail mixes, muesli, cereal bowl, smoothies etc
10. Some kind of protein Powder – Not that it is mandatory for all. But it helps me to easily add on protein to whatever I’m preparing. Of course natural food sources are there, but at times when making preparations where sprouts/ dals/ seeds can’t be added, or when a specific texture is desired or to increase the protein content the supplement comes handy.
Used in – smoothies, pancakes, cutlets, soups, milkshakes, healthy waffles/cakes, laddoos at times even parathas which don’t have much protein etc.
So there you have it our Nutritionist founders pantry must have list. Of course many good ones get left in a top 10 list but you get an idea… For little inspiration to use these you can check out our website blog recipes where we try to simplify healthy eating lifestyle. Let us know what among these you use or something great we missed. Happy healthy cooking!
Note: Picture is for reference purpose, we do not promote any of the brands in the picture. This is a non sponsored post.