Building an Indian Pantry: Essential Ingredients

If you enjoy South Asian cooking, getting started can be a little daunting. There are some unfamiliar ingredients and in general these ingredients aren’t something that we all readily stock in our pantry, unless we cook these foods frequently. The question is, where do I start?

So I thought that a good overview of the essentials that will allow you to prepare most of the Indian recipes you’ll find here on The Pasadena Chef would be helpful.

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Baingan Bharta – Smoky Northern Indian Eggplant Recipe

This is a very comforting Northern Indian dish and very tasty, with so many layers of flavor. It’s a popular dish in many Indian homes. The charring of the eggplant before being baking is really key to getting that smoky flavor. If it’s more convenient, the charring and roasting can be done the day before. 

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