Practice note
Building a Simple Vegetarian Pantry
Traditional Indian home cooking has long valued fresh, simple, vegetarian food. You do not need to follow it strictly to borrow its calm, uncluttered approach to the kitchen.
Photo: Liat Portal for Foodie Disorder - Assorted Legumes by HaJunkiyada, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
What we mean by simple cooking
In this style, meals are fresh, vegetarian, lightly spiced and freshly cooked. Many traditional home cooks avoid onion and garlic, and favor ghee, milk, grains, legumes, fruit, vegetables, nuts and gentle spices. Different teachers and families interpret these ideas differently, and we present them here as a cultural and culinary tradition, not as health guidance.
On this site, recipes marked as no onion or garlic follow that tradition. Others use a little of each. Choose what suits your household.
Grains
- Basmati rice, and a short-grain rice for lentil and rice porridge
- Millets: foxtail, proso, and finger millet flour
- Rolled oats and steel-cut oats
- Cracked wheat (broken wheat) and whole wheat flour (atta)
- Quinoa and thick flattened rice
Dals and legumes
- Split yellow mung lentils, the most versatile dal in our kitchen
- Whole green mung beans
- Split chickpeas and whole chickpeas
- Red lentils (masoor) for quick weeknight cooking
- Split black lentils (urad dal), used in small amounts for crunchy tempering
Spices and seasonings
A small, fresh collection is better than a large, stale one. Buy whole seeds when you can and grind them as needed, and store spices in airtight jars away from heat and light. A traditional round steel spice box, or masala dabba, keeps the everyday ones in reach.
- Cumin seeds and black mustard seeds
- Ground turmeric and ground coriander
- Green cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks
- Fresh ginger and dried ginger powder
- Asafoetida, often used in place of onion and garlic
- Black peppercorns and a mild chili powder
- Fresh or frozen curry leaves
- Saffron, for special occasions
Fats, dairy and sweeteners
- Ghee, plus coconut oil and a neutral oil
- Whole-milk yogurt for dips and smoothies
- Paneer (fresh cheese), fresh or frozen
- Jaggery (unrefined cane sugar), dates and honey
Fresh produce to keep on hand
Seasonal vegetables are the heart of the style: bottle gourd, zucchini, pumpkin, spinach, carrots, beets, cabbage, peas and green beans. Fresh herbs such as cilantro and mint, lemons and grated coconut (frozen works well) bring brightness to nearly every dish.
Start small
You do not need everything at once. With mung lentils, rice, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, ginger and ghee, you can cook a dozen recipes on this site. Add new ingredients as you try new dishes, and let your pantry grow at the pace of your cooking.
This note shares general cooking and lifestyle ideas only. It is not medical, nutritional or yoga-therapy advice. Please consult a qualified professional about your own health, diet or practice.
