Stocking An Indian Kitchen for a Lockdown

A refrigerator has always played an important part in any kitchen. But never has it been so handy as during these Pandemic times. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a huge change in our lifestyles. We are not only doing all our own chores as the trusted ‘bai’ (household help) is no longer an option in most cities, but also completely cooking our own meals with online food ordering no longer safe.

Another big difference is the need to stock up on all cooking items. Although Indians have traditionally stocked food items like food grains to last them for months and even an entire year (sacks full of rice and wheat being stored in containers), this has changed drastically in metros and many other cities. With the easy availability of all items throughout the year and a reluctance to stock (an hence, manage) too much of groceries, the modern working family prefers to buy fresh, weekly or monthly. Perishables like vegetables and milk items (paneer, curd, cheese etc) are mostly purchased weekly. The milkman delivers milk daily in almost all homes in India.

But with the pandemic continuing to spread, stricter lockdowns are making a comeback to break the chain. All kinds of movements are being restricted including going out to shop for essentials and getting groceries delivered online. In such cases, you need to stock up your kitchen adequately for a hassle-free lockdown period at home. Even if there isn’t a lockdown in your city, it is a good idea to stock up and stay indoors so that you and your family are safe.

Here is a list of essential items you can stock up and different ways to make them last longer.

Basic Food Grains – Rice, Pulses, Wheat Flour

Good quality food grains will last for months even. Stock up on rice, different types of dals (toovar, moong, chana, masoor, mix dal etc) and wheat flour (not wheat) for daily meals. Packaged wheat flour from brands like Ashirwad, Ginni etc can be stocked for a long time.

Other Food Grains

When vegetables will run out, you will need to use dry pulses. Stock up on different ones like Chhole/Kabuli Chana (chickpeas), Rajma (kidney beans), Lobia (black eyed peas), Kala Chana (black gram), Vatana (dried peas) etc.

Soya chunks and Makhana (foxnuts) are also handy items for your meals when there are no vegetables to be had.

Breakfast ingredients like Poha, Sabudana, Upma rava, Sooji, Peanuts, Besan, Dessicated Coconut etc can also be stocked up for a long time. Sooji might get infested with worms so you will need to either roast it or if you have ample fridge space, you can keep it in the fridge.

Tamarind can be stored easily and I also prefer to stock up on Tamarind paste for ease in cooking.

Salt, Sugar and Spices

Both the essentials – Salt and Sugar – can be stocked easily for any amount of time. Similarly, all spices (masala) –  whole, powdered and special mixes – can also be stocked for a long amount of time if stored air tight.

Cooking Medium (Oil, Ghee)

Cooking oil is easy to store. You can store cans or as many individual packets of oil as you need.

Vegetables

1. Stock onions and potatoes in large quantities.

2. Tomatoes can be made to last longer by freezing them as puree. To make puree, wash and roughly chop 1 kg of tomatoes and blend them in a mixer. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a ‘kadhai’ and add the blended tomatoes. Cook for 7-8 minutes until you get a good rolling boil. Let the puree cool before freezing. To avoid having to thaw the entire block of puree every time you want to use it, freeze the puree in small bowls. You can take out individual bowls and use when making gravies and curries. You can also stock cartons or cans of tomato puree.

3. Trim the ends of Coriander branches and remove any yellowing leaves. Line a box with paper and keep coriander in it. In this way, the coriander leaves will stay fresh if kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. You can also make ‘coriander chutney’ a refrigerate.

4. Spinach leaves can be boiled, pureed and refrigerated for later use to make ‘Palak Paneer’.

5. Sock up on root and fleshy vegetables like Lauki (bottle gourd), Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Ladies Finger etc. They last for a longer time.

6. Ginger and Garlic are Indian kitchen essentials and can be easily stored. Peeled garlic is a blessing and can be stored for a couple of weeks but unpeeled garlic can last for much longer. You can also stock readymade ginger-garlic paste.

7. Lemons can be stocked for a couple of weeks. You can also buy a bottle of Lemoneez lemon juice.

Fruits

Fruits like apples, pomegranates and mosambi can last for a long time in the fridge.

Even watermelons and papayas can last for a week in the fridge. Remember not to store once you have cut them. Consume entirely after cutting.

Frozen Food Items

Stock 3-4 kilos of Frozen green peas to use for various ‘sabzis’, matar paneer, aloo matar, mix veg, pulao, upma etc.

Stock frozen sweet corn and frozen mix veggies.

Stock a few ready-to-eat snacks and meals for days when you don’t feel like cooking.

Milk and Milk Items

In most cities, the milkman is still allowed to deliver milk daily. But just in case, it is ready to be prepared with a few cartons of milk. For tea and coffee, stock up on milk powder. If kids add a nutritional drink to their milk, don’t forget to stock up on that as well.

If you have kids in the house, stock cheese cubes, blocks and slices. They are extremely handy and can be used to create a lot of interesting meals for the kids.

Packaged paneer is a blessing and can be stored for a few weeks.

Similarly, packets of dahi (curd) – plain and ‘kadhi’ (sour curd for making Punjabi and Maharastrian ‘Kadhi’ can be stocked for a couple of weeks.

Even the popular salted butter can be easily stored in the chiller tray (or even the freezer of you run out of space in the fridge) indefinitely.

Bakery Items

Breads, Pav (for Pav Bhaji), Kulche, Garlic bread can stay good in the fridge for a week.

Snacks and Condiments

With kids at home, the demand for snacking has increased considerably. Although it is important to make sure that the kids don’t binge too much on unhealthy snacks, it is also not feasible to constantly cook fresh every time. For occasional snacking and hunger pangs, keep some things in handy like biscuits, namkeen, rusk (with milk or tea), papad, pickle, chips, cornflakes etc.

A few healthy bars are a good option to keep handy for sweet cravings.

Ketchup is a must have in my home. Make sure to stock up refill packs.

Tea and coffee can also be sufficiently stocked up.

Some instant snacks like instant noodles are good to have at hand.

Different spreads like Jam, Sandwich spread, Mayonnaise etc. depending upon what your family prefers to eat.

Breakfast Mixes

You might not want to slave in the kitchen every day. It is a good idea to have some ready mixes on hand. Like idli, dhokla etc. They are also great for those mornings when you really have no ideas on what to make for breakfast and have made no preparations last night.

Beverages

Syrups and concentrates can be easily stored for a long time.

Tetra packs and cartons of beverages like Lassi, Chaanch, Milk shakes can be stored.

Soft drink cans can also be stored for a few weeks easily.

Special Cooking Ingredients

Chances are that if there is a complete lockdown in your area, you might have time on hands and want to indulge your inner chef by whipping up more than just the daily meals. Stock up on cooking and backing ingredients.

Cake – Flour, baking powder, baking soda, canned fruit, bananas, milk powder, chocolate chips, white butter, cocoa powder, decorations, food coloring

Indian Maida Snacks – Maida (flour), oil, spices like ajwain etc depending upon the recipe

Indo-Chinese – Soy sauce, noodles, ready mixes like Ching’s Secret

Italian – Pasta in different shapes, pizza seasoning, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese (I buy the diced blend)

South Indian – Ready idli/dosa batter or ingredients to make from scratch (urad dal, idli rava), sambar masala

Desserts – Instant mixes for ice-cream, falooda, gulab jamun, cartons of fresh cream for ice creams, cooking chocolate

Dry Fruits and Nuts

Non Food Items

Although not related to cooking, but these items also need to stocked up when facing a lockdown. You wouldn’t want to run out of them. Since they are ordered along with cooking/food items, I will include them here:

• Handwash
• Dishwash liquid or bar
• Detergent
• Garbage bags
• Scrubs and sponges
• Toothpaste
• Shampoo
• Body wash/Soap
• Batteries – AA and AAA

Stocking for a Pandemic Lockdown

Staying locked inside your home might not be easy to do, but it is very much possible to make the most out of it. Stock your pantry well and use this chance to bond with your family, cook and dine together. Involve the kids and distribute the responsibilities so you have free time to slow down and relax without stressing too much about the current situation.

If you have any tips for stocking up your pantry during the lockdown, please share in the comments for others to add to their lists.

Stay at Home and Stay Safe 🙂