The Well-stocked Pantry

So this is not a recipe per se, but I often get asked how I manage to make meals every day without having to repeatedly go to the grocery store for specialized ingredients. The secret is not necessarily having amazing culinary abilities, but rather, having a well-stocked pantry and fridge with diverse ingredients that will enable you to whip up a meal at very short notice. Here is a list of things I like to have on hand:

Staples:
Dried brown lentils
Toor dal (split pigeon peas)
Moong Daal (split mung beans)
Brown rice
Basmati rice
Corn meal
Chapati flour
All-purpose flour
Walnuts
Almonds
Raisins
Potatoes

Canned, Bottled and Jarred goods:
Canned whole tomatoes
Canned beans (different kinds- black beans, kidney beans, canellini beans)
Salsa
Pasta Sauce
Whole wheat pasta
Regular pasta
Soy sauce
Canned Coconut milk
Thai Curry paste (red or green)
Canola oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Honey

Spices, Herbs, etc:
Onions
Garlic
Ginger (fresh if you use it regularly, powdered or paste if only occasionally)
Cumin
Red chili powder
Turmeric
Asafetida (Heeng)
Garam Masala
Rasam powder
Mustard seeds
Whole dried red chilis
Dried Oregano
Dried Rosemary
Sesame seeds
Salt
Black Pepper
Sugar
Whole and ground cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Saffron

Weekly Grocery items:
Plain Yogurt
Cheese (Shredded or block)
Eggs
Frozen Broccoli
Frozen Spinach
Frozen Corn
Other Frozen veggies (Note: I do buy fresh veggies often, but in order to use them up, it really requires meal planning. If you're not very good at planning meals, then frozen work just as well and last much longer)

So I know this sounds like a lot of stuff, but if you're just getting started at maintaining a well-stocked pantry, it really isn't. You'll find that many of these ingredients can stay good for years and last you just that long, particularly if you buy in bulk. I just replaced my red chili stash after 2 years and it was just $5 or so up front!

You'll find that simply having these items on hand will save you from a last-minute trip to the grocery store more than once- saving both time, and money!