There are quite a few essential ingredients that I make sure I have on hand, so that every week night it is easy to make fresh and simple dinners, and have left-overs for lunches as well if that's your thing.
I try not to purchase pre-made jars of stir fry sauces and pasta sauces, as I find this can be expensive, excessive, and they mostly include added sugar and or salt as feature ingredients.
Once you stop adding sugar and salt to things you will get use to it, it just takes a few weeks. It is worth it in the long run, and you'll find plenty of different herbs and spices to make things tasty instead.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
I try not to purchase pre-made jars of stir fry sauces and pasta sauces, as I find this can be expensive, excessive, and they mostly include added sugar and or salt as feature ingredients.
Once you stop adding sugar and salt to things you will get use to it, it just takes a few weeks. It is worth it in the long run, and you'll find plenty of different herbs and spices to make things tasty instead.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
Condiment type things, for stir fry sauces and marinades:
Tahini
Miso Paste (White or red, and the Bonito (fish) free one, often called Soybean Paste)
Light Soy Sauce (I like salt reduced)
Sweet Chili Sauce
Lemon Juice
Lime Juice
Rice Wine Vinegar
Mirin (yes it's sugar, but used sparingly!)
Hummus (freshly made or pre-made ok)
Olive Oil
Sesame Oil
Peanut or Rice Bran Oil
Canola Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Wasabi paste (tube)
Spices and Herbs:
(Ground or powder unless otherwise stated)
Curry
Cumin
Turmeric
Cardamon
Cinnamon
Mustard
Nutmeg
All Spice
Cloves
Chili (fresh)
Curry leaves (dried)
Kaffir Limes Leaves (fresh)
Lemongrass (fresh)
Garlic (fresh)
Optional:
Star Anise
Chinese Five Spice
Garam Marsala
Tinned, and long-life ingredients:
Coconut milk (I used the low fat variety but sometimes keep a samll tin of the real stuff on hand for special occasions)
Tinned tomatoes, whole and crushed
100% tomato paste (salt reduced)
Chick peas
Lentils
Frozen or tinned green peas
Corn (frozen or tinned)
Butter beans
Borlotti beans and/or Canellini beans
Red kidney beans
Curry pastes (for when you don't have time to fiddle with spices)
Rices - Basmati, Brown and Aborio are my 3 must haves.
Pasta (wholemeal is my fave, or the al'fungi fancy sort from the deli!)
Cous Cous
Polenta
Quinoa
Noodles (hokien, sorba or rice)
Savoury Yeast Flakes (otherwise called Nutrional Yeast Flakes, not the same as baking yeast!)
Fresh:
Tofu
Tempeh
all your favourite seasonal vegetables and fruit.
Spices and Herbs:
(Ground or powder unless otherwise stated)
Curry
Cumin
Turmeric
Cardamon
Cinnamon
Mustard
Nutmeg
All Spice
Cloves
Chili (fresh)
Curry leaves (dried)
Kaffir Limes Leaves (fresh)
Lemongrass (fresh)
Garlic (fresh)
Optional:
Star Anise
Chinese Five Spice
Garam Marsala
Tinned, and long-life ingredients:
Coconut milk (I used the low fat variety but sometimes keep a samll tin of the real stuff on hand for special occasions)
Tinned tomatoes, whole and crushed
100% tomato paste (salt reduced)
Chick peas
Lentils
Frozen or tinned green peas
Corn (frozen or tinned)
Butter beans
Borlotti beans and/or Canellini beans
Red kidney beans
Curry pastes (for when you don't have time to fiddle with spices)
Rices - Basmati, Brown and Aborio are my 3 must haves.
Pasta (wholemeal is my fave, or the al'fungi fancy sort from the deli!)
Cous Cous
Polenta
Quinoa
Noodles (hokien, sorba or rice)
Savoury Yeast Flakes (otherwise called Nutrional Yeast Flakes, not the same as baking yeast!)
Fresh:
Tofu
Tempeh
all your favourite seasonal vegetables and fruit.
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