These are some of my favourite ingredients that I will keep in my cupboard to have at hand when I need them. Where appropriate I will include a link, but it won’t be an affiliate link and I make no money off it!
Particularly frequent vegetarian ingredients
These are store cupboard ingredients that I will use almost every day so are critical to me
| Product | Notes |
|---|---|
| Nutritonal yeast | The famous "nooch". Gives a savoury, cheesy flavour to dishes. It is used so often by vegans that it is often fortified with B vitamins. I like the Marigold brand. |
| Vegetable stock powder | Some prefer cubes but i like the comtrol that I get wih the powdered variety. There are many brands, so may need trial and error. The Marigold Vegetable Bouillon is quite good quality. |
| Mushroom seasoning | This gives a lot of added umami. There are a lot of options but you really need one that is a seasoning, so probably has some salt (or sometimes MSG) alomg with the dried mushroom powder. I buy one called Wagner from Germany, but there are also good ones available from asian stores. |
| Marmite / Vegemite | Yeasty umami goodness. You don't need to love it on your bread to be able to enjoy a small amount in a sauce. |
| Soy sauce / Tamari | Salty umani goodness. Tamari is a gluten free option. |
| Canned beans | Kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, butter beans, etc. A selection of canned beans is useful to have at hand. Frozen versions work too. |
| Canned tomatoes | Chopped, whole or pasata, always useful to have for a quick meal. |
| Tomato puree / paste | Can add extra umami, colour and thickening to sauces. |
| Flour and corn starch | General sauce thickeners and useful ingredients. |
Spices and herbs
I will always have a full range of herbs and spices available. No links for these, as these should be available in most major or local stores.
| Spices | Herbs |
|---|---|
| Cumin (seed and powder) | Dried sage |
| Coriander (seed and powder) | Dried oregano |
| Chilli (flakes and powder) | Dried basil |
| Paprika (smoked and plain) | Dried thyme |
| Mustard seeds (black and brown) | Herb de Provence mix |
| Whole cardamom seeds | Dried taragon |
| Tumeric powder | |
| Whole black peppercorns | |
| Garlic powder | |
| Onion powder | |
| Garam masala | |
| Chipotle chilli powder | |