Setting up my kitchen

plant-based cooking for one

I tend to feel the need to have everything I could possibly need to make a recipe in my kitchen. All the time. I want every whole spice, every condiment, every legume, every nut, every grain. Just in case! 

In college, I took all of my spices from home with me – the perfect way to ensure I could replicate the flavors of my family’s kitchen as closely as possible. After the pain of assembling an Ikea bunk bed and hauling a Facebook marketplace mattress without a car, setting up the kitchen of my first apartment brought nothing but calm. I transferred fragments of my family’s foodways into new cabinets and cupboards, challenging myself to be resourceful in the 7-foot space. Spices in unlabeled mismatched jars raided my share of the drawers, contrasting my roommate’s symmetrical spice rack. I had to sniff the difference between the garam masala and cumin, which were in identical containers, but besides that, I knew my spices’ whereabouts and I knew they formed a faithful squad.

At the beginning, my roommates and I worked out a schedule where each of us cooked dinner 1-2 times a week. No matter who made it, we shared the leftovers. It was very communal – easing the transition. Our 8 pm dinners faded when our schedules changed, and we realized that most roommate groups do individual groceries and cooking for a reason. It didn’t take long to learn that I’d vastly overestimated just how many beans and dry red chilis one person consumes. 

I’d like to think that I now have a better idea of cooking for one – it’s a balance between caution and abundance. Using up everything I have is something I take pride in, so I’m mindful of how much I have on hand. But I’m also grateful for the privilege to cook what I set my mind on, which requires gathering staples for various cuisines from various supermarkets. It’s an investment I find valuable.

I don’t currently have all the following items, as I’m trying to be intentional about building my pantry instead of buying overpriced versions at supermarkets near me or succumbing to Trader Joes for items that are probably better from elsewhere! Still, these are the items that I’ll usually use to cook plant-based meals for one person. 

fats

• Costco’s extra virgin olive oil for everything that doesn’t need a neutral and/or high-heat oil

• Costco’s avocado oil for most Indian recipes or recipes that call for a neutral oil 

• A small bottle of canola oil for the occasional deep frying moment

• Coconut oil for cookie season (and for my hair, but that’s a separate jar)

• A small bottle of sesame oil for East Asian recipes

• TJ’s vegan butter for cooking and baking

aromatics 

• red onions 

• shallots

• garlic 

• ginger 

• roma tomatoes

• small cans of tomato paste or crushed tomatoes 

My family trained me to keep these in large quantities, so I’m convinced that I should never ever be out of any of them. They must be restocked when I’m almost done, but not quite done. 

legumes

• masoor (red lentil)

• whole masoor (brown lentils) 

• toor dal (split pigeon peas)

• chana dal (split chickpeas) 

• urad dal (split black lentils)

• moong dal 

• chickpeas

• kidney beans

• 1 can of white beans 

• 1 can of chickpeas 

Always from an Indian store, where the prices are good. I keep a can of white beans and chickpeas on hand for last-minute ideas. 

dried fruits

• Costco’s walnuts and cashews. Walnuts for snacking and cashews for savory pastas, curries, and dips that need the creaminess. 

• TJ’s peanut butter (I’ve become a salted crunchy gal which is new for me) and almond butter for my go-to snack of apples, carrots, and nut butter. 

• TJ’s tahini for salad dressings and very miscellaneous uses. Sometimes hummus, sometimes cookies. 

• Peanuts from the Indian store for things like peanut chutney, poha, upma, etc. 

• Shredded coconut. Usually just a yogurt bowl topping and sometimes for chutney. 

spices

• whole spices: cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chilis, bay leaves, star anise

• ground spices: coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder, hing, 5 MDH masalas (chunky chaat masala, kasoori methi, kashmiri chili powder, kitchen king, amchur - dried mango powder)

• saffron: quite the luxury, but kheer is not kheer without it and sometimes I really want kheer 

I’m grateful to be able to source spices from my family, as I will usually not need the large amounts available at most stores. I hear that some places charge by weight for whole spices, so I need to find a spot that does that!

grains

• white and brown basmati rice

• jasmine rice 

• whole wheat flour

• all purpose flour 

• spaghetti and any other pasta shape I’m feeling 

• oats 

• cornstarch

• bread: usually a new loaf every couple weeks from a bakery or farmers’ market

vinegars 

• balsamic vinegar  

• apple cider vinegar 

• white vinegar 

• rice vinegar

• black vinegar 

things in jars

• calabrian chili: this might be my favorite thing that TJ’s sells 

• dijon mustard 

• olives

• sundried tomatoes 

• capers 

for East Asian cooking 

• soy sauce 

• miso

• gochujang

• Huy Fong’s chili garlic sauce, sambal, and sriracha 

• Shaoxing rice wine 

• doenjang

• black bean paste

• mirin

• dried shiitakes 

• kombu 

I use the first four the most often. Outside of Indian food, I try East Asian recipes fairly frequently, which is why it occupies a fair chunk of my pantry. 

morning

• matcha: I used to refuse to buy Costco’s matcha, assuming there was no way that a pouch so large could be good. It’s not exquisite, but it’s decent for a fraction of the price. 

• decaf coffee beans: from a different neighborhood coffee shop every time! 

• TJ’s soy milk but I can’t find it anywhere right now :(

frozen 

• blueberries: I’m a little obsessed with eating these with soy milk poured over, like cereal. Or even better, eating them with cereal. 

• peas

salt

• Morton’s iodized salt - I’m aware that this isn’t the ‘best’ for cooking but this is what my mom uses and her food is the best so I also use this sometimes!!!

• sea salt 

miscellaneous

• extra firm tofu

• tempeh

• Bragg’s nutritional yeast 

• TJ’s cashew mozzarella 

• vodka for pasta alla vodka and beans alla vodka

• Costco’s large bottle of vanilla extract

the refrigerated section

This was my brain for the past few weeks, which has been cluttered with lists because that is what moving did to me. I’ve been exploring the grocery stores around me and finding out what I can get at different spots. I’ve found that some markets near me have great deals on produce, but everything else is quite boldly priced. I still need to check out the farmers’ market, where I usually like to buy bread and vegetables. For staples, dry goods, and some produce, TJ’s has been my best bet. I’ll head to Chinatown soon to stock up on East Asian staples. I can text my aunt and uncle about anything I need from Costco. I can go to the Indian grocery stores when I’m in Jersey. It’s quite a mix, and this is coming from a place where I expected options to be more accessible in every sense of the word. 

Still, I’ve been enjoying the process of shopping and cooking independently again, rekindling my enthusiasm for recipe development after a bit of a hiatus. There was a lot to get used to in little time – new apartment, neighborhood, climate, job, friends – hence the delay in sending anything to your inbox, but my pantry is (mostly) ready and so am I. 

mini spice rack 

reading 

A few clarifying and/or heartfelt pieces I read during these terrifying times: 

• My heart, oh, Palestine by Fariha Roisin of How To Cure a Ghost 

• From the River to the Sea: Palestine Will Be Free from MOLD Magazine

• In Support of a Free Palestine: Connecting Land, Food, and Freedom, a 2021 piece from MOLD Magazine 

• The Palestine Double Standard by Halan Alyan for the NYT

• Palestinian Filmmaker Jumana Manna on Freeing Our Food, From Akkoub to Za’atar, by Alicia Kennedy for Lux Magazine 

• Permission to Cry by Suleika Jaouad of The Isolation Journals  

listening

Episodes from NYT Daily, Today, Explained from Vox, and The Ezra Klein Show

And 1989, but this time I’m not 13 and I’m in New York for a very New York album!

cooking

Posted schezwan broccoli yesterday and I think it’s now my favorite way to eat broccoli. Tofu ‘sausage’ pasta from @prunchme. Lots of mushroom matar sabzi and cabbage. A tomato galette with cashew ricotta. Sopa de lentejas with TJ’s soyrizo. Now that I see these photos together, I guess the theme was red.

dining

Loved the vegan sushi and bunburgers at Buntopia in Bushwick. Devoured my first vegan donut ever (I didn’t think I was a donut person but maybe I am now?) at Super Nice Coffee and Bakery in Harlem. Incredible Chettinad food at Masala Cafe in Jersey City. And…a pickle martini. Wouldn’t recommend.