Some people are incredibly good at coming up with ideas. They can sit down, make a list and probably have a blog post written within minutes. I’m not quite like that! I have to think long and hard about what I want to write about.
At first, I thought about putting together a list of all the curries you can make from recipes on my blog, or perhaps a collection of dishes you can make using rice. I even considered doing a round-up of the different Indian breads you can make. But then I thought, “That’s a post for another day!”
For today, I wanted to concentrate on something much closer to my heart—and something I know quite a lot about from teaching my Indian cookery classes: kitchen equipment for Indian cooking.
Every time I teach a class, I seem to end up carrying bags and bags of equipment, ingredients and spices with me! There is always so much I want to show and tell my students, as well as teaching them how to cook the recipes.
Of course, the list of equipment you could have for Indian cooking could be very long indeed. But the good news is that you really don’t need every gadget or piece of equipment you see in an Indian kitchen shop. Quite a few things can be improvised, and many of the tools you already have in your kitchen will work perfectly well.
Before choosing your kitchen tools, you also need to plan where each item will live and choose kitchen units that can support organised preparation, cooking and storage zones. A well-organised kitchen makes preparing, cooking and storing ingredients much easier, especially when you regularly cook dishes that involve lots of spices, ingredients and different cooking techniques.
So, bearing all that in mind, here are my suggestions for the kitchen equipment I think is most useful when cooking Indian food—along with a few tips on what you can improvise if you don’t have the traditional equipment.
Let’s start with the basics…
A good-sized spice box, often called a masala dabba, is one of the first things I would recommend having in an Indian kitchen. A traditional masala dabba usually has seven small compartments, making it perfect for keeping the main spices you use regularly when making a curry all together in one place.
Having your spices ready and within easy reach keeps things tidy and organised and, more importantly, makes cooking much easier.
One thing I notice time and time again in my cookery classes is that students bring along small bottles of spices. Many of these bottles have such narrow openings that it is difficult to get a measuring spoon into them. By the time they have managed to open several bottles and measure out the spices, the oil in the pan can become too hot. This can result in the spices being added too late and burning or ruining the curry.
A masala dabba makes the whole process much quicker. You simply have your most-used spices in front of you, ready to add to the pan when needed.
Most spice boxes these days are made from stainless steel, although you can also find plastic ones. They really don’t cost much, and a good stainless-steel one will last you a lifetime. I’ve had mine for over 40 years, and it is still going strong!
And if you don’t have a spice box, don’t let that stop you. You can easily improvise. Empty some of your most-used spices into small plastic cups and place them inside an empty ice-cream container. It may not look quite as fancy as a traditional masala dabba, but it does exactly the same job.
In my next post, I’ll talk about which spices you should keep in your masala dabba and why. After all, having a spice box is one thing—but knowing what to put in it is another!
Next on my list is a chapatti stand (chakla) and a thin rolling pin (belan). These are essential if you enjoy making chapattis, parathas or any of the other delicious Indian breads.
Of course, you can use any suitable board and rolling pin, and as I always tell my students, there is no need to go out and buy something special if you already have something that works. But a proper chapatti stand and rolling pin don’t cost much, and they can last for many, many years.
I take a few of my own chapatti stands and rolling pins to my classes. As you can see in the pictures above, though, we often improvise by using a chopping board instead of a chapatti stand. It works perfectly well!
Alongside the chapatti stand and rolling pin, most Indian homes will also have a small container—usually a stainless-steel dabba with a lid—for holding the dry flour used for dusting when making Indian breads.
I find keeping the dusting flour in a separate container much more practical. It saves waste and keeps everything tidy. Otherwise, before long, flour seems to find its way all over the worktop—and some of my students are particularly good at creating a little flour explosion!
A dedicated container also means you can easily put the lid back on and store the flour for next time, rather than having an open bag of flour sitting on your worktop.
These may seem like small things, but having the right equipment—and knowing how to improvise when you don’t—is what makes cooking Indian breads much easier.
Next on my list is a tava, a flat Indian griddle used for cooking chapattis, parathas and other Indian breads.
Again, you can improvise and use a frying pan, but if you regularly make chapattis, I would definitely recommend getting a tava. I find that the results—and especially the taste—are much nicer when chapattis are cooked on a proper tava.
The other advantage is that once you buy a good tava, it will last for years and years. I have been using mine for over 40 years, so I can certainly vouch for their longevity!
Most Indian homes will have two types of tava. One is used for frying, while the other is kept specifically for roasting or dry cooking breads such as chapattis. Keeping one tava for dry cooking means it doesn’t become coated with oil from other dishes.
Alongside your tava, you will also need a good pair of metal tongs (chimta) for turning and handling chapattis and parathas while they are cooking.
These are another one of those simple pieces of equipment that don’t cost much but make a big difference when cooking Indian breads. And, as with so many of the items on my list, buy a good-quality one and it should last you for years.
Another must-have, especially if you are going to be making Indian breads, is a wide, flat tray, I call a trans, or parat. This is traditionally used for mixing and kneading dough.
You might wonder why you need a special tray when you already have a mixing bowl. The difference is the shape. Mixing bowls have high sides, which can make kneading dough rather awkward. A wide, flat parat gives you plenty of room to mix the flour and water, knead the dough and work it until it becomes smooth and soft.
Once the dough is ready, you can simply cover it in the same tray and leave it to rest until you are ready to use it. One less bowl to wash!
And don’t think a parat is only useful for making dough. It is also very handy for mixing lentils, snacks and other ingredients. In my classes, I find myself using mine for all sorts of things.
If you don’t have a traditional parat, a large, sturdy, shallow tray will work just as well. Again, it’s about having the right shape and enough space rather than having to buy something specifically labelled as Indian kitchen equipment.
For deep frying, a karahi is essential in an Indian kitchen. It looks a little like a flat-bottomed wok and is ideal for deep frying Indian breads such as puris, as well as snacks like pakoras, samosas and other fried treats.
Its shape makes it particularly useful for deep frying, giving you enough depth for the oil while still making it easy to add and remove food.
You can, of course, use a deep saucepan if you don’t have a karahi, but if you cook Indian food regularly, a good karahi is a very useful addition to your kitchen.
And last but certainly not least, I would recommend having at least one pressure cooker or the instant Pot.
There are so many different varieties available in the shops these days, and most of them are perfectly good. A pressure cooker is one of those pieces of equipment that can save you a considerable amount of time in the kitchen.
It is particularly useful for cooking lentils, pulses and certain vegetables, which can take much longer to cook using conventional methods. Once you get used to using one, you will wonder how you managed without it!
So there you have it—my basic list of kitchen equipment for Indian cooking. You certainly don’t need to buy everything at once, and as I’ve mentioned throughout, there are plenty of ways to improvise using things you probably already have in your kitchen.
The important thing is to have equipment that makes cooking easier, rather than filling your kitchen with gadgets that rarely get used.
7. The other essential items I recommend are ones most kitchens will have:
Is there any other kitchen equipment you think is essential for Indian cooking? I’d love to hear your suggestions.
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