Cooking from home, explained.
Six short guides to buying the right thing: which rice, which flour, which cut, which seed. Plain English, with the answer at the top and a shopping list at the end.
Six guides.
Pick the question you are stuck on. Each guide ends with what to pick up in store.
- What is panch phoron?পাঁচফোড়নThe five-seed mix behind Bengali dal and veg.
Read the guide - Basmati or chinigura rice?চিনিগুঁড়াLong and fluffy, or small and fragrant.
Read the guide - Egusi or ogbono?Two Nigerian soup seeds, two very different soups.Read the guide
- Halal meat cuts explainedحلالCurry cut, biryani cut, keema and more.
Read the guide - How to choose and cook hilsaইলিশThe king of fish, and how to pick a good one.Read the guide
- Atta, maida and besanआटा · मैदा · बेसनThree flours, three jobs.
Read the guide
Quick answers.
The short version of every guide, for when you are standing in the aisle.
- What is panch phoron?
- Panch phoron (পাঁচফোড়ন) means "five spices". It is a mix of five whole seeds used in Bengali, Bangladeshi and Odia cooking: fenugreek, nigella (kalonji), cumin, black mustard and fennel. The seeds are fried whole in hot oil at the start of cooking. This is called tempering, or phoron.
- Basmati or chinigura rice?
- Basmati is a long-grain rice that cooks up light and separate. It is the usual choice for biryani and pulao. Chinigura is a small-grain aromatic rice from Bangladesh with a sweet, buttery smell. It is used for polao, khichuri and rice puddings like payesh and firni.
- Egusi or ogbono?
- Egusi is ground melon seed. It thickens soup into a rich, nutty, slightly grainy texture. Ogbono is ground seed from the African wild mango. It makes a smooth "draw" soup that stretches when you lift it, a bit like okra.
- Halal meat cuts explained
- At a halal butcher you ask for meat by what you are cooking. Curry cut is small bone-in pieces. Biryani cut is larger bone-in pieces that hold up in layered rice. Keema is fresh mince. You can ask for any of them bone-in or boneless.
- How to choose and cook hilsa
- Hilsa (ইলিশ, ilish) is an oily, rich-tasting fish from the Bay of Bengal and its rivers. It is the national fish of Bangladesh. Look for bright silver skin, clear eyes and firm flesh. Cook it simply, usually in mustard oil with mustard paste, turmeric and green chillies.
- Atta, maida and besan
- Atta is finely ground whole wheat flour for roti, chapati and paratha. Maida is refined white wheat flour for naan, luchi and pastry. Besan is gram (chickpea) flour for pakora, bhaji and many sweets. Besan has no wheat in it.
Ask us at the counter.
Not sure what to buy? Ask in any of our shops in Dublin and Drogheda, or call 01 558 6267 before you come in.