A Beginner's Guide to a Traditional South Indian Botanical Pantry

Why a botanical pantry

South Indian kitchens have always kept a shelf of dried leaves, fruits and flowers alongside the spices. Dried and stored well, they make it easy to add something traditional to everyday food without a trip to the market.

Moringa leaf powder

Dried murungai keerai. Stir a teaspoon into dosai or adai batter, rasam, soup or a smoothie, adding it towards the end of cooking. It is the easiest way to use moringa when fresh leaves are not to hand.

Amla powder

Dried nellikai. Sour and astringent, so a little goes a long way: a pinch in buttermilk, a spoon in a chutney or thogayal, or mixed with water and a little honey as a drink.

Sangu poo and avarampoo flowers

Two flowers for the teapot. Sangu poo (butterfly pea) brews deep blue and turns purple with a squeeze of lemon. Avarampoo flowers make a mild golden tea. Both are steeped whole and strained.

Raw honey

Honey sweetens herbal teas, amla drinks and breakfast. Stir it in once a drink has cooled a little rather than boiling it, and never give honey to children under one year old.

Storing your pantry

Dried botanicals keep for months if you look after them:

• Airtight jars, away from the stove and kitchen steam.
• Out of direct sunlight, which fades colour and smell.
• A dry spoon every time — moisture is what spoils powders.
• Small packs you will finish in a few months, rather than large ones.
• Honey at room temperature; crystallising is natural and it can be gently warmed.

Starting out

You do not need all five. Start with moringa powder for cooking and one flower for tea, and add from there. The Kitchen Botanicals collection groups the food-grade products together.