Pure Indian Foods Alphonso Mango Puree
Rarely have we seen a mango puree in supermarkets and, if we do, it’s often full of sweeteners and additives. Made from Alphonso mangoes, which are renowned in India for their natural sweetness and buttery-smooth texture, this puree contains no added sugar or preservatives—it’s just pure, juicy mango. About five fresh mangos are packed into every jar of this luscious puree and its silky texture is pourable, yet decadent like yogurt, and has a rich, bright flavor that balances sweet and tart, akin to snacking on refreshing mangoes at their peak season.
Pure Indian Foods Organic Tamarind Paste
Pure Indian Foods’ organic tamarind paste has a pure, clean flavor with a bracing tartness. This thick, smooth paste is our favorite form for using tamarind as a souring agent. While fresh pods are available in some markets, it’s more commonly sold as a concentrate or as dense blocks of pulp that need labor-intensive soaking and straining; both forms sacrifice nuanced flavor in favor of convenience, whereas this tamarind paste is both easy to use and intensely flavorful. Pure Indian Foods, which traces its roots to 1889 in northern India, still uses traditional methods to make its products. The company’s pantry staples have a complexity and authenticity that just can’t be imitated.
Yandilla Mustard Seed Oil
Yandilla Mustard Seed Oil, the only food-grade mustard seed oil in the United States, provides a wasabi-like kick and a big punch of flavor to dishes, either cooked or raw. We like that this mustard oil isn’t overly cloying but rather balanced out by the spicy flavors, and the company processes the oil through fine micron cloth filters, resulting in a wonderfully silky texture. Because of its high smoke point, mustard oil is an ideal cooking medium for added piquancy; heating the oil mellows out some of its pungency, providing a mild but peppery kick that subsides to a lingering warmth.
Pure Indian Foods Organic Tellicherry Black Pepper
Considered one of the highest-quality varietals of black pepper in the world, tellicherry peppercorns must come from Tellicherry, a coastal city in Kerala, India. Whereas supermarket peppercorns have a mostly sharp, one-note spice, Tellicherry peppercorns taste warm and nutty with an intense zing, citrusy aroma and notes of tea and sandalwood. The growing and supply of these rare peppercorns is so carefully controlled that they’re hard to find at a price that won’t break the bank—we were thrilled to find that Pure Indian Foods offers one. Hand-selected from late-harvest pepper berries, only 10 percent of these floral peppercorns make the cut to qualify as Tellicherry Garbled Special Extra Bold variety. They’re used in some of the best professional kitchens around the world, appreciated for their complexity and moderate heat.
Sonoko Sakai Quick Curry Brick Kit
Japanese cooking expert Sonoko Sakai grew up on a curry that started from a store-bought block of roux: a combination of spices, seasonings, fat and flour for thickening. She set out to make a better one that still delivers the flavor of Japanese curry, without the palm oil and additives found in mass-produced options. Her efforts resulted in this time-saving, do-it-yourself kit, which comes with her pre-blended curry powder featuring 16 toasted ground spices, sweet rice flour and loaf tins to mix everything in. Simply add high-quality coconut oil or butter and allow the bricks to set, ready to be popped out as a dinner starter. The curry brick has a mild, warmly spiced flavor, with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms for umami and depth. Store in your fridge for a dinner that comes together in minutes but tastes like it’s been simmering for hours.