Dear Souk: Pantry Essentials

Dear Souk, 

Wanted: Pantry essentials for when I'm short on time but still want to eat healthy.

Yours, 

A Hangry Subscriber. 

Dear Hangry Subscriber, 

We’ve got you! Here are five pantry essentials that we find ourselves reaching out to when we want something chatpata and guilt-free without spending hours in the kitchen. 

Yours, 

Souk

01 Almond Wraps (1 pack, 6 pieces)

These Gobble Right wraps have become a staple for us. They’re soft, fluffy, and honestly hard to tell apart from regular maida ones except, you don’t feel weighed down after eating them. Made with almonds, they’re packed with fibre and protein but still taste good. We use them for quick wraps, sure, but also cut them into triangles and microwave them into crispy chips to scoop up hummus or salsa.

02 Ghee Roast Ready-to-Cook Paste

This ready-to-cook ghee roast masala looks intense at first glance (deep red, glossy, unapologetically bold), but it’s surprisingly versatile once you get into the kitchen. The flavour is rich, slow-roasted, and layered.

Add coconut milk or yogurt to dial down the heat (especially if you’ve got a sensitive stomach), and throw in some steamed veggies, paneer, or prawns depending on your mood. You get that deep ghee-roast flavour with minimal effort—just warm, stir, and serve with a flaky Malabar paratha or simple rice. Leftovers taste even better.

03 Chicken Marination Masala (10)

We came across KILRR while looking for quick, flavourful marinades for weekday meals. These spice mixes need just water and ghee to turn into a ready-to-use marinade. Each pack works for about 250 grams of chicken (or paneer, if that’s your thing) and comes in fun flavours like Tandoori Blast, Paapi Pudina, and Pistol Pesto. They’re preservative-free, made with clean ingredients, and take less than a minute to prep.

04 The Healthy Pizza Pasta Sauce

We have a soft spot for sneaky do-gooders like this pizza and pasta sauce that tastes like the OG version but actually has pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato and green peas thrown in for good measure. You end up eating half a serving of vegetables in just two tablespoons of sauce! Best of all, the thick and tangy sauce is also free of refined sugar and preservatives. What more can one ask for from your carbs, really?

05 Shirataki and Gochujang Combo Pack

We’ll be honest—we tried Shirataki expecting diet food. What we got instead? Slurp-worthy noodles with bounce and bite, and rice that plays well with everything from kimchi to a soy-garlic drizzle. Made from konjac root, they’re basically fibre with a noodle costume—so light, you’ll wonder if you dreamt them. Add a fiery spoonful of gochujang, pair with a quick salad, and you’ve got a meal that feels like comfort food… minus the post-carb slump.