Straight answers, before you commit

Besan is milled from chana, the split Bengal gram also sold as chana dal. The gram is cleaned and graded, then stone-milled into flour. Nothing is added: good besan is one ingredient.

Grind is what separates one besan from another. A fine grind hydrates smoothly and suits batters and sweets, while a coarser grind is chosen where texture is wanted. We mill both.

Yes. Besan is the Hindi name and gram flour the English one, both meaning flour milled from chana. Recipes use the terms interchangeably.

One point of confusion is worth clearing up: besan is not the same as chickpea flour milled from kabuli chana, the large pale chickpea. That is a different, milder flour, and substituting it changes both flavour and binding.

They are the same flour at two grinds. Barik is the fine grind, which hydrates smoothly and gives a clean finish, so it is what batters, pakoras, sweets and mithai work call for.

Mota is the coarser grind, chosen where texture is the point rather than smoothness. Most retail demand is for barik; mota is a seasonal line here.

Kala namak, or black salt, is a rock salt with a distinctly sulphurous, tangy character rather than the flat salinity of table salt. Despite the name it grinds to a pale pink-grey powder.

It is the note people recognise in chaat without being able to name it, and it is used in chaats, raitas, jal jeera and summer drinks. It is a flavouring in its own right rather than a substitute for regular salt.

Yes. Toor, arhar and tur are regional names for the same pulse, the split pigeon pea. It is the most widely eaten dal in India and the base of both a standard North Indian dal and a South Indian sambar.

You may also see it sold oiled, coated in a thin film to extend storage life. Ours is supplied plain and polished so it needs no washing beyond the usual rinse.

Chana dal is split Bengal gram, the same pulse that is milled into besan. It has a firmer bite and nuttier flavour than most dals and holds its shape better in cooking.

Beyond everyday dal it is used in khichdi, in dhokla and vada batters, and roasted as a snack. Grade is judged mainly on how free it is of grit, stones and broken pieces.

Masoor dal is red lentil, skinned and split. It is among the quickest pulses to cook, since the skin is gone and the split is thin, so it needs no soaking and breaks down within twenty minutes.

Masoor sabut is the same lentil whole with its brown skin intact, which cooks slower, holds its shape and tastes earthier.

Dhuli means washed and skinned. Moong dhuli is green gram with the green husk removed, leaving the pale yellow split inside. Urad dhuli is black gram with its dark skin removed, leaving the white split.

Skinned dals cook faster and break down smoother. Chilka means the skin is retained on a split pulse, giving more body and bite, and sabut means the pulse is whole and unsplit.

Multigrain atta is a flour blend of several grains rather than wheat alone, giving more fibre and a fuller flavour while still working as an everyday roti flour.

Whether the grains are milled together or blended after milling matters more than most buyers realise. Milling together keeps the flour consistent through the bag; blending afterwards can let the components separate in storage. Ours is milled together.

Makki atta is maize flour, milled deliberately coarse. It is the flour for makki di roti, most often served with sarson da saag through the Punjabi winter, and it is also used in bhakri and in mixed-grain flours.

The coarse grind is intentional. A fine maize flour will not hold together on the tawa the same way. Makki is a seasonal line, with demand concentrated in the colder months.

Sonth is dry ginger powder, made by sun-drying ginger until the moisture is fully out and then grinding it fine. It is more pungent and concentrated than fresh ginger and keeps far longer.

It is used in masala blends, in chai and kadha, and in traditional winter preparations such as panjiri and laddoo. It is not a direct one-to-one substitute for fresh ginger, since the flavour is drier and sharper.

Jal jeera powder is a blend of roasted cumin, dried mint and black salt with souring agents, made to dissolve straight into water rather than to be cooked.

Stirred into chilled water it makes jal jeera, the classic Indian summer drink. It is also used over chaats and mixed into buttermilk. Because it is balanced for a drink rather than a dish, it is not interchangeable with chaat masala.

Anardana powder is ground dried pomegranate seed, tart and slightly fruity. It is a souring agent, used where a dish needs sharpness without added liquid.

It appears in chole and chana blends, in chaats and chutneys, and in North Indian dry preparations. Aamchur, ground from sun-dried raw mango, does a similar job with a cleaner, less fruity sourness.

Yellow mirch powder is ground from yellow chillies. It is milder than red chilli powder in both heat and colour, giving warmth and a yellow-gold tone rather than deep red.

It is used in pickles and in Punjabi and Rajasthani cooking, and by blenders who need to adjust the heat of a masala without darkening it. It is not the same as turmeric, which colours but adds no heat.

They do opposite jobs. Garam masala is a warm aromatic blend of roasted whole spices, added during or near the end of cooking so its aroma carries into the finished dish.

Chaat masala is a souring and finishing blend built on black salt, roasted cumin and dried mango. It is sprinkled on at the end and would taste harsh if simmered. Most kitchens keep both, and they are not substitutes.

White pepper is the same berry as black with the outer skin removed, which gives a cleaner and slightly milder heat without dark flecks.

It is chosen where black pepper would be visible: pale gravies, white sauces, soups and continental preparations. It costs more than black pepper because removing the skin takes an extra processing stage and reduces yield.

Ajwain, or carom seed, has a sharp thyme-like pungency from its natural thymol content. It is strong enough that it is used sparingly compared with cumin or coriander.

It is worked into paratha, puri and namkeen doughs, used in pickling, and added to fried preparations where its bite cuts through oil. In Indian households it is also traditionally taken after heavy meals as a digestive.

Saunf, or fennel seed, is sweet and aromatic. In cooking it is used in Punjabi and Kashmiri gravies, in pickling and in spice blends, where it adds sweetness and perfume rather than heat.

It is most familiar as a mouth freshener served plain, roasted or sugar-coated after a meal, a traditional practice in Indian households. Good saunf is green rather than dull yellow, which indicates it has not been over-dried or held too long.

It varies sharply by line, and the honest answer is shorter than most packaging suggests. Whole spices hold their character longest, comfortably a year or more sealed and away from light. Ground spices fade faster, losing aroma over months rather than years, which is why we mill against demand.

Pulses keep well for a long stretch if kept dry. Flours are the most time-sensitive: besan and atta are best used within a few months of milling, since milling exposes the germ and its oil begins to turn.

Sealed, cool and out of direct light. Heat and light are what turn an edible oil, and a bottle left beside a stove will deteriorate far faster than the same oil in a cupboard.

Unopened and stored properly, mustard oil keeps well for months. Once opened it should be used within a reasonable period and kept closed between uses, since repeated air exposure is what dulls the pungency it is bought for.

Edible oil is the category where adulteration is most common and hardest to spot by eye, which is why the supply chain matters more than any home test. Pungency is the first signal: genuine mustard oil has a sharp aroma that catches in the nose, and a noticeably flat or bland sample is worth questioning.

The dependable answer is not a test but provenance. Buy from a supplier who filters, fills and seals under one roof, so the oil in the container is the oil they processed and the seal has not been opened in between. Ours is filled and sealed in our own unit at Batala.