- Submitted by Dahlia
(Monthly Essentials for Indian Cooking)
I have created this page based on some requests from friends. Having a grocery shopping list handy is so much convenient. This list given below is what I buy for my family, which includes 2 adults and 2 kids. On an average, atleast 1 week in a month we have our parents staying with us.
The qatities given below should be perfect for 4 adults for a month. So newly weds can half the quantity. If you are expecting guests during a particular month, you might need to buy more. Also, I would like to mention that we are South Indians. Our lunch is usually rice. For breakfast and dinner, I like to make all kinds of tiffin varieties. My shopping list is given accordingly.
You can take this master grocery list as a guideline and customize it to your requirements. For eg: If your family prefers to eat more chapatti, reduce the amount of rice and buy more wheat flour. If you do not like upma varieties, just skip vermicelli, rava and aval from the list. Also, sometimes you may have some unused items from the previous month. If you feel the leftovers will be sufficient for the next full month, you don't have to buy that. You are the master of your kitchen. So plan as per your hearts desire.
I have also given a downloadable pdf below, for those who would like to personalize the list or take a print out. Happy Shopping!
Download PDF Shopping List ⇓
Monthly Grocery Shopping List Video
Grains & Tiffin Items
- Boiled Rice - 5-7 kg (for White rice)
- Idli Rice - 5 kg (for Idli/Dosa batter, Adai batter etc.)
- Raw Rice - 2 kg (for Aapam & Pongal)
- Basmati Rice - 2 kg (for Biryani & Pulao)
- Brown Rice or Red Rice or Black Rice (any one) - 1 kg
- Wheat Flour (Atta) - 2 kg
- Maida - 1/2 kg
- Rava - 1/2 kg (for Upma, Rava Dosa)
- Ragi Flour - 1/2 kg
- Rice Flour - 1 kg
- Millet Varieties (Little Millet, Foxtail Millet, Barnyard Millet, Kodo Millet or Pearl Millet) - 1/2 kg + 1/2 kg (any two)
- Pasta - 1/2 kg (any 1 or 2 shapes)
- Noodles - 1 family pack
- Pressed Rice (Aval, Poha) - 1/2 kg (for Upma)
- Sago (Javarisi, Sabudhana) - 1/2 kg (for Payasam or Upma)
- Gram Flour (Besan, Kadalai Maavu) - 1/4 kg (for Bajji or Dhokla)
- Vermicelli - 1/2 kg (for Upma, Payasam)
- Instant Rice Sevai - 1/2 kg
- Broken Wheat (Samba Godhumai, Lapsi) - 1/2 kg (for upma)
Pulses
- Urad Dal - 2 kg
- Toor Dal - 1 kg
- Moong Dal - 1 kg
- Channa Dal - 1/2 kg
- Chickpeas - 1/2 kg
- Dried Green Peas - 1/2 kg
- Green Gram or Black Chickpeas (any one) - 1/4 kg (sidedish for puttu)
- Black Eye Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Whole Masoor, Whole Urad, Double Beans, Green Peas Dal, Masoor Dal or Red Chowli (any two) - 1/4 kg each
- Frozen Greenpeas - 1 pack
- Frozen Corn - 1 pack
Oils
- Sunflower Oil or Vegetable Oil - 1 L (for regular cooking and frying)
- Rice Bran Oil or Groundnut Oil - 1 L (for regular cooking and frying)
- Sesame Oil - 1/2 L (for idlis and dosas)
- Coconut Oil - 1/4 L (for traditional South Indian dishes)
- Olive Oil - 1/4 L (for continental food and baking)
- Ghee - 200 gms
Beverages, Spices & Condiments​
- Salt - 1 kg
- Crystal Salt - 1 kg
- Sugar - 1 kg
- Jaggery - 1/4 kg
- Palm Jaggery - 1/4 kg (or Naatu Chakkarai for making porridges)
- Tea - 100 gms
- Coffee - 100 gms
- Health Drinks - 1 pack (if needed)
- Chocolate Syrup/ Caramel Syrup / Strawberry Syrup - 1 bottle
- Tamarind - 1/4 kg
- Asafoetida - 1 box
- Dry Red Chilies - 1/4 kg
- Mustard Seeds - 100 gms
- Cumin Seeds - 100 gms
- Fennel Seeds - 100 gms
- Fenugreek Seeds - 100 gms
- Peppercons - 100gms
- Poppy Seeds - 50 gms
- Sesame Seeds (White or Black) - 50 gms
- Carom Seeds - 50 gms
- Dry Ginger - 50 gms
- Cardamom - 25 gms
- Cinnamom - 25 gms
- Star anise - 1 small pack
- Cloves - 1 small pack
- Bay Leaf - 1 small pack
- Papad & Vadagams - 1 or 2 packs
- Pickle - 1 bottle
- Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 pack
- Turmeric Powder - 100 gms
- Sambar Powder - 100 gms
- Chicken Masala - 100 gms
- Red Chili Powder - 200 gms
- Coriander Powder - 200 gms
- Garam Masala Powder - 100 gms
- Black Pepper Powder - 50 gms
- Cumin Powder - 50 gms
- Idli Podi - 100 gms
- Garlic Powder, Rasam Powder, Vathakuzhambu Paste etc. - if needed
- Other Spice Mixes (Channa Masala, Pav Bhaji Masala, Gobi 65 Mix etc.) - if needed
- Citric Acid, Nigella Seeds, Ajinomoto, Dry Ginger etc. - if needed
- Soy Sauce - 1 bottle
- Tomato Ketchup - 1 bottle
- Chili Sauce - 1 bottle
- Vineger - 1 bottle
- Mayonnaise - 1 bottle
- Jam - 1 bottle
- Cheese Spread - 1 pack
- Cheese Slices - 1 pack (for burger, sandwiches)
- Cheese Block - 1 pack (for pizza, sandwiches)
- Plain Curd or Flavored Yogurt - if needed
- Butter - 200 gms
- Paneer - 200 gms
- Fresh Cream - 1 pack
- Honey - 1 bottle
Nuts, Seeds, Dry Fruits & Baking Items
- Cashews - 50 gms
- Raisins - 50 gms
- Almonds - 50 gms
- Dates - 100 gms
- Peanuts - 100 gms
- Other nuts (like walnuts, pista, etc.) - as needed
- Other Dry Fruits (dried gooseberries, figs etc.) - as needed
- Yeast - 1 box (for aapam and bread)
- Baking Soda (Cooking Soda) - 1 small packet
- Baking Powder - 1 small packet
- Cocoa Powder - 1 small box
- Vanilla Extract - 1 bottle
- Condensed Milk - 1 tin
Snacks
- Cereal Boxes - 2 (for instant breakfast options)
- Bread - 2 packs (as needed like Sandwich Bread, Sweet Bread, Pav Buns, Burger Buns, Hotdog Buns, Pizza Base etc.)
- Flavored Yogurt - if needed
- Biscuits, Cakes and Cookies - as needed (I get around 8-10 packs)
- Fried Packed Snacks - as needed (I buy 4-5 packs)
- Popcorn Packs - 2
Cleaning Products
- Dish Washing Bar or Liquid - 500 gms
- Washing Machine Detergent - 1 kg
- Bleach (for white clothes) - 1 bottle
- Instant Starch - if needed
- Fabric Blue, Fabric Softener, Cuff Cleaners etc. - if needed
- Laundry Soap - 2 bars
- Hand Wash Liquid - 1 bottle
- Toilet Cleaner - 1 bottle
- Floor Cleaner - 1 bottle
- Glass Cleaner - 1 bottle
- All purpose cleaner (or Soap Oil) - 1 bottle (to clean kitchen counter tops, tiles, sink etc.)
- Room Spray - 1 bottle
- Air Freshner for Bathroom - 1 or 2
- Harpic Tablets - 1 pack
- Garbage Bags - 2 packs
- Broom, Mop, Cleaning Brushes - as needed
- Pest Control - as needed (Mosquito Repellent, Buy Spray, Lines, Balls etc.)
Toiletries
- Body Soap - 5 bars
- Face Powder - 1 bottle
- Deodorants - (mens and ladies) 1 each
- Perfume - (mens and ladies) 1 each
- Shampoo - 1 bottle
- Conditioner - 1 bottle
- Moisturizer or Body Lotion - 1 bottle
- Sun Screen Lotion - 1 bottle
- Hair Oil or Gel - 1 bottle
- Toothpaste - 1
- Toothbrush - if needed
- Tongue Cleaner - if needed
- Shaving Cream - 1 box
- Shaving Razors - 1 pack
- Hand Sanitizer - 1 bottle
- Dettol - 1 bottle
- Other Cosmetics - as needed
- Sanitary Napkins - 1 pack
- Toilet Paper Roll - 4 to 6 (or as needed)
- Kitchen Roll - 1
- Cotton Balls, Ear Buds - if needed
Other Disposables (If Needed)
- Tissue Paper - 1 pack
- Paper Plates - 1 pack
- Paper Cups - 1 pack
- Disposable Spoons - 1 pack
- Aluminuim Foil - 1 Roll
- Ziploc Bags - 1 pack
- Toothpicks - 1 pack
Vegetables (To Buy Weekly)
- Onion - 2 kg
- Tomato - 2 kg
- Small Onions - 1 kg
- Garlic - 1/2 kg
- Ginger - 1/2 kg
- Green Chilies - 100 gms
- Potatoes - 1 kg
- Lemon - 3-5
- Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
- Mint Leaves - 1 bunch
- Curry Leaves - 1 bunch
- Coconut - 2
- Carrots - 1/2 kg
- Other Vegetables - any 4 or 5 per week (about 1/2 kg each)
- Fruits - any 3 or 4 varieties (about 1 kg each)
- Eggs - 12
- Fish /Seafood - 2 kg
- Poultry/ Meat - 1 kg
Miscellaneous
- Batteries - if needed
- Light Bulbs - if needed
- Car Cleaners
Download PDF Shopping List ⇓
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