Our flavour savers

Still reaching for generic sauces? Restock with condiments from Japan, Italy, France, and local artisanal finds

- VIR SANGHVI

Do you like condiments? Of course you do. All Indians are condiment lovers. From pickles to freshly ground chutneys, no Indian meal is complete without condiments.

This is in sharp contrast to say, China, where there will often be no condiments on restaurant tables.

So, what are your favourite condiments? These are mine; the ones you will find in my kitchen. I am excluding pickles from this list because otherwise there will be no room for anything else!

Ketchup. Possibly the world's favourite condiment. I don't actually use ketchup much, but it's the kind of sauce that everyone should have in their kitchen cupboards. Heinz has always been my default option, but I am now more and more impressed by the Veeba and Cremica ketchups.

Mustard. Most foodies are mustard snobs. I am not. I can see the point of fancy Dijon mustard. But frankly, I am happier with yellow English mustard, which is not only cheaper, but also tickles your nose as an added extra. Left to myself though, I would use Bengali kasundi on everything. I order mine from the artisanand farmer-friendly store Amar Khamar in Kolkata, and they deliver it by courier along with my regular supplies of rice.

Podi. I am not sure that I should be including podi in a list that excludes pickles and chutneys, but I am going ahead anyway, because these are different varieties of podi. They are made at home by a podi-obsessive engineer who adds almonds, lemongrass and God alone knows what else to his formulations to make creative variations. The brand is called Burman's Gun Podi and, while the traditional variety goes well with idlis, the jazzier versions will liven up dishes across cuisines.