Rice, grains and pulses

If you are going to cook an international array of dishes, you need to equip yourself with all the types of rice: a good-quality basmati for Indian-type dishes, Japanese rice for sushi, Thai fragrant rice for South-East Asian and other Oriental dishes and, of course, a risotto rice, such as arborio, vialone nano or carnaroli.

You’ll need a good strong bread flour if you are going to make bread, Italian “00” (doppio zero) flour for pasta, some chapati flour and a pack of cornflour for thickening sauces and stews. Of course, for bread you’ll also need active dry yeast. A packet of dried breadcrumbs is also handy for coating food to be fried. Packs of pre-cooked couscous and polenta allow you to give interest to side dishes, and are quick and easy to prepare.