Building a Plant-Based Pantry

One of the hardest things about making the switch from an omni to vegetarian or vegan diet is having to completely reassess the contents of your kitchen cupboards. Regular readers of this blog will know that my journey to veganism was gradual – I stopped eating red meat and poultry at the age of 12, and many moons later cut out dairy in my penultimate year of university. So when I finally decided to make the switch to veganism in 2011 – it wasn’t exactly difficult to stop buying eggs and tuna, and start buying a little a lot more chickpeas.

That said, I empathize greatly with those trying to make the switch – it’s not easy and even the slightest road bump can set you up for a derail or cause your motivation to wane. A well-stocked pantry however, is your secret weapon. In my  vegan supermarket guide post I answered the persistent “where do you buy your food?” question – today I’m revealing what I call my Plant-based Pantry Essentials list complete with images of my preferred brands and a where to find section for Bahrain based readers. Enjoy!

 

Plant-based Pantry Essentials

Grains

• Gluten-free, old-fashioned oats
• Short-grain brown rice
• Quinoa
• Millet

Where to find:

Organic/health food sections of all leading supermarkets and hypermarkets including Al Jazeera, Alosra, Geant, Carrefour and Lulu. GF oats are sometimes hard to find so I buy them in bulk when possible – Nature Valley in Juffair usually stock them as well.

Flour

• Gluten-free all purpose flour blend (Dove brand)
• Chickpea flour (this is one of my core staples)
• Unbleached/organic white flour (good for baking)

Where to find:

Organic flour and GF flour blends can be found at most Alosra and Al Jazeera supermarket branches. Chickpea flour is called Kabab flour locally and can be found at every and any supermarket or corner shop in Bahrain, I buy local brands.

Beans/Legumes/Pulses

• Red lentils
• Brown lentils
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• White beans
• Mori-nu/Firm/Super-firm organic non-GMO tofu

Where to find:

The legumes section of any supermarket will do you fine for all beans, both dried and canned. If you’re buying in bulk definitely head to the bins section in one of the hypermarkets like Lulu or Carrefour. Tofu I usually buy from either Al Jazeera, Geant and Lulu Hypermarket. My preferred brands are House Foods and Wildwoods, the latter is sold only at Lulu Hypermarket.

Nuts and Seeds

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Cashews
• Sunflower seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Chia seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Flaxseeds
• Organic peanut butter
• Organic almond butter

Where to find:

Loose raw nuts can be found at the bulk bins in all leading hypermarkets. Hemp seeds are hard to find but your best bet is the organic/health food sections of Geant or Alosra. Chia, flax, pumpkin seeds and nut butters can be found in the organic/health food sections of most supermarkets as well.

Vinegars/oils

• Raw apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Organic extra virgin coconut oil (a must at all times)
• Rapeseed/Canola oil (ideal for baking)
• Earth Balance/Pure vegan butter

Where to find:

Raw ACV and coconut oil can be found in the organic/health food sections, with everything else in the regular oils/vinegar aisle. Earth balance is sold almost exclusively at Lulu in all it’s varieties, Pure vegan butter can be found at Alosra.

Sweeteners

• Agave Syrup
• Date Molasses (or any type of molasses)
• Pure maple syrup
• Organic dark brown sugar or organic golden sugar
• Dates
• Stevia

Where to find:

Agave, maple syrup, stevia and organic sugar are usually in the organic/health food sections. Date molasses and dates will usually be in a section of their own along with the tahini.

 

Milks

• Organic unsweetened soy milk
• Almond milk
• Light Coconut milk (good for curries etc.)

Where to find:

Most leading supermarkets and hypermarkets have a dedicated section for non-dairy milks – coconut milk can be found in the baking or oriental foods sections of supermarkets.

Spices/Flavourings

• Nutritional yeast
• Organic low-sodium vegetable stock (I love Kallo brand)
• Tamari/Nama Shoyu/ Braggs liquid aminos
• Basil
• Cayenne
• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Curry powder
• Cumin powder and seeds
• Coriander
• Cardamom
• Garlic
• Onion
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Paprika
• Rosemary
• Turmeric
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Where to find:

Nutritional yeast is sold at Geant in the health food aisle along with Braggs liquid aminos – these are two of my core staples. The spices you can find in your generic old spice aisle or at bulk bins at the hypermarkets.

---

And there you have it – a comprehensive vegan pantry starter list. While this is by no means a complete summary of everything I have in my kitchen (I’ve been cultivating my spices collection for years now) – it’s definitely a great starting point and paired with a bounty of your favourite fresh fruit and vegetables, can take you a long way.

Until next time, dear readers!