NKOSI only sells dry and canned products: that is precisely the definition of a good African and Caribbean pantry, the kind you fill once and dip into for weeks. This guide brings together the categories to keep in stock, with a product example and its storage for each.
Rice and dry starches
Broken rice and gari keep for several months in a dry place, away from light, in a well-sealed container once the bag is opened. See ORCHIDÉE twice-broken rice and TANTIE white gari.
Sauce bases
Tomato paste, peanut paste and sauce graine keep in a dry place before opening, then in the fridge once the jar is started, to be used within a few days: enough to prepare a mafé or a sauce graine without shopping at the last minute. See DIEG BOU DIAR double tomato paste, DAKATINE peanut paste and TROFAI sauce graine.
Dried or canned legumes and proteins
Canned red kidney beans, common in Caribbean cooking, keep at room temperature before opening. Dried and smoked shrimp, a base condiment of many West and Central African sauces, keep in a cool, dry place before opening, then in the fridge once started. See GOYA red kidney beans and NUMBER ONE dried and smoked shrimp.
Infusions and drinks to prepare
Dried hibiscus flowers for bissap, dried ginger sachets, green tea for ataya: these drinks are prepared from dry ingredients, to be kept away from light and moisture, in a well-sealed bag or tin. See TANTIE whole red bissap, RACINES African ginger infusion and 555 green tea.
Dried fruit and snacking
Roasted peanuts and plantain chips keep in a dry place, away from light, in an airtight container once the bag is opened. See NUMBER ONE salted roasted peanuts and NUMBER ONE salted plantain chips.
Spices and condiments
Powdered or whole spices and condiments deserve their own selection: find it in our article on the seven essential African spices.
To go further
This selection organizes the pantry by storage category. For a complete view by ingredient family (spices, flours, drinks) and by country, see the guide to African and Caribbean cooking ingredients or our selection of the ten essential ingredients of West African cooking.
