Food Items

This list can go on and on. Use your common sense when purchasing & packing food items. Your goal is to have enough things to help you through the first two/three weeks. Also, in the beginning for up to a month you’ll still be converting the price of every single item to INR. You will not buy a packet of bread because it would cost you $2, where as you pay only Rs.10 for it in India. So having enough food stock helps you sustain, until the fact sinks in that your grocery spending accounts for just 10% of your monthly expenditure and 0.8% of your expenditure, taking fees into account. 

You spend more by eating out, than by shopping a little generously. Be sensible, not sentimental - a bottle of pickle lasts for 6 months. You’ll finish a packet of Haldirams in 6 mins. You should get items which are light, non-perishable, lasts long, inexpensive, not easily available in USA. All the rice mixes (such as Puliyogare etc.) make for a quick lunch/dinner. 

There are Universities in USA where Indian markets are at a close walking distance. If you are going to such a place, try to carry less food items. Otherwise, plan and pack for the first 2/3 weeks. 

Some of the common food items that students carry are:

{** : Available in USA for reasonable prices}

Important Masalas :

• Garam masala

• Sambhar powder

• Rasam powder

• Pav-Bhaji masala

• Chole masala

• Biriyani/Pulao masala

• Puliyogare powder/paste

• Tomato/Lemon rice powder

Important Instant Foods :

• MTR Ready to eat packets

• Maggi noodles

• Soups, if you like

• Snacks/Sweets

• Instant coffee (You wont have trouble finding coffee)

• Indian tea (You don’t get good tea here, mostly some funny tasting green tea)

• Pickle bottles (Well sealed ones)

For Basic Cooks : 

• Rice (1 to 2 kgs)

• Toor dal (0.5 to 1 kg)

• Upma rava (0.5 to 1 kg)

• **Cooking Oil 

• Ghee (0.25 to 0.5 ltr)

• Spices and condiments

• **Salt 

• **Sugar 

• Red chili powder (o.5 to 1 kg)

• Turmeric powder (0.5 to 1 kg)

• Jeera [Cumin] seeds/powder (0.25 kg)

• **Pepper 

• Mustard (0.25 kg)

• Urad dal (0.5 to 1 kg)

• Curry leaves, dried and powdered 

• Coconut, processed

• Ginger Garlic paste

• **Red chilies

• Dry fruits, cashews/badam

For Serious Cooks :

• Poha/Sevai

• **Rajma

• Moong & Moong dal

• Channa & Channa dal

• Besan

• **Maida

• Rice flour

• Wheat flour

• Heeng [Asafoetida]

• Tamarind

• **Til [Sesame seeds]

• Saunf [Fennel]

• Clove

• **Dalchini [Cinnamon] 

• Elaichi [ Cardamom]