Annam

Annam is a label found in Indian and Sri Lankan grocers around the UK, covering the rice, flour and small grains that a South Asian kitchen goes through every week. The range leans towards South Indian and Gujarati cooking, with a handful of traditional grains and fasting flours that mainstream supermarkets rarely carry.

Our Annam shelf includes Ponni rice and red rice, both parboiled so the grains stay firm and separate, plus small pearl sago. For flour there is bajra millet flour and moraiyo farali flour for fasting days. The range is rounded off with groundnut oil and ready roasted vermicelli.

Ponni boiled rice is what many Tamil families eat with sambar, rasam and kootu every day, while red rice suits Kerala and Sri Lankan meals of fish curry and thoran. Small sago becomes sabudana khichdi on a fast or a milky payasam, and roasted semiya goes straight into upma or vermicelli kheer with no dry roasting needed. Bajra flour makes the rustic rotla of Gujarat and Rajasthan, and moraiyo flour is used for vrat rotis and pancakes during Navratri and Ekadashi. Groundnut oil is the frying oil of choice for many Gujarati and Andhra cooks, with a mild, nutty finish.

Millet flours hold more natural oil than wheat and go stale sooner, so buy what you will use in a month or two and keep the bag sealed in a cool cupboard. Soak small sago for a few hours before cooking so it turns soft and translucent without sticking. To compare other brands, browse our South Indian rice and millet and gluten free flour ranges.