Pantry Raid: Kitchen Guerrilla owner Roshan Kanagarajah’s six essential kitchen supplies
We’re asking chefs to peer into their pantries and tell us their top shelf-stable essentials. Here are six staples that Kitchen Guerrilla’s Roshan Kanagarajah made sure to stock up on before we went into lockdown.
More Pantry Raids
Canned mackerel
What kind: Niru Brand Mackerel
Where he bought it: New Ocean Supermarket
What he makes with it: “Sometimes I make a quick 15-minute curry with this and it always hits the spot. It’s also perfect for adding into pasta with a simple tomato sauce. On weekends, I make Sri Lankan stuffed buns with a curry-spiced mackerel and potato filling.”
Young jackfruit
What kind: Cha’s Organics Young Jackfruit
Where he bought it: Tiano’s Organics
What he makes with it: “I usually add this into my vegetarian chili. It has a meaty texture to it and it’s really healthy. It’s almost like artichoke but, meatier.”
Seasoning sauce
What kind: Maggi
Where he bought it: New Spiceland Supermarket
What he makes with it: “I add this to stir fries, sauces, marinades and stews. It adds an unbelievable depth of umami flavour. I typically use it in combination with soy sauce, but it can also be used as a soy sauce substitute.”
Granola
What kind: Ste. Anne’s Bakery Gluten Free Granola
Where he bought it: Pusateri’s Fine Foods
What he makes with it: “My wife and I add this to our oatmeal, cereal or yogurt in the mornings. We snack on it, too. I like to support local, and this granola—which is literally the best packaged granola I’ve ever had in my life—is made in Grafton, Ontario.”
Tomato sauce
What kind: Menu Pomodorino
Where he bought it: Summerhill Market
What he makes with it: “I use this whenever I need a good tomato sauce in a pinch. It’s perfect for pasta sauces, pizzas, stews or soups. Normally, I make my sauces from scratch, but this stuff really does cut your prep time down. Plus, it tastes natural and doesn’t have that canned preserved taste that you get from other canned sauces.”
Tamil curry paste
What kind: Kitchen Guerrilla Jaffna Meat Curry Paste
Where he bought it: From his own Kitchen Guerrilla line of sauces and spices
What he makes with it: “This paste has all the ingredients necessary to make a traditional Tamil goat or beef curry, in one bottle. I like to use it with oxtail, too. It makes for an easy, one-pot dinner—I just braise the meat, low and slow. Okay, two pots—rice is necessary.”
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/pantry-raid-kitchen-guerrilla-owner-roshan-kanagarajahs-six-essential-kitchen-supplies/&title=Pantry Raid: Kitchen Guerrilla owner Roshan Kanagarajah’s six essential kitchen supplies&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/toronto-food-pantry-raid-roshan-kanagarajah-kitchen-guerilla-selfie-2000x2667.jpeg&description=We’re asking chefs to peer into their pantries and tell us their top shelf-stable essentials. Here are six staples that Kitchen Guerrilla’s Roshan Kanagarajah made sure to stock up on before we went into lockdown.
[sjmcm layout="content_more_split_3" calling_post="526302" posts="1:post_id:524998:1:,1:post_id:525925:1:" label="More%20Pantry%20Raids"]
Canned mackerel
What kind: Niru Brand Mackerel
Where he bought it: New Ocean Supermarket
What he makes with it: “Sometimes I make a quick 15-minute curry with this and it always hits the spot. It's also perfect for adding into pasta with a simple tomato sauce. On weekends, I make Sri Lankan stuffed buns with a curry-spiced mackerel and potato filling.”
Young jackfruit
What kind: Cha's Organics Young Jackfruit
Where he bought it: Tiano's Organics
What he makes with it: “I usually add this into my vegetarian chili. It has a meaty texture to it and it's really healthy. It's almost like artichoke but, meatier.”
Seasoning sauce
What kind: Maggi
Where he bought it: New Spiceland Supermarket
What he makes with it: “I add this to stir fries, sauces, marinades and stews. It adds an unbelievable depth of umami flavour. I typically use it in combination with soy sauce, but it can also be used as a soy sauce substitute.”
Granola
What kind: Ste. Anne's Bakery Gluten Free Granola
Where he bought it: Pusateri's Fine Foods
What he makes with it: “My wife and I add this to our oatmeal, cereal or yogurt in the mornings. We snack on it, too. I like to support local, and this granola—which is literally the best packaged granola I’ve ever had in my life—is made in Grafton, Ontario.”
Tomato sauce
What kind: Menu Pomodorino
Where he bought it: Summerhill Market
What he makes with it: “I use this whenever I need a good tomato sauce in a pinch. It’s perfect for pasta sauces, pizzas, stews or soups. Normally, I make my sauces from scratch, but this stuff really does cut your prep time down. Plus, it tastes natural and doesn't have that canned preserved taste that you get from other canned sauces.”
Tamil curry paste
What kind: Kitchen Guerrilla Jaffna Meat Curry Paste
Where he bought it: From his own Kitchen Guerrilla line of sauces and spices
What he makes with it: “This paste has all the ingredients necessary to make a traditional Tamil goat or beef curry, in one bottle. I like to use it with oxtail, too. It makes for an easy, one-pot dinner—I just braise the meat, low and slow. Okay, two pots—rice is necessary.”
){kind=link}