Amba sauce
“I’m very jar orientated; a lot of my cooking is about combining big flavours. I’m also a sucker for a sour ingredient, and this Iraqi pickled mango condiment is really sour – more so than tamarind. If I’m garnishing a dish with tahini, then I’ll use amba to cut through the richness, otherwise I’ll use it in lieu of citrus.”
Stem ginger in syrup
“My grandpa always gave me this when I was a kid, and I thought it was disgusting. However, now it’s essential; I often make a (chopped) stem ginger and spring onion salsa – it’s sweet and spicy. Stem ginger is such a nostalgic ingredient for me.”
Confit vegetable oil
“I often make a big batch of confit vegetables and then use the infused oil, which has orange zest, peppercorns and star anise, over the course of the week. The other day I roasted pumpkin in it and ate with a fried egg and some bread and butter pickles.”
Tamarind concentrate
“I go through a lot of tamarind; it’s my current obsession. The brand Chang has the best consistency, plus it’s tangy, and you get a big tub for not much money. I use it in marinades and dressings for vegetables, mixing with miso and agave syrup for, say, roast aubergine. I always try to have something sweet, something tangy, and something savoury, and tamarind is filling my tangy quota.”
Spreads and sprinkles
“I make burnt butter with dates and hawaij to spread on toast or a bagel and top with sliced banana – it’s so good. I always have a batch of harissa salsa macha too, to sprinkle on most things, whether that’s eggs or soup.”
Green olives
“La Ribera is an amazing brand. These olives are stuffed with anchovies, and they are so juicy and addictive. My friend gave me a two-kilo tin, which will probably last two minutes.”
Tofu
“I always have firm and silken tofu; firm for when I feel I can invest a bit more time in dinner and marinate it, and then silken to put on top of rice with chilli oil, a bit of soy sauce and black vinegar.”
Preserved lemons
“Whenever I’m developing a recipe that needs some texture, sharpness or some element of surprise, then the answer is usually chopped preserved lemon.”
Ready meals
”When I’m recipe testing, I don’t have the capacity to make something at the end of the day, so a ready meal is quite appealing. The ones from FieldGoods are great; the Thai green chickpea curry is my current favourite.”
Bread and butter pickles
“I made these pickles from my friend Kenji [Morimoto]’s book, Ferment, to have with cheese on toast – any excuse to eat more cheese.”
Sticky date and tamarind sauce
“I am particularly into this: melt a bit of butter, stir in some of the sauce, and use to finish roast aubergine or sweet potato.”
Baked beans
“These are genius; I have them for breakfast most days. The “rich tomato” is my favourite. Although they say a jar serves two, really it serves one.”
Herbs, lettuce and citrus
“You always need herbs, so I have parsley, coriander, dill, and thyme or rosemary. Then, some sort of citrus, like kumquats, which I blitz whole with rice vinegar, miso and sesame seeds into a dressing for bitter leaves. Finally, lettuce for health, which I’ll use to make an almost-tabbouleh, probably with a pack of lentils. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll dress it with the kumquat dressing, otherwise I use a ready-made one – I like the Toss brand’s Miso Magic.
Cocktail in a can
“I always have something in the fridge, just to take the edge off.”
Centrepiece by Helen Graham is published by Octopus, £28. To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply
