How to Stock Your African Pantry for Year-Round Cooking: The 15 Essentials You Actually Need
You're standing in your kitchen wanting to make egusi soup, jollof rice, or pepper soup, and you realize you're missing that one crucial ingredient. Again. So you improvise, substitute, or give up and order takeout. Sound familiar?
Here's the truth: cooking African food shouldn't require a different shopping trip every single time. With the right pantry staples, you can make 90% of West African dishes whenever the craving hits—no emergency store runs, no substitutions that never quite taste right.
This isn't about stocking fifty ingredients you'll use once. This is about the 15 essentials that actually earn their shelf space—ingredients that work across multiple dishes, store well, and make African cooking easy instead of stressful.
Let's build a pantry that works.
1. PALM OIL
Why it's essential: Palm oil isn't just cooking oil—it's flavor, color, and cultural identity in a bottle. It's the foundation of native jollof, banga soup, vegetable soup, and countless stews. That deep red color and earthy taste can't be replicated with any other oil.
What to buy: Shop a variety of authentic red palm oil that hasn't been refined into flavorlessness.
Storage: Room temperature in a sealed container. Lasts 6-12 months easily.
Uses: Native jollof, banga soup, vegetable soup, stews, frying plantains
2. GROUND CRAYFISH
Why it's essential: This is the ingredient that adds that "something" you can't quite name but definitely taste when it's missing. Ground crayfish provides umami depth to soups, rice, and stews.
What to buy: Ground crayfish from L'Afrique Market - properly processed and aromatic.
Storage: Airtight container in a cool place. Lasts several months.
Uses: Egusi soup, jollof rice, vegetable soup, okro soup, pepper soup
3. STOCKFISH AND DRIED FISH
Why it's essential: Dried fish adds concentrated seafood flavor and protein to soups and stews. It's shelf-stable for months, so you always have protein on hand.
What to buy: Stockfish from L'Afrique Market - properly dried and preserved.
Storage: Cool, dry place in sealed bags. Lasts months.
Uses: Egusi soup, vegetable soup, banga soup, pepper soup, any traditional soup
Prep tip: Soak in warm water 15-30 minutes before using to soften.
4. CURRY POWDER
Why it's essential: Curry powder is what makes jollof rice golden, fried rice flavorful, and chicken marinades deeply aromatic. It's in almost every Nigerian rice dish and most meat marinades.
What to buy: Asiko Curry Powder - fresh, aromatic, the right blend.
Storage: Sealed container away from light and heat. Lasts 1-2 years.
Uses: Jollof rice, fried rice, chicken marinades, stews, goat meat preparation
5. GROUND EGUSI (Melon Seeds)
Why it's essential: Egusi soup is one of the most popular Nigerian soups, and you can't make it without ground egusi. The ground melon seeds create that thick, rich texture and nutty flavor.
What to buy: Asiko Ground Egusi - ground to the right consistency.
Storage: Sealed container in cool place. Use within 6 months for best flavor.
Uses: Egusi soup (obviously), vegetable soup for thickness, some stews
6. DRIED PEPPER (Crushed or Ground)
Why it's essential: Heat on demand. Dried pepper lasts forever and lets you control spice levels in every dish. Fresh peppers go bad; dried pepper waits patiently.
What to buy: Crushed Hot Pepper - reliable heat without guessing.
Storage: Sealed container. Lasts indefinitely.
Uses: Every soup, every stew, every rice dish, marinades, table condiment
7. SEASONING CUBES (Maggi or Knorr)
Why it's essential: Seasoning cubes provide instant savory depth. Yes, they're processed. Yes, every Nigerian kitchen has them. They work.
What to buy: Maggi or Knorr cubes, chicken or shrimp flavor.
Storage: Original packaging, cool dry place. Lasts years.
Uses: Soups, stews, rice dishes, marinades, literally everything
Truth: You can cook without them, but they make everything easier and tastier.
8. DRIED THYME
Why it's essential: Thyme appears in nearly every Nigerian dish. It's subtle but its absence is noticeable. The dried version is more practical than fresh for everyday cooking.
What to buy: Any good quality dried thyme.
Storage: Sealed container away from heat. Replace yearly for best flavor.
Uses: Jollof rice, fried rice, stews, soups, marinades, pepper soup
9. GARRI (For Eba)
Why it's essential: Garri is versatile—eat it as a snack with cold water and sugar, or make eba (swallow) by adding hot water. It's shelf-stable forever and makes quick meals possible.
What to buy: White or yellow garri depending on preference (white is more common for eba).
Storage: Airtight container in cool, dry place. Lasts indefinitely.
Uses: Eba (swallow), soaked garri as a snack, garri-soaked with groundnuts
10. RICE (Long-Grain, Parboiled)
Why it's essential: Rice is the foundation of jollof, fried rice, white rice with stew, coconut rice, and more. You can't have an African pantry without rice.
What to buy: Long-grain parboiled rice (Uncle Ben's type works, or any African market brand).
Storage: Cool, dry place in sealed container. Lasts years.
Uses: Jollof rice, fried rice, white rice, coconut rice, rice and stew
11. GROUND OGBONO
Why it's essential: Ogbono soup's characteristic draw (that stretchy, thick texture) comes from ground ogbono seeds. This soup is comfort food for many, and the seeds are what make it work.
What to buy: Asiko Ground Ogbono - properly ground.
Storage: Sealed container. Use within 6 months for best results.
Uses: Ogbono soup, sometimes mixed with egusi for combination soups
12. LOCUST BEANS (Iru/Dawadawa)
Why it's essential: This fermented condiment adds deep, funky umami to soups and stews. It's polarizing—people either love it or hate it—but traditional recipes often call for it.
What to buy: Packaged iru or dawadawa from African markets.
Storage: Refrigerate after opening. Lasts months.
Uses: Egusi soup, vegetable soup, beans dishes, traditional stews
Note: If you don't like strong fermented flavors, you can skip this one.
13. BOUILLON POWDER OR GRANULES
Why it's essential: Similar to seasoning cubes but in powder form, making it easier to control the amount. Adds instant savory flavor to everything.
What to buy: Any good African or international brand (Maggi, Knorr).
Storage: Original container, cool, dry place. Last for years.
Uses: Seasoning rice, soups, stews, marinades, anywhere you need an umami boost
14. ONIONS (Fresh, but always on hand)
Why it's essential: Onions form the aromatic base of virtually every African dish. Tomatoes, peppers, and onions—this trinity starts most soups and stews.
What to buy: Red onions are traditional, but yellow ones work fine.
Storage: Cool, dry place (not refrigerator). Last week's.
Uses: Literally everything—soups, stews, rice dishes, marinades, sauces
Bonus: Asiko Granulated Onion for when fresh isn't available.
15. TOMATO PASTE
Why it's essential: Concentrated tomato flavor is the base of jollof rice, stews, and many sauces. Fresh tomatoes alone don't provide the same depth and color.
What to buy: Any good-quality tomato paste in cans or tubes.
Storage: Unopened cans last for years. Opened pastes refrigerate for a week, or freeze in ice cube trays for portions.
Uses: Jollof rice, fried rice, stews, pepper soup base, any tomato-based dish
HONORABLE MENTIONS
These didn't make the top 15 but are worth having:
- Plantains (when available fresh)
- Yam flour or pounded yam flour (for making swallow)
- Scotch bonnet peppers (fresh or frozen)
- Ugwu or bitter leaf (dried versions store well)
- Black pepper (whole or ground)
- Ginger and garlic (fresh when possible, dried as backup)
HOW TO ACTUALLY USE THESE 15 INGREDIENTS
With just these 15 staples, you can make:
Jollof Rice: Rice, tomato paste, curry powder, thyme, onions, seasoning cubes, dried pepper
Egusi Soup: Ground egusi, palm oil, stockfish, crayfish, dried pepper, seasoning cubes, onions
Fried Rice: Rice, curry powder, thyme, seasoning cubes, onions
Ogbono Soup: Ground ogbono, palm oil, stockfish, crayfish, seasoning cubes
Eba and Soup: Garri for eba, any soup from ingredients above
Pepper Soup: Stockfish, dried pepper, seasoning cubes, thyme, onions
Stews: Tomato paste, palm oil, dried pepper, curry powder, thyme, seasoning cubes
You're not missing exotic ingredients. You're covered for 90% of West African home cooking.
THE STOCKING STRATEGY
Don't buy everything at once. Start with the top 5:
- Palm oil
- Curry powder
- Seasoning cubes
- Rice
- Dried pepper
These five alone unlock jollof rice, stews, and basic meals.
Then add protein and soup essentials: 6. Stockfish 7. Ground crayfish 8. Ground egusi
Now you can make proper soups.
Finally, round out with: 9. Garri 10. Ground ogbono 11. Thyme 12. Tomato paste 13. Bouillon powder 14. Onions (always) 15. Locust beans (if you like it)
WHERE TO BUY THESE ESSENTIALS
The challenge with African ingredients is quality and authenticity. Old spices, rancid palm oil, or poorly stored stockfish ruin dishes before you even start cooking.
L'Afrique Market stocks all 15 of these essentials with proper storage and quality control:
- 123 Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil)
- Ground Crayfish
- Stockfish
- Asiko Curry Powder
- Asiko Ground Egusi
- Asiko Crushed Hot Pepper
- Asiko Ground Ogbono
- Asiko Granulated Onion
One shopping trip. All the essentials. Properly sourced and stored.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A well-stocked African pantry isn't about having every ingredient ever used in African cooking. It's about having the core essentials that let you cook what you're actually craving without stress, substitutions, or emergency shopping trips.
These 15 ingredients cover you for year-round cooking. They store well. They work across multiple dishes. They're the foundation of African home cooking.
Stock them once, properly, and you'll always be ready to cook.