Description

Nobody gets through corn starch quickly. It goes into a sauce a spoonful at a time, which is why a 150 gram box is a more honest size than the 500 gram ones next to it.

It thickens gravies and Indo-Chinese sauces, crisps a fried coating, and sets a custard or a halwa. Because it is used in small amounts and keeps indefinitely if it stays dry, the only real argument for a bigger box is price per gram.

Is this the same as the makki atta in this aisle? No. This is white starch for thickening. Makki atta is yellow ground maize for roti. They share the words corn flour in English and nothing else, and the mistake is worth avoiding.

Does corn starch go off? Not really, as long as it stays dry. It will clump into a solid brick if damp gets into the box, and once that happens it is easier to replace than to rescue.

In a bigger box, Ching’s corn flour at 500 grams costs less per gram, and the rest of the aisle in this shop holds the attas, ravas and besan. Vegetarian. Keep it in a sealed jar somewhere dry, because it clumps as soon as it meets damp air. Order online at Panjab Supermarket for same-day delivery across Nieuwegein, Utrecht, Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten, Maarssen, Zeist, Bunnik, IJsselstein, Vianen, and Culemborg. Free delivery on orders over 49 euros.