India, June 27 -- How adventurous are you in the kitchen? Do you find yourself buying an ingredient you've never used, simply because a recipe for it caught your eye?

Do you have puffed ragi or agar agar strips tucked away in the pantry; does it secretly bother you that you might never use them? Let's be honest: not every ingredient is going to be a hit.

Take tsampa. This roasted-barley flour is a staple in Tibetan cuisine. I paid good money for some and tried using it a couple of times. Now it just sits there. I can't quite figure out how to incorporate it into my cooking. I have learnt to accept that's okay.

For every tsampa, there is a miso or tahini or maple syrup that I hadn't even heard of growing up, and is now something I cook ...