Indian Food Glossary

TERMS	A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-X-Y-Z
A	A
Achar	Pickle.
Adrak	Ginger.
Ajwain or Ajowain	Lovage.
Aloo or Alu	Potato.
Alu Chole	A vegetarian dish using chickpeas, potatoes and tamarind.
Alur Dum	A dish using whole potatoes.
Am or Aam	Mango.
Amchur	Mango powder. A very sour flavoring agent.
Aniseed	Sanuf.
Areca	Betel nut.
Asafoetida	Hing. Gum obtained from root of giant fennel-like plant. Used in powder or resin form. A rather pungent spice.
Aserio	Aniseed.
Ata or Atta	Chupatti flour. Fine wholemeal flour used in most Indian breads. English wholemeal is a suitable alternative.
B	B
Badai	Aniseed stars.
Badam	Almond.
Bargar	The process of frying whole spices in hot oil.
Basmati	The best type of long grain rice.
Bay leaf	Tej patia. This very well known leaf is used fresh or dried in certain Indian recipes.
Besan	Chickpea flour.
Bhajee or bhaji	Dryish mild vegetable curry.
Bhajia	Deep fried fritter, usually onion. See pakora.
Bhare	Stuffed.
Bharta or Bhurta	Mash or puree.
Bhoona or Bhuna	The process of cooking the spice paste in hot oil. A bhoona curry is usually dry and cooked in coconut.
Bhunana	Roast.
Biriani	A traditional dish. Rice baked with meat or vegetable filling.
Black salt	Kala namak.
Bombay Duck	A smallish fish native to the Bombay area known locally as Bommaloe Macchi. This was too hard for the British to pronounce so it became Bombay Duck. It is dried and appears on the table as a crispy deep fried starter or accompaniment to a curry.
Bombay potato	Small whole potatoes in curry and tomato sauce.
Boti kebab	Marinated cubes of lamb cooked in a tandoor oven.
Brinja	Aubergine.
Burfi or Barfi	An Indian fudge-like sweetmeat made from reduced condensed milk in various flavours eg plain or pistachio.
C	C
Cardamom	Elaichi. Various types, notably green, white, and brown. One of the most aromatic and expensive spices.
Cashew nuts	Kaju
Cassia bark	A corky bark with a sweet fragrance similar to cinnamon and is used extensively in Northern Indian cookery. Although cooked in the curry the bark is too coarse to eat.
Cayenne pepper	A type of chilli powder.
Ceylon curry	Usually cooked with coconut, lemon and chilli.
Chaamp	Chop.
Chakla belan	Special rolling pin and board.
Chamcha	Ladle.
Chana	Type of lentil.
Chawal	Rice.
Chhalni	Sieve.
Chilgoze or Nioze	Small long creamy nuts with brown shells used in cooking or eaten raw.
Chilli	There are a great man species of chillies, which are the fleshy pods of shrub-like bushes of he capsicum family. Chillies range from large to small, and colours include green, white, purple, pink, and red. Curiously, although synonymous with Indian food they were only brought to the sub-continent from South America some four centuries ago. They are now the most important heat agent in Indian cookery. They vary in hotness from mild to incendiary-like potency. Most commonly, small green or red chillies are used fresh. Red chillies can be dried and used whole, and chilli powder is made by grinding dried chillies.
Chimta	Tongs.
Chirongi or Charauli	Small rounded nuts resembling Egyptian lentils. Used in puddings or pullaos.
Chor maga	Melon seeds. Used as a thickener.
Chupatti	A dry 6 inch disc of unleavened bread. Normally griddle cooked ,it should be served piping hot. Spelling varies eg Chuppati, Chapati etc.
Chutneys	The common ones are onion, mango and tandoori. There are dozens of others which rarely appear on the standard menu.
Cinnamon	Dalchini. The quill-like dried bark of the cinnamon tree. It is one of the most aromatic spices. Same family as cassia, it is generally used in dishes which require a delicate flavour.
Cloves	Lavang.
Coriander	Dhania. One of the most important spices in Indian cookery. The leaves of the plant can be used fresh and the seeds used whole or ground.
Cummin or Cumin	Jeera. There are two types of seeds: white and black. The white seeds are a very important spice in Indian cookery. The black seeds (Kala Jeera) are seldom used. Both can be used whole or ground.
Curry	The only word in this glossary to have no direct translation into any of the sub-continent’s fifteen or so languages. The word was coined by the British in India centuries ago. Possible contenders for the origin of the word are,Karahi or Karai (Hindi), a wok-like frying pan used all over India to prepare masalas (spice mixtures): karhi – a soup-like dish made with spices, chickpea flour dumplings and buttermilk; Kari – a spicy tamil sauce;Turkuri – a seasoned sauce or stew; or Kari Phulia, neem or curry leaves.
Curry leaves	.Also known as Kadipatha in Hindi, Small leaves a bit like bay leaves, used for flavouring.
D	D
Dahi	Yoghurt.
Dahi wala	A meat dish cooked in a savoury yoghurt sauce.
Dalchini or Darchim	Cinnamon.
Degchi	Brass or metal saucepan without handles also called Pateeli or Batloi.
Dewa	Lentils. There are over sixty types of lentil in the sub-continent. The most common restaurant types are masoor, channa and urid.
Dhania	Coriander.
Dhansak	Traditional chicken or meat dish cooked in lentil and vegetable puree.
Dhungar	Applying the smoke of charcoal to ingredients.
Do piaza	Traditional meat dish. Do means two and piaza means onion. It gets its name because onions appear twice in the cooking process.
Doroo	Celery.
Dosa or Dosai	A south Indian pancake made from rice and lentil flour. Usually served with a filling.
Dum	Steam cooking. Long before the west invented the pressure cooker India had her own method which lasts to this day. A pot with a close fitting lid is sealed with a ring of dough. The ingredients are then cooked in their own steam under some pressure.
E	E
Ekuri	Spiced scrambled eggs.
Elaichi	Cardamom.
F	F
Fennel	Soonf.
Fenugreek	Methi. This important spice is used as seeds and in fresh or dried leaf form. It is very savoury and is used in many Northern Indian dishes.
Foogat	Lightly cooked vegetable dish.
G	G
Gajar	Carrot.
Garam masala	Literally ‘hot mixture’. This refers to a blend of spices much loved in Northern Indian cookery.
Garlic	Lasan.
Ghee	Clarified butter or margarine much used in Northern Indian cookery.
Ginger	Adrak (fresh) Sont (dried); a rhizome which can be used fresh, dried or powdered.
Gobi or phoolgobi	Cauliflower.
Goor or gur	Jaggery (palm sugar) or molasses.Ginger.
Gosht	Lamb.
Gram flour	Chickpea flour (besan).
Gulab jaman	An Indian dessert. Small 1-inch diameter balls of flour and milk powder deep-fried to golden and served cold in syrup. Cake-like texture.
Gurda	Kidney. Gurda kebab is marinated kidney skewered and cooked in the tandoor.
H	H
Halva	Sweets made from syrup and vegetables or fruit. Serve cold in small squares. It is translucent and comes in bright colours depending on ingredient used; e.g. orange (carrot), green (pistachio), red (mango), etc. Has texture thicker than Turkish delight. Sometimes garnished with edible silver foil.
Handi	Earthenware cooking pot.
Hasina kebab	Pieces of chicken breast, lamb or beef marinated in spices and then skewered and barbecued with onion, capsicum and tomato. Of Turkish origin.
Hindi	Hindi is the official language of India. Although there are fourteen or so other languages in India, only Hindi translations have been used in this glossary. Spelling of Hindi translations have been used in this glossary. Spelling of Hindi words can vary in English because 5they are translated phonetically from many Hindi dialects.
Hing	Asofoetida.
Hisa	Bill (account)
Huldi	Turmeric.

I	I
Idli	Rice and lentil flour cake served with light curry sauce. South Indian.
Imli	Tamarind.
Isgubul	Vegetable seed.
J	J
Jaifal or Taifal	Nutmeg.
Jal frezi	Sautee or stir fry
Jalebi	An Indian dessert. A flour, milk powder and yoghurt batter pushed through a narrow funnel into deep frying oil to produce golden curly crispy rings. Served cold or hot in syrup.
Javatri	Mace.
Jeera or zeera	Cummin.
Jhanna	Flat slotted spoon.
Jinga	Prawns.
K	K
Kabli chana	Chickpeas.
Kaddu kas	Grater.
Kadhi	Yoghurt soup.
Kaju	Cashew nut.
Kala	Black.
Kala jeera	Black cumin seeds.
Kala namak	Black salt.
Kaleji	Liver.
Kalongi	Nigella, similar to wild onion seeds.
Karahi	Karai, korai etc. Cast iron, wok-like, frying pan.
Karchhi	Metal flat spoon used for turning frying ingredients.
Karela	Small, dark green, knobbly vegetable of the gourd family.
Kashmir chicken	Whole chicken stuffed with minced meat.
Kashmir curry	Restaurateurs creation. A sweetish curry often using lychees or similar ingredient.
Kathal	Jack fruit.
Katori	Small serving bowls which go on a thaali (tray).
Kebab	Skewered food cooked over charcoal. A process over 4000 years old which probably originated in the Middle East. It was imported to India by the Moslems centuries ago.
Keema	Minced meat curry.
Kewra	Screwpine water. An extract of the flower of the tropical screwpine tree. It is a fragrant clear liquid used to flavour sweets. It is a cheap substitute for rosewater.
Khalla musaria	Grinding stone or pounder.
Khir	Technique of making a sort of cream. Milk is cooked with cucumber and pureed.
Khurzi	Lamb or chicken, whole with spicy stuffing.
Kish mish	Sultanas.
Kofta	Minced meat or vegetable balls in batter, deep-fried, and then cooked in curry sauce.
Kokum or cocum	A variety of plum, pitted and dried. Prune-like and very sour. Also known in Malayan as mangosteen.
Korma	To most restaurants this just means a mild curry. Traditionally it is very rich. Meat, chicken or vegetables are cooked in cream, yoghurt and nuts, and are fragrantly spiced with saffron and aromatic spices.
Koya	Reducing milk to a thick sticky solid. Used for sweet making.
Kulcha	Small leavened bread.
Kulcha, stuffed	Stuffed with mildly spiced mashed potato and baked in the tandoor.
Kulfi	Indian ice cream. Traditionally it comes in vanilla, pistachio or mango flavours.
Kus kus	See cuscus.
L	L
Lasan	Garlic.
Lhassi or lassi	A refreshing drink made from yoghurt and crushed ice. The savoury version is Lhassi namkeen and the sweet version is Lhassi meethi.
Lavang	Cloves.
Lilva	A small oval-shaped bean which grows in a pod like the European pea.
Loochees	A type of bread made in Bengal using white flour.
Lovage	Ajwain or Ajowain.
M	M
Macchi or macchli	Fish.
Mace	Javitri. The outer part of the nutmeg.
Madras	You will not find a traditional recipe for Madras curry. It is another restaurateurs invention. But the people of South India do eat hot curries; some original chef must have christened his hot curry madras and the name stuck.
Makhani	A traditional dish. Tandoori chicken is cooked in a ghee and tomato sauce.
Makke	Cornflour.
Malai	Cream.
Malaya	The curries of Malaya are traditionally cooked with plenty of coconut, chill and ginger. In the Indian restaurant, however, they are usually mild and contain pineapple and other fruit.
Mamra	Puffed basmati rice.
Masala	A mixture of spices which are cooked with a particular dish.
Masoor	Red lentil with green skin.
Mathanni	Wooden whisk.
Matka	Round earthenware pot used to freeze ice cream. It is filled with ice and salt.
Mattar	Green peas.
Meethi	Sweet.
Melon seeds	Chor magaz.
Methi	Fenugreek.
Mirch	Pepper or chilli.
Moglai or moghlai	Cooking in the style of the Moghul emperors whose chefs took Indian cookery to the heights of gourmet cuisine three centuries ago. Few restaurateurs who offer Moglai dishes come anywhere this excellence. True Moglai dishes are expensive and time-consuming to prepare authentically.
Mollee	Fish dishes cooked in coconut and chilli.
Mooli	Large white radish.
Moong	One of the more commonly used lentils. It has a green skin and can be used whole, split or polished to make various dhals.
Mulligatawny	A Tamil sauce which has become well known as a British soup.
Munacca	Raisins.
Murgh	Chicken.
Murgh masala	A speciality dish of whole chicken, marinated in yoghurt and spices for 24 hours then stuffed and roasted.
N	N
Namak	Salt.
Namkeen	Salty.
Nan or naan	Leavened bread baked in the tandoor. It is teardrop shaped and about 8-10 inches long. It must be served fresh and hot.
Naan, keema	Naan bread stuffed with a thin layer of minced meat curry then baked in the tandoor.
Naan peshwari	Naan bread stuffed with almonds and or cashew and or raisins and baked in the tandoor.
Nargis kebab	Indian scotch egg spiced minced meat around a hard boiled egg.
Naryal	Coconut.
Neem	Curry leaf.
Nigella	See Kalonji.
Nimboo	Lime.
Nutmeg	Jaifal.
O	O
Okra	Bindi. A pulpy vegetable also known as ladies fingers.
P	P
Pan or Paan	Betel leaf folded around a stuffing lime paste or various spices and eaten after a meal as a digestive.
Pakoras	Fritters (deep fried), may be made of potatoes, cauliflower, hot pepper, spinach, onion or a blend of vegetables.
Palak	Spinach.
Panch phoran	Five seeds. A mixture of five spices used in Bengali vegetable cooking, comprising equal amounts of cumin, fennel, fenugreek, custard and wild onion seeds.
Paneer	Cheese made from bottled milk which can be fried and curried (matter paneer).
Papadam	Thin lentil flour wafers. When cooked (deep fried or baked) they expand to a crispy texture. They must be crackling crisp and warm when served. They come plain or spiced with lentils, pepper, garlic or chilli.
Paprika	Mild red pepper made from capsicums. It originally came from Hungary and only reached India this century. Its main use is to give red colour to a dish.
Paratha	A pan or skillet fried bread. Bread is rolled with a wooden pin and cooked in a skillet with oil/ghree. Bread may have various stuffings.
Pasanda	Meat, usually lamb, beaten and cooked in one piece.
Patia	Restaurant seafood curry with thick, dark brown, sweet and sour sauce.
Patna	A long grain rice.
Pepper	Mirch. Has for centuries been India’s most important spice, gaining it the title king of spices. It grows on vines which flower triennially and produce clusters of berries, which ar3e picked and dried and become the pepper corns. Green, black and white pepper are not different varieties. All peppercorns are green when picked and must be bottled or freeze-fried at once to retain the colour. Black pepper is the dried berry. White pepper is obtained by soaking off the black skin of the berry. Peppercorns are a heat agent and can be used whole or ground.
Phal or phall	A very hot curry (the hottest) invented by restaurateurs.
Piaz, peeaz or pyaz	Onion.
Pickles	Pungent, hot pickled vegetables or meat essential to an Indian meal. Most common are lime, mango and chilli.
Pistachio nut	Pista magaz. A fleshy, tasty nut which can be used fresh (the greener the better) or salted. It is expensive ad goes well in savoury or sweet dishes such as biriani or pista kulfi (ice cream).
Podina	Mint leaves or powder.
Poha	Pounded rice.
Prawn butterfly	jinga praj patia. Prawn marinated in spices and fried in batter.
Prawn puri	Prawns in a hot sauce served on puri bread.
Pullao	Rice and meat or vegetables cooked together in a pan until tender. In many restaurants the ingredients are mixed after cooking to save time.
Pullao rice	The restaurant name for rice fried with spices and coloured yellow.
Pulses	Types of lentils.
Puri	A deep fried unleavened bread about 4 inches in diameter. It puffs up when cooked and should be served at once.
Q	Q
Quas chawal or kesar chaval	Rice fried in ghee, flavoured and coloured with saffron.
R	R
Rai	Mustard seed.
Raita	A cooling chutney of yoghurt and vegetable, cucumber for instance, which accompanies the main meal.
Rajama	Red kidney beans.
Rasgulla	Walnut-sized balls of semolina and cream cheese cooked in syrup (literal meaning juicy balls). They are white or pale gold in colour and served cold or warm.
Rashmi kebab	Kebab minced meat inside a net-like omelette casing.
Rasmalai	Rasgullas cooked in cream and served cold. A very rich sweet.
Rhogan josh gosht	Literally means red juice lamb. It can be spelt dozens of ways. It is a traditional Northern Indian dish. Lamb is marinated in yoghurt then cooked with ghee and spices and tomato. It should be creamy and spicy but not too hot.
Ratin jot	Alkanet root. Beetroot coloured , dried, wafer-thin bark of the root. It is used as a deep red dye to make-up, clothing and food. Traditionally the Northerners obtained their red tandoori and rhogan josh gosht colouring from it.
Rosewater	Ruh gulab. A clear essence extracted from rose petals to give fragrance to sweets.
Roti	Bread.
Ruh gulab	Rosewater.
S	S
Sabzi	A generic term for vegetables.
Saffron	Kesar or Safron. The world’s most expensive spice, saffron is the stamen of the crocus flower. It takes 70,000 stamens to give a recipe a delicate yellow coloring and aroma.
Sag or saag	Mustard leaves or dish made of mustard leaves.
Salt	Namak
Sambals	A Malayan term describing the side dishes accompanying the meal. Sometimes referred to on the Indian menu.
Sambar	A south Indian vegetable curry made largely from lentils.
Samosa	The celebrated triangular deep fried meat or vegetable patties served as starters or snacks.
Sarson ka sag	Mustard leaves
Saunf or souf	Aniseed.
Seeng	Drumstick. A bean-like variety of marrow which looks exactly like a drumstick.
Seenl	Allspice. Related to the clove family, the seed resembles small dried peas. Called allspice because its aroma seems to combine those of clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pepper. used rather more in European cooking than Indian.
Sesame	Til.
Shami kebab	Round minced meat rissoles.
Shashlik	Cubes of skewered meat.
Sheek or seekh kebab	Spiced minced meat shaped on a skewer and grilled or barbecued.
Sil batta	A pair of grinding stones: Sil, large stone, batta, small pounder.
Sonf	Fennel seed.
Sont or sonth	Dry ginger.
Sorportel	A Goan pork dish with heart, liver and meat.
Sub-continent	Term to describe India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, and Sri Lanka as a group.
Supari	Mixture of seeds and sweeteners for chewing after a meal. Usually includes aniseed or fennel, shredded betel nut, sugar balls, marrow seeds etc.
T	T
Taipal or jaiphal	Nutmeg.
Tamarind	Imli. A date-like fruit used as a chutney, and in cooking as a souring agent.
Tandoori	A style of charcoal cooking originating in north -West India. Originally it was confined to chicken and lamb and naan bread. More recently it is applied to lobster etc. The meat is marinated in a reddened yoghurt sauce and placed in the tandoor.
Taraazu	Weighing scales.
Tarbooj ke beej	Watermelon seeds.
Tarka	Garnish of spices/onions.
Tarka dhal	Lentils fried and garnished with spices.
Tava or tawa	Heavy steel shallow frying pan.
Tej patia	Bay leaf
Thaali	A tray which holds the complete meal served in individual bowls (katori). Used by diners in the South.
Tikka	Skewered meat, chicken or seafood, marinated then barbecued or tandoori baked.
Til	Sesame seed.
Tinda	A vegetable of the cucumber family.
Tindaloo	See vindaloo.
Toor or toovar	Type of lentil.
Tukmeria or tulsi	Black seeds of a basil family plant. Look like poppy seeds. Used in drinks.
Turmeric	Haldi or huldi. A very important Indian spice, turmeric is a rhizome. The fresh root is used occasionally as a vegetable or in pickles. The ground spice is extensively used to give the familiar yellow colour to curries. Use sparingly or it can cause bitterness.
Tusci	Basil.
U	U
Udrak	Ginger.
Urid	A type of lentil. Its husk is black and it comes whole, split or polished. Available as a dhal dish in some restaurants.
V	V
Vanaspati	Starch.
Vark or varak	Edible silver or gold foil.
Vindaloo	A fiery hot dish from Goa. Traditionally it was pork marinated in vinegar with potato (aloo). In the restaurant it has now come to mean just a very hot dish. Also sometimes called Bindaloo or Tindaloo.
X	X
Xacutti	A Goan dish using chicken and coconut.
Y	Y
Yakni	Mutton.
Z	Z
Zafron	Saffron.
Zeera	Cummin.

Advertisement