Indian glossary

Have you ever looked over a recipe, noticed an unfamiliar ingredient, and wondered “What’s that?” Here is the list of all the common terms which are used across my website. Just navigate your way through the entire alphabetical listing group.

INGREDIENT	HINDI NAME	DESCRIPTION
	Asparagus	A perennial plant with an underground stem that produces edible shoots. Taste very similar to peas.
	Artichoke	Silvery green colored arch shaped irregularly lobed leaves. Artichokes heart is tender and juicy, with a sweet taste .
	Akrot means Walnut	Part of a tree nut family and is used in meats, pies, cakes, ice-creams and as toppings in salads.
	Atta OR Gehu ka atta means Whole wheat Flour	Whole wheat flour is obtained by milling wheat kernels and is coarser and brownish in color because it contains more bran. Used in making Rotis, chapatis, puris and halwas.
	Besan means Bengal gram Flour	Split Bengal gram is milled to a fine flour called Besan. It is used in several recipes as a binding agent and also to make batters for fritters.
	Bhatura means deep fried puffed bread	A perfect match with Chole thus creating a popular dish Chole Bhature. A North Indian delicacy.
	Badam means Almond	Almonds are used whole, blanched, flaked, slivered or toasted. They taste good in desserts, soups, salads & mughlai dishes. Has a Sweet and nutty flavor.
	Biryani means Rice delicacy	Rice dish cooked with spiced lamb Or chicken.
	Chaat Masala means a blend of tangy spices	A perfect seasoning used to top salads, chaats and fried foods.
	Chaat means street food or snack.	Savory snacks made with potato cutlets, spicy dips called chutneys and topped with blend of spices.
	Cornflour	Cornflour is obtained by finely milling the dried corn grain. It is fine, white and soft in appearance. It s used to thicken curries and soups.
	Chutney means A dip prepared with spices and vegetables.	A sweet and spicy preparation. Chutney is used as an topping or accompaniment to many savories.
	Dahi means Curd or Yogurt	A fermented milk product. Curds can be eaten plain, sweetened with sugar or with fruits or thinned down with water to make Lassi or Chaas.
	Eliachi means Cardamom	As extremely flavorful spice which is used in Indian teas, dishes and sweets.

	Fitkari means - Alum	Has anti-septic and astringent qualities.
	Faluda/ Falooda means cold and sweet beverage	A popular beverage usually mixed with rose syrup and added to smoothies and drinks.
	Gur means Jaggery	Muddy yellowish brown in color. Made from sugar cane and is used in many Indian dishes.
	Ghee means clarified butter	Butter is cooked to a point were yellow ghee floats to the top and milk solids settle to the bottom of the pan. Ghee is then drained and separated from the residue ans used in day to day cooking.
	Khumani means Apricot TASTE - Has a tender, sweet and fragrant flesh and very little juice.	A round, yellow-orange fruit with a velvety skin. Used in desserts, pies & even for garnishing.
	Petha means Butter Nut Quash OR Pumpkin TASTE - Has a sweet and nutty taste.	Has yellow skin and dark orange pulp. It is widely used in soups, pastas, salads and desserts.
	Pulao means Rice gently simmered with fat or vegetables and cooked in moderate spices
	Poha means Flattened rice
	Paneer means Indian cottage cheese
	Papad means Pappadums	Wafer thin discs prepared from lentils, spiced with black peppercons and other spices
	Raita means yogurt based accompaniment	Yogurt whisked and garnished with vegetables or Boondi ( small gramflour dumplings)
	Rawa/Rava means Sooji or Semolina	Semolina is made by processing wheat into tiny grains. The wheat is cleaned, wheat germ separated and the remainder is coarsely milled into semolina. Semolina has a sand like appearance.
	Sabudana means Tapioca Sago	Sago is made from the viscous sap of a tall, shady tree. Sago are like small pearls, white and hard. On soaking in water, they turn soft and as they absorb more liquid, they become mushy. When cooked, they change from opaque to translucent. The taste is bland but creamy.
	Seekh means skewer on which the kebab is grilled
	Singhara/ Singoda means water chestnut flour	Used for preparing fast/vrat food during the fasting period.
	Seviyan means Vermicilli	It is hair-like strands made from wheat and are used in sweet dishes.
	Suran means Yam	It contains mainly starch. The flesh is white, yellow or pink depending on the variety. Yam is the basic food in many tropical countries.
	Tori means Zucchini	Summer squash used in variety of dishes from salads to soups and main course.