A
|
|
Achar
|
Pickle.
|
Adrak
|
Ginger.
|
Ahta
|
Chapatti flour. Fine
wholemeal flour used in most Indian breads. English wholemeal is a
suitable alternative.
|
Aloo
|
Aloo is the Indian name
for potato and can be combined with cauliflower in Aloo Gobi and spinach
in Sag Aloo. The potatoes are usually cubed and cooked with garlic,
turmeric, cumin and garam masala. Bombay potato involves cooking new
potatoes with onion, spices and tomato.
|
Aloo chole
|
A vegetarian dish using
chickpeas, potatoes and tamarind.
|
Am
|
Mango.
|
B
|
|
Badaam
|
Almond.
|
|
Balti of Birmingham
fame can be traced back to a region of northern Pakistan called Baltistan.
The Balti is cooked and served in a wok-like pan that traditionally is
heavy and cast iron allowing the curry to cook slowly. The Balti can be
either a meat, fish or vegetarian curry and is traditionally eaten with
either naan bread or chapattis in preference to rice and using your hands!
|
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.
|
Bhaji
|
Deep fried fritter,
usually onion.
|
Bhuna
|
The process of cooking
the spice paste in hot oil. A bhuna curry is usually dry and cooked in
coconut.
|
Biriani
|
A biriani dish involves
cooking spices and rice with meat, prawns or vegetables.
|
Bombay Duck
|
The British (not
renowned for their language skills) found it difficult to pronounce
Bommaloay Macchi, a fish native to the Bombay area, so it became Bombay
Duck - a crispy deep fried starter.
|
Bombay potato
|
Small whole potatoes in
curry and tomato sauce.
|
Boti kebab
|
Cubes of lamb marinated
in yoghurt dressing flavoured with lemon and garlic and spiced using
coriander, turmeric, cardamom and chilli then cooked in a tandoor oven.
Chicken can be skewered and grilled.
|
Burfi
|
A zindagee favourite,
burfi is a sweet that comes in various flavours but most popularly
pistachio, made out of reduced condensed milk.
|
C
|
|
Cardamom
|
Laichi. Various types,
notably green, white, and brown. One of the most aromatic and expensive
spices.
|
Cashew nuts
|
Kaju
|
Cassia bark
|
Often cooked in North
Indian curries, this bark cannot be eaten but has a sweet fragrance.
|
Cayenne pepper
|
A type of chilli
powder.
|
Ceylon curry
|
Usually cooked with
coconut, lemon and chilli.
|
Chana
|
Type of lentil.
|
|
A side dish made out of
chickpeas.
|
|
A hot, small circle of
unleavened bread (no yeast), normally griddle cooked (if the griddle is
not being used to threaten misbehaving kids!). As dinner guests of
zindagee staff are well aware, tortillas are a poor substitute for mum’s
chapattis but they do the job too!
|
Chawal
|
Rice.
|
|
Everyone’s heard of
this one, a familiar staple of the modern Indian restaurant. Marinated
cubes of meat cooked in a tandoor without oil.
|
Chutneys
|
The common ones are
onion, mango and raita (natural yoghurt flavoured with mint) though
parents will often regale offspring about the countless weird and
wonderful chutneys out there!
|
Cinnamon
|
Cinnamon (dalchini) is
highly aromatic and is used as a spice.
|
Coriander
|
Many a kid has made a
dash to the corner shop for some dhania on the back of a good tongue
lashing as mum just won’t rest easy without fresh (and it must be
fresh!) dhania – found in nearly all Indian cookery.
|
Cumin
|
Another important spice
in Indian cooking of which there are two types: black and white cumin (jeera)
seeds with the latter being extensively used.
|
D
|
|
Dalchini
|
Cinnamon (see above)
|
Dhai
|
Yoghurt.
|
Dhal
|
Lentils,
and whilst there are tons of different types, split red lentils, moong,
and brown lentils remain popular.
|
Dhania
|
Coriander (see above).
|
Dhansak
|
A spicy, hot yet almost
sweet and sour Persian curry, which comprises of either meat or prawns,
combined with a lentil dahl and vegetable puree (and occasionally fruit).
|
Dopiaza
|
Do means two and piaza
means onion. It gets its name because onions appear twice in the cooking
process, which usually involves chicken, lamb or prawns.
|
Duma
|
The name given to steam
cooking which traditionally involved using a pot with a close fitting lid
tightly sealed with cloth.
|
F
|
|
Fenugreek
|
Fenugreek (methi) is an
important savoury spice used in many North Indian dishes.
|
G
|
|
Garam masalla
|
A classic North Indian
spice. Garam masalla is a collection of spices and literally means 'hot
mixture'.
|
Gobi
|
Cauliflower.
|
Gosht
|
Lamb.
|
Gulab jaman
|
Beware! A very sweet
Indian dessert - balls of flour and milk powder deep-fried to golden and
served cold in syrup.
|
Gurda kebab
|
Marinated kidney
skewered and cooked in the tandoor.
|
H
|
|
Haldi
|
Turmeric.
|
Halva
|
A much-treasured Indian
sweet made from syrup, vegetables or fruit. Always has a habit of
appearing at weddings, engagements and other occasions.
|
I
|
|
Idli
|
A South Indian rice and
lentil flour cake served with light curry sauce.
|
Imli
|
Tamarind.
|
J
|
|
Jalebi
|
Another popular Indian
dessert much vaunted at special occasions. Flour, milk powder and yoghurt
batter is pushed through a narrow funnel into deep-frying oil to produce
golden curly crispy rings. Served cold or hot.
|
Jalfrezi
|
Sautéed or stir-fried
chicken, meat or vegetables, with added green peppers, green chillies and
onions. Originally a Raj dish.
|
K
|
|
Kaleja
|
Liver. A fond memory
for the zindagee cuisine editor is of roasting skewered lamb liver pieces
marinated in spices.
|
Karahi
|
A karahi is a cooking
pot similar to a wok but in many restaurants karahi chicken or lamb is
cooked with onion and tomato and served sizzling from the pan.
|
Karela
|
Small, dark green,
knobbly vegetable of the gourd family.
|
Kashmir chicken
|
Whole
chicken stuffed with minced meat.
|
Kashmir curry
|
A
curry is usually sweet, contains lychees and is cooked with onions, spices
and sweet fruits.
|
Kebab
|
Skewered meat cooked
over charcoal.
|
Keema
|
Minced meat curry.
|
Kheer
|
Milk pudding.
|
Kofte
|
Minced meat or
vegetable balls in batter, deep-fried, and then cooked in curry sauce.
|
Korma
|
Traditionally a korma
was a very rich curry consisting of meat, chicken or vegetables cooked in
cream, yoghurt, nuts, and spiced fragrantly. Often taken to mean mild
these days.
|
Kulfi
|
Indian ice cream, which
traditionally comes in vanilla, pistachio, almond or mango flavours.
|
L
|
|
Lassi
|
Sweet or salty, a great
drink made from yoghurt and crushed ice. You simply cannot beat a mango
lassi!
|
M
|
|
Macchi
|
Fish.
|
Madras
|
Invented by the
British! Usually contains tomato, almond and lemon juice along with hot
chilli powder.
|
Malaya
|
Curries traditionally
cooked with coconut, chilli and ginger.
|
Mattar
|
Green peas.
|
Moglai
|
(Expensive!) Dishes
cooked for the Moghul emperors flavoured with garlic, ginger, and spices
and then cooked in a rich creamy sauce of yoghurt, coconut, cashew nuts
and sultanas.
|
Mooli
|
White radish.
|
N
|
|
Nan
|
Leavened bread baked in the tandoor. Can
be ordered plain, or stuffed with garlic, with spiced minced meat (keema),
with vegetables (kulcha) or with nuts and raisins (peshwari).
|
O
|
|
Okra
|
A vegetable, lady
finger (bhindia).
|
|
Deep fried slices of
onion coated with spicy batter containing cumin, coriander and fresh green
chilli.
|
P
|
|
Paan
|
Betel leaf.
|
Pakoras
|
Cauliflower, broccoli
or potato coated in spiced turmeric coloured batter and deep-fried.
|
Paneer
|
An Indian cheese.
|
Papadam
|
Thin, cooked (deep
fried or baked) lentil flour wafers, usually served with chutneys.
|
Paratha
|
Pan fried bread made
from wheat flour and ghee
|
|
A Persian dish, usually
sweet and sour in taste and hot!
|
Phal
|
Another British
invention – the hottest curry around! Keith of London Fields fame would
have approved.
|
Pilau
|
Rice and meat or
vegetables cooked together in a pan until tender.
|
Pilau rice
|
The restaurant name for
rice fried with spices and coloured yellow.
|
Puri
|
Deep-fried unleavened
bread that puffs up when cooked.
|
R
|
|
Raita
|
Chutney of yoghurt and
vegetable, e.g. cucumber that accompanies the main meal.
|
Rasgulla
|
Balls of semolina and
cream cheese cooked in syrup.
|
Rashmi kebab
|
Spicy minced lamb
cooked in the tandoor served wrapped in an egg omelette.
|
Rasmalai
|
Small balls of milk and
flour cooked in cream and served cold
|
Rhogan josh
|
A Kashmiri dish cooked
with lots of chilli powder and marinated lamb in yoghurt with ghee, spices
and tomato Literally means red juice lamb.
|
Roti
|
Similar to the
chapatti.
|
S
|
|
Saffron
|
The most expensive
spice in the world! ,
|
|
Lamb dish with spinach.
|
Sag or saag
|
Spinach.
|
|
Cubes of Indian cheese
with finely chopped spinach, onion, garlic, garam masalla and a mild curry
sauce. Muttar paneer uses fresh or frozen peas in place of the spinach.
|
Samosa
|
You must have heard of
these! Legendary triangular deep fried pastry filled with mildly spiced
mixed vegetables or minced meat (usually lamb).
|
Seekh kebab
|
Spiced minced marinated
and skewered lamb grilled or barbecued.
|
Shami kebab
|
Small round chargrilled
patties of spicy minced lamb cooked in the tandoor.
|
T
|
|
Tandoor
|
Large clay oven heated
to intensely high temperatures.
|
Tandoori
|
Chicken marinated in
yoghurt, garlic and a mixture of spices including coriander, cumin, garam
masalla, ginger and mint and then cooked rapidly in a tandoor.
|
Tarka dhal
|
Lentils fried and
garnished with spices.
|
Tikka
|
The most popular dish
in Britain, ahead of fish and chips (its true!) is (for Brits, chicken) , which is skewered meat, chicken, or seafood, marinated then
barbecued or tandoori baked.
|
V
|
|
Vindaloo
|
(also called Bindaloo or Tindaloo) originates from Portugal and was a pork
dish but is now served as a chicken or lamb dish mixed with potatoes and
is blooming hot!
|
X
|
|
Xacutti
|
Hotter than a vindaloo
(!) and hailing from Goa.
|