Indian and Pakistani-Cooking Terms Edited by Bill Wight Version 1.0 June, 1999 |
|
| Hindi / Urdu / Punjabi / Gujarati Term | American / English translation / explanation |
| A | |
| AADU, ARU | peach (the d is hard, as pronounced in hard) |
| AAM OR KERI | mango |
| AAM PAPAD | mango pulp sun-dried into sheets (mango fruit leather) |
| AAMCHUR | dried mango powder |
| AARAR | juniper |
| AAWON | aniseed |
| ABHAL | juniper |
| ABHAR-LONCHA | type of pickle |
| ACHAR | fruits or vegetables, strongly spiced, pickled in various ways |
| ADRAK OR ADU | ginger root |
| AJMO (Gujarati) | see ajwain |
| AJMOOD | parsley or parsley seeds |
| AJMUD | celery seed |
| AJOWAIN / AJWAIN / AJWAYANOR / AJWAYAN | Bishop's weed, lovage seeds, carom seeds, omum seeds aromatic herb of the angelica family whose leaves, roots, ribs and leaf stalks are edible and its seeds used in cooking also sometimes called love parsley (sub. thyme or oregano) |
| AKHANI | word for soup, stock, or gravy also called yakhni (more common term) |
| AKHROT / AKHROTE | walnuts |
| ALOO BOKHARA / ALU BOKHARA | plum |
| ALOO / ALU / BATATA / PAPETA | potato |
| ALSI | linseed (linseed proper = alsi ke beej, oil = alsi ka tel) |
| AMBAR | small shrimps |
| AMBOSI | dried mango |
| AMCHOOR / AMCHUR | powdered dried flesh of unripe green mango, used as souring agent |
| AMLA | Indian hog plum |
| AMLI, IMLI | see Imli |
| AMRITI | a sweetmeat made from lentil batter, deep fried in the shape of a small ring and then marinated in a flavored sugar syrup. sometimes called imrati resembles jalebi in appearance (which is made from wheat flour in the same way), but tastes different |
| AMROOD / AMRUD | guava (fruit) |
| ANAJ / KANAK | grain (generic term for all food-grains) |
| ANANAS | pineapple |
| ANAR, ANAAR, DARAM | pomegranate |
| ANARDANA | dried sour pomegranate seeds |
| ANDA, BAIDI, EEDAN | eggs |
| ANDOOS, SITAPHUL | custard apple |
| ANDWARI | mullet |
| ANGOOR, DARAKH | grapes |
| ANGOORI PETHA | candied green pumpkin, shaped like a large grape, flavored with cardamom, then candied in sugar syrup |
| ANISOO | aniseed |
| ANJADANA | asafetida see heeng |
| ANJEER | fig |
| ANONA | custard apple |
| ARATTAI (Tamil) | see galangal |
| ARBI / ARVI | edible tubers of the colocasia plant the edible corm contains a fine-grained digestible starch also known as elephant's ear, dasheen, coco yam, eddo, Chinese eddo, and taro |
| ARBI PATTE | edible colocasia leaves |
| ARHAR | dried pigeon pea |
| ARISI MAAVU | rice flour |
| ARISI PORI | puffed rice |
| ARRARUT | arrowroot |
| ARU | peach |
| ASHT BAHU | octopus |
| ATTA | finely milled whole wheat flour generally made from low gluten flour |
| B | |
| BAADIAN | anise-star/flower - yellow-flowered anise |
| BAAM MACHHLI | eel |
| BAANS | bamboo shoot |
| BABUI | basil |
| BADAAM / BADAM | almond |
| BADHAL | breadfruit |
| BAIDI | eggs |
| BADI ILAICHI / BARI ILAICHI | greater Indian cardamom, dark reddish brown ovoid pod containing seeds that have a taste, flavor and properties very similar to those of lesser/true cardamom |
| BADI SEM / BAKLA | bean, broad |
| BADIAN / BADAYAN | star anise, tiny, hard, eight pointed starshaped spice with a strong aniseed flavor fruit of the badian anise tree also known as Chinese anise |
| BAEL | Bengal quince |
| BAER-KA-PHUL | plum |
| BAGHAR | the sautéing of onions, spices, etc in a small quantity of oil and then adding this mixture to a dish to enhance its flavor also known as tarka |
| BAIGAN / BAINGAN | aubergine, eggplant |
| BAJRA | millet |
| BAJRI | eggs |
| BAKRA / BAKRI | goat in Punjabi but bread in Gujarati |
| BAKRIKADOODH | goat milk |
| BAKRI-KA-GOSH / BAKRIKAGOSHT | mutton, lamb, kid |
| BALACHOW | spicy shrimp curry |
| BALUSHAI / BALUSHAHI | fried, dimpled, doughball, soaked in sugar syrup (doughnut Indian style) |
| BANARSI RAI | mustard seed, black |
| BANDH GOBHI, BANDH GOBI | cabbage |
| BARA NIMBU | lemon - nimbu alone would be lime |
| BARA SEM | bean, sword |
| BARAF | ice |
| BARANJIBOYA | lemon balm |
| BARASANGA | curry leaf |
| BARFI | sweetmeat normally made from cooked (dried) milk and sugar, set and cut into small squares |
| BARJA | millet |
| BARRA BATAK | goose |
| BARRA KEBAB | tandoori lamb chops |
| BARRA MIRCHI | capsicum, peppers |
| BARRI SHEP | fennel |
| BARSANGA | curry leaf |
| BARTAN | vessel, pot |
| BASMATI RICE | a fine, narrow, long-grained aromatic rice from north India - should be soaked prior to cooking |
| BATAIR | quail |
| BATATA, ALOO | potato |
| BATTAKH / BATAK | duck (Hindi and Punjabi) |
| BELAN, VELAN | rolling pin |
| BENDAVI PURI | a whole wheat, deep fried puffed bread filled with a mixture of seasoned peethi (peethi is ground and soaked urad dal) |
| BENGAN / BRINJAL VENGNA | eggplant, aubergine |
| BER | jujube (fruit) |
| BESAN / CHANNA-KA-ATTA | gram-flour, milled flower from dried gram dal |
| BHAGHAR / BAGHAR / VAGHAR | seasoning that is sautéed in oil |
| BHAINSEKADOODH | buffalo milk |
| BHAINSEKAGOSHT | buffalo meat |
| BHAJEE, BHAJII | vegetable |
| BHAJI | cooked vegetables |
| BHAJIA | See Pakora |
| BHAKRI, CHAPATTI, ROTI | thin rounds of unleavened bread |
| BHANGRA | mackerel |
| BHARTA | boiled or roasted vegetables, peeled, mashed and sautéed with chopped onion, chile and spices |
| BHAT | rice |
| BHATURA | leavened dough made from flour, baked or deep fried |
| BHE | lotus root |
| BHEJA / BHEJAN | brains |
| BHINDI / BHIDA | okra, lady's fingers |
| BHING / HILSA | shad (a fish) |
| BHOOJAN | barbecue, grilled |
| BHUJJIA | dry curried vegetable preparation |
| BHUTTA | corn on the cob |
| BILVA | fruit of a large, tall Indian tree with thorny cylindrical branches, bearing globular orangelike fruit with a thick and hard skin also known as ugli fruit or mahura |
| BOALEE | shark, freshwater |
| BOJ | mullet (a fish) |
| BOOKKA | sweetbread |
| BOOMLA, BOOMIL | Bombay duck |
| BOTI | cubed meat |
| BRINJAL | eggplant and aubergine |
| BUNDH GOBI | cabbage |
| C | |
| CACHUMBER | sliced or chopped onion, cucumber and tomato salad |
| CARAMBOLA (Indonesian) | star fruit, star apple |
| CATECHU | sap of the Indian acacia, Areca catechu, betel nut, its taste, at first bitter and astringent, becomes sweet and clean without any smell |
| CHA | tea |
| CHACHINDA | snake gourd |
| CHAI | tea |
| CHAI-KA-PATTA / CHA-KA-PATTA | tea leaf |
| CHAKKU | knife |
| CHAKOTRA | pomelo or grapefruit |
| CHAMRA / CHAMRI | skin |
| CHANA / CHANNA | gram lentils |
| CHANA | fresh compressed cheese |
| CHANA DAL | split gram lentils, hulled or not |
| CHANNA-KA-ATTA | gram flour also called besan |
| CHANNE-KA-DAL / CHANNE-KI-DAL |
split gram |
| CHANNI | sieve or colander |
| CHAPATTI | thinly rolled flatbread made from unleavened dough |
| CHAPATTI FLOUR | see atta |
| CHAPPAN KADDU | vegetable marrow |
| CHARBI | fat, suet and grease |
| CHARMAGAZ | four different seeds (melon etc.) |
| CHASNI | syrup for poaching sweets or used as an ingredient for other dishes e.g. for making sooji |
| CHASTANY | bean, broad |
| CHATNI | chutney |
| CHAWAL | rice (generic) |
| CHAWAL-KA-ATTA | rice flour |
| CHEEKU | sapodilla, lemon-sized fruit with a thin brown skin and a brownish-yellow, sweet, grainy interior with flat black ovoid seeds also known as sapota and naseberry plum |
| CHERONJI | a small shelled nut used in sweetmeats and stuffing |
| CHHILKA | rind (generic) |
| CHHURI | knife |
| CHICHINDA | snake gourd |
| CHICKOO | see cheeku |
| CHILGOZA | pine nut |
| CHILKA | rind, peel, or husk |
| CHINI / CHENAI | granulated white sugar |
| CHOK (Gujarati) | seasoning that is sautéed in oil |
| CHOKHA | rice |
| CHOLAI | green leafy plant whose leaves are cooked as a saag |
| CHOLAY GOBI | Brussels sprouts |
| CHOONA / CHUNA | quicklime, slaked or unslaked |
| CHOTA PYAZ | small onion |
| CHOTEE GOBI | Brussels sprouts |
| CHOWLI / LOBIA | black-eyed beans |
| CHUDWA | rice, pressed |
| CHUKANDER | beetroot, beet |
| CHUNDAKKA | ??? Can you help? |
| CHUNA | chalk |
| CHUTNEY | condiment of fruits or vegetables with a thick consistency and a spicy sweet taste |
| CURRY PATTA | curry leaf - highly aromatic leaf of the Murraya keonigii plant, shaped like a small bay leaf an ingredient of curry powder |
| CURRY POWDER | a mixture of dried and ground herbs and spices blended in different proportions - some of the ingredients of curry powder can be any or all of the following: allspice, aniseed, cassia leaves, bay leaves, cinnamon, caraway seed, chiles (red and yellow), celery seeds, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry leaf, dill, fennel, fenugreek (seeds and leaves), garlic, ginger mace, mustard, nutmeg, pepper (white and black), paprika, poppy seeds, saffron, turmeric, mint, cubeb berries, sumach seeds, juniper berries, zedoary root, salt |
| D | |
| DAEBRAS | a type of Gujarati bread |
| DAHI | milk set by the natural fermentation of lactic bacteria - similar to yogurt |
| DAL / DHAL / DAAL / DAHL | any split pulse or lentil, dried peas, pulses |
| DALCHINI | cinnamon |
| DALIA | cracked wheat (used to make porridge) |
| DARAM | pomegranate |
| DARCHINI | cinnamon |
| DARJEELING TEA | a black, slow brewing tea grown in high altitudes in northeastern India considered to be the finest tea in the world |
| DARAKH | grapes |
| DEKCHI | a cooking pot without a handle |
| DHAKNA | lid used for covering cooking vessels |
| DHAL | see dal |
| DHANIA / DHANYA | coriander |
| DHANIA HARA | coriander leaf |
| DHANIA SABUT | coriander seed |
| DHINGRI | mushroom |
| DIL | heart |
| DILPASAND | See tinda |
| DODHI | bottle gourd |
| DOODH | milk |
| DOSA | South Indian crepe made from a fermented rice and lentil batter, often served with a savory filling of potatoes |
| DOUBLE ROTI | western style baked bread, pita bread |
| DRUMSTICK | vegetable - about the size and shape of a chicken drumstick, is a green bean-like vegetable with a rather hard, fibrous, inedible exterior and a thin layer of 'meat' that coats the round seeds arranged about two inches apart. It is most commonly sliced into finger-sized sections and dropped into sambhar. |
| E | |
| EAST INDIA CATARRH ROOT | see galangal |
| EEDAN | eggs |
| EK-KANDA-LASUN | shallot |
| ELAICHI / ILAICHI | cardamom |
| F | |
| FALLI | beans, French |
| FALSA | gromia ??? Can you help? |
| FITKARI | alum |
| FRAA'SH BEAN | bean, French |
| G | |
| GAI KA DOODH | cow's milk |
| GAI KA GOSHT | beef |
| GAJAR | carrot |
| GALANGAL | dried rhizome root of the plant Alpinia officinarum, deep orange-brown in color, aromatic, and with a pungent and bitter flavor - also called Galanga, China Root, India Root, East India Catarrh Root, (Hindi and Bengali) Kulinjan -(sub. ginger root) |
| GANDANA | shallot |
| GANDERI | small pieces of cut sugarcane |
| GANDHAN | shallot |
| GANDHELA | curry leaf |
| GANNA | sugarcane |
| GANNE-KA-RAS | sugarcane juice |
| GANTH GOBI | kohlrabi |
| GARAM MASALA | aromatic mixture of various powdered spices including clove, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper |
| GARBANZO | chick-pea |
| GARDAN | neck |
| GEHUN / GEHUN-KA-ATTA | wheat flour |
| GHEE | clarified butter (without milk solids) |
| GHIA / LAUKI | North Indian gourd, bottle gourd |
| GINGELLY | sesame seed |
| GOBI / GOBHI | cauliflower |
| GOODA | pulp |
| GOONDHA-HUA-ATTA | dough (literally kneaded flour) |
| GOSHT | meat |
| GRAM | any of several leguminous plants grown for their seed, for example chick pea |
| GUAR / GUAR-KI-PHALLI | bean, cluster |
| GUAVA | round, greenish-yellow fruit with a sharp musky sweet taste |
| GUCCHI | morel |
| GUD | sugar, see jaggery |
| GUER-KI-PHALLI | bean, cluster |
| GULAB | rose |
| GULAB JAL | rose water, extracted from rose petals, used for flavoring sweetmeats |
| GULABI RUNG | red coloring agent from the cochineal insect |
| GULAL TULSI | basil |
| GUNGA PEA | bean, dried pigeon pea |
| GUR | sugar, raw sugar, jaggery, a sugar made from the date palm |
| GURDA | kidney |
| H | |
| HADDI | bone |
| HALADI / HALDI | turmeric - a rhizome of the ginger family bright yellow in color used extensively in dried powdered form as a coloring and flavoring agent in food - also has digestive and antiseptic qualities |
| HALWA | candy or sweetmeat made from a variety of cereal flours or vegetables by cooking them in oil with sugar and sometimes milk and then flavoring it with nuts, spices and other fragrant ingredients |
| HALWA KADDU | winter squash |
| HANDI | cooking pot without handles |
| HARA DHANIA | coriander leaves (see dhania) |
| HARA NARIYAL | green coconut |
| HARA PIAZ | spring onion (see piaz / pyaz) |
| HARAN KA GOSHT | venison |
| HARI MIRCH | green chile |
| HATHICHAK | artichoke |
| HAUBERA | juniper |
| HEENG / HING / HINGU | asafetida, resinous gum extract derived from the palm, Ferula asafetida, it has a very strong smell and is used as a condiment |
| HILSA | shad (a fish) |
| I | |
| ILAICHI | cardamom, lesser/true, greenish-white elongated ovoid pods containing aromatic seeds with a characteristic taste and flavor |
| IMLI | tamarind, a thin, long, pod-like fruit of the tamarind tree with a dry brittle shell, a pulpy interior with large seeds - the pulp of this fruit is extremely tart and acidic |
| IMLI-KA-BEEJ | tamarind seed |
| IMLI-KA-GOODA | tamarind pulp |
| IMLI-KA-RAS | tamarind juice |
| IMRATI | see amrati |
| INDIAN ROOT | see galangal |
| ISABGOL | flea seed husk, also known as psyllium seed husk (active ingredient in metamucil) |
| J | |
| JAFRAN / JAFRANEKAR | saffron |
| JAGGERY | Indian turbinado. A dark, unrefined sugar Jaggery accounts for about 50 percent of the sugar eaten in India and is made from sugar cane and is processed by a method not unlike that used to make maple syrup. The sweet sap from the sugarcane is boiled down while several people help stir the steadily thickening syrup. The finished product has a distinctive taste and can have a consistency as soft as honey-butter or as solid as fudge. |
| JAIPHAL / ZAIPHAL | nutmeg |
| JAIVITRI | mace |
| JAL | water |
| JALEBI | sweet, orange pretzel-shaped, sweetmeat, deep fried and syrupy |
| JAMIKAND | yam (not sweet potato) |
| JAMUN | small purple fruit with a big stone, sweet-sour in flavor |
| JANGLI | cassia or cinnamon |
| JAPATHRI | mace |
| JAU | barley |
| JAVITRI | mace |
| JEEB | tongue |
| JEERA / ZEERA | cumin seed |
| JHINGA | shrimp |
| JIRA | cumin seed |
| JOAN (Bengali) | see ajowain |
| JOTRI | mace |
| JOWAR | millet |
| JUAR | sorghum |
| JUNGLI MURGI | wild fowl (jungli = of the jungle = wild) |
| JUNGLI SOOAR | wild boar |
| K | |
| KABAB / KABOB / KEBAB | pieces of meat or ground meat, marinated, spiced, skewered and cooked over hot coals |
| KABRA | caper |
| KABULI CHANA | chickpeas, garbonzo beans |
| KABUTAR | pigeon |
| KACHA AAM | green mango (literally unripe mango) |
| KACHRI / KACHARIS | small tart fruit resembling a miniature watermelon, used as a vegetable and also as a meat tenderizer |
| KACHUA | turtle |
| KADDU | pumpkin (see lauki, ghia) |
| KAJU | cashew nuts |
| KAJUPHAL | cashew fruit |
| KAKARI | cucumber |
| KAKRI | long melon |
| KALA JIRA / KALA JEERA / KALA ZEERA | cumin, black |
| KALA NAMAK | salt, black |
| KALEJA | liver |
| KALEJI | liver, sheep (kaleji means liver) |
| KALI MIRCH | black pepper |
| KALI SARSON | mustard seed, black |
| KALI TULSI | basil, black |
| KALIA | spicy vegetable or fish dish cooked in curds (yogurt) |
| KALONJI / KALUNJI / KALUNGI / KALAUNJI | nigella seeds, wild onion seeds, black onion seeds |
| KAMAL KAKRI | lotus root |
| KAMARAK | see carambola |
| KANAK | cereal/grain |
| KANDH | crimson yam |
| KANJI | fermented beverage made from black carrots and mustard seed |
| KANKANI | cracked wheat |
| KARDI | safflower |
| KARELA | bitter gourd |
| KARHAI | a hemispherical frying pan, used for deep frying - similar to a Chinese wok |
| KARONDA | natal plum |
| KASHIPHAL | pumpkin |
| KASKHAS / KASHKASH | poppy seed (safed = safaid = white) |
| KASOORI METHI / QASOORI METHI | dried fenugreek leaves |
| KATHAL | jackfruit - from the tree Artocarpus heterophyllus - jackfruit (similar to breadfruit) is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, reaching 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. The exterior of the compound fruit is green or yellow when ripe |
| KATHIRIKKA | eggplant |
| KATHNIM | curry leaf |
| KEBAB | see kabab |
| KEBAB CHINI | allspice |
| KEEMA / KHEEMA | ground or minced foodstuff, especially meat |
| KEKRA | crab |
| KELA | banana |
| KESAR / KESARI / ZAFRAN | saffron (stigma of the crocus flower) |
| KACHORAMU (Telugu) | see galangal |
| KHAJUR | dates |
| KHAMAN | dried coconut |
| KHAS KHAS / KHUS KHUS | poppy seeds |
| KHEER | Indian rice pudding |
| KHEERA | cucumbers |
| KHOPRA / COPRA | fresh coconut |
| KHUSHBOO | essence (aromatic) |
| KISHMISH / KISMIS | raisin or current |
| KOFTA | meatballs or vegetables shaped into a ball before cooking |
| KOLINJAN (Gujrati) | see galangal |
| KOKAM | purple, sweet-sour fruit used in dried form as a flavoring in some curries |
| KORMA | a type of meat curry |
| KOSHTKULINJAN (Marathi) | see galangal |
| KOTU | buckwheat |
| KOZHAMBHU | ??? Can you help? |
| KULANJA / KULANJAM / KULANJAN | see galangal |
| KULFI | frozen milk-based dessert, flavored and garnished with a variety of items including almond, pistachio, rosewater and saffron |
| KULTHI | horse gram |
| KUMBALANGA | similar to a cucumber |
| KUMBHI | mushroom |
| KUMRA | vegetable marrow |
| KURASS | celery |
| L | |
| LADDOO | round sweetmeat, usually made of gram-flour or lentil-flour |
| LASSAN | garlic |
| LASSI | drink made from churned curds (yogurt), may be sweet or salty |
| LASSON | garlic |
| LASSON, VILAYITI | leek (literally imported garlic) |
| LASUN | garlic |
| LAUKI | North Indian gourd, bottle gourd |
| LAVANG / LAUNG | cloves |
| LITCHEE | small round fruit with a scaly red shell, with a white, sweet, musky flesh and a hard stone |
| LOBIA / CHOWLI | bean, dried black-eyed (also known as black-eyed peas) |
| LOKAT | Loquat fruit |
| M | |
| MAAS | meat |
| MACHHI | fish |
| MAIDA | western style bleached wheat flour |
| MAKAI | corn |
| MAKHAN / MAKKHAN | butter |
| MAKKA | corn |
| MAKKAI-BHUTTA | corn eaten off the cob |
| MAKKAI-KA-ATTA | cornmeal |
| MAKKHAN | butter |
| MAKKHANA | lotus seed |
| MALAI / MALHAI | cream |
| MANAKKA | large currant |
| MARUA | basil |
| MASALA | spices (generic) or a mixture of condiments and spices |
| MASALA PATTHAR | stone used for grinding spices into a paste |
| MASOOR DAL | reddish-brown lentil also called Indian brown lentil |
| MATAR / MATTAR | pea, green pea, fresh |
| MATCHLI | fish |
| MATTHA | type of cream cheese |
| MEETHA | generic word for any sweet foodstuff |
| MEETHA NEEM | curry leaf |
| MENDHA-KA-GOSH | mutton or lamb |
| METHI / METHI DANA | fenugreek seed, small, yellowish-brown seed with a pleasantly bitter taste and particular odor and flavor used as a spice |
| METHI-KA-SAAG | fenugreek leaf, faintly bitter tasting leaves also called Greek hay |
| MIRCHI | red or green chile peppers |
| MIRCHI, HARA | green chiles |
| MIRCHI, LAL | pepper, hot red |
| MIRCHI, SOOKHA | pepper, dried hot red |
| MIRZANJOSH | oregano |
| MISHRI | rock candy, large crystallized sugar also known as rock sugar |
| MITHAI | generic name for sweetmeats |
| MONUKKA | variety of raisin, very large and brown in color |
| MOOLI | radish (radish in general ) |
| MOOLI, SAFED | white radish |
| MOONG DAL | mung bean dal |
| MOONGPHALI / MOONGPHALLI | peanuts |
| MOSAMBI | sweet lime |
| MULTANI GARAM MASALA | tart garam masala which contains dried pomegranate seed |
| MUNAKKA | sultanas or raisins |
| MUNG | bean, dried mung |
| MUNG DAL | split bean dried mung |
| MUNNAKA | large currant |
| MURCHUMBA | asparagus |
| MURG / MURGH | chicken |
| MURGH MUSALLAM | a rich, spicy chicken preparation |
| MURGHA | a male chicken (rooster) |
| MURGHI | female chicken (hen) |
| MURMURA | rice, puffed |
| MURUNG AKKAI | drumsticks, a large bean-like vegetable |
| N | |
| NAAN | partially leavened flatbread made of flour and baked on the wall of a tandoor |
| NAHARAM / MAHASOLE | Indian salmon |
| NAMAK / NIMAK | salt, common table salt |
| NARANGI | orange |
| NARGISI KOFTA | a hard-boiled egg enrobed with a minced meat mixture |
| NARIYAL | coconut, generic |
| NARIYAL-KA-DUDH | coconut milk |
| NARIYAL-KA-TEL | coconut oil |
| NASHPATI | pear |
| NEEMBU | lime |
| NEEMBU KA CHILKA | lime peel |
| NEJA | pine nut |
| NIMAK / NAMAK | salt, common table salt |
| NIMBU | lime |
| NONA ATWA | custard apple |
| O | no Hindi or Urdu terms under O |
| P | |
| PAAN | a digestive made from the leaf of the betel plant which may have a variety of items folded inside, some of which may include slaked lime, catechu, fennel, cardamom and flavored tobacco |
| PACCHADI | chutney |
| PADVAL / PADAVALLANGA | snake gourd |
| PAHARI PUDINA | spearmint |
| PAKORA | a fritter-like snack made by dipping small pieces of onion, chile, vegetables, etc. into a gram flour batter and deep frying |
| PALAK | spinach (also sag) |
| PALLAU | pilaf |
| PALM GUR | palm sugar |
| PAN | leaf of the betel tree |
| PANEER | fresh, soft, block-shaped cheese with an extremely mild flavor, close to ricotta, but unique |
| PANI | water |
| PANI PURI | a small, round, deep-fried puff served filled with seasoned spicy tamarind water |
| PAPAD / PAPADUM / PAPADOM / PAPADAUM | spiced, thinly rolled, flat rounds made from a variety of lentil or potato dough and dried - usually toasted over a grill or fried before serving |
| PAPADKHAR | bicarbonate of soda (Gujerati, but commonly found on papad packages as an ingredient) |
| PAPAR | see papad |
| PAPETA | potato |
| PAPITA | papaya |
| PAPRI | deep-fried wholewheat dough rounds |
| PARATHA | an unleavened flatbread made from atta, can be either fried, grilled or baked |
| PARIAISI | catfish |
| PARVAL | pointed gourd |
| PATNA RICE | a rice with semi-hard grains, less transparent and shining, milky white in color and a cylindrical shape |
| PATTA | generic term for leaf |
| PATTA GOBI | cabbage |
| PATWA | rosella ??? Can you help? |
| PAYYA | pig's trotters (feet) |
| PEETHI | a wet ground mixture of urad-ki-dal and various seasonings depending upon usage |
| PERU | guava |
| PETHA 1 | ash gourd |
| PETHA 2 | a candied confection made by crystallizing cubed or rounded sections of ash gourd |
| PHAL | fruit, generic |
| PHEEKA / PHIKKA | tasteless |
| PHIRNI | a cold milk-based dessert thickened with rice flour and usually flavored with cardamom |
| PHOOL GOBHI | cauliflower (see bandh gobhi and gobi) |
| PHOOT | snap melon |
| PHUL | flower |
| PHULE CHANE | puffed gram |
| PHULE CHAWAL | puffed rice |
| PIAZ / PIYAZ / PYAZ | onion |
| PILAF | method of cooking rice with a variety of different ingredients of which meat, shellfish, poultry, fish, and vegetables are all used either separately or together - other terms are pulao, pillau etc. |
| PILAU | see pilaf |
| PIPLAMUL / PIPLI / PIPUL | long pepper |
| PISTA | pistachio nuts, greenish ovoid edible nut of the pistachio tree with a hard casing which is easily split into two for removal of the nut |
| PITUL-KAS | pearlspot, a round fish, about 6" long, generally found in coastal backwaters |
| PIYAZ | onion |
| POHA / POHWA | pounded rice flakes, rice, pressed |
| POI SAAG | variety of climbing vine with edible leaves |
| POORI | round, puffed, deep-fried unleavened bread |
| POSTDANA | poppy seed |
| PUDINA | mint |
| PULLAO | see pilaf |
| PULLAO RICE | a variety of short-grained rice with a lower starch content than regular rice |
| PUNNAGCHAMPA | see galangal |
| PYALA / PYALI | a cup, a small cup |
| PYAZ | onion |
| Q | |
| QASOORI METHI | dried fenugreek leaves |
| R | |
| RAAI | mustard seeds (see also sarson) |
| RAAMATHAN | see heeng |
| RAAN | leg of mutton, lamb |
| RABRI | milk thickened to a paste by slow cooking |
| RAI | mustard seed, Indian |
| RAI-KA-BHAJI | mustard greens |
| RAI-KA-TEL | mustard oil |
| RAITA | yogurt with salads, nuts or other garnish, used as an accompaniment to meals, seasoned yogurt with added foodstuff mixed with it |
| RAJMA / RAJMAH | red kidney beans |
| RAKH | ashes (usually wood or charcoal, used as scouring agent for cleaning pots and pans, prior to final rinsing) |
| RASAM | a highly seasoned hot beverage made from lentils and tomatoes (Tamil term but now part of urbane Hindi vocabulary) |
| RASBARI / RASBHARI | cape gooseberry sweet, slightly acid tasting berry enclosed in a lantern-shaped husk also called strawberry tomato, dwarf cape gooseberry, ground cherry |
| RASGULLA | highly syrupy, soft white sweetmeat made from molded milk solids |
| RATALU / RATULA | yam (not sweet potato, but elephant yam) |
| RAWA | semolina (Tamil term but now part of urbane Hindi vocabulary) |
| RAWA / SOOJI | semolina, a type of wheat |
| RESHMI CHAPPATI | see roomali roti (reshmi = silken) |
| RICE, BASMATI | see Basmati rice |
| RICE, PARBOILED | rice that has been partially cooked and then dried |
| RICE, PATNA | see patna rice |
| RICE, TEXMATI | a hybrid variety - a cross between Basmati and American long grained rice |
| ROGAN JOSH | curry made from pieces of lamb |
| ROHU | cod or carp |
| ROOMALI ROTI | extremely thin unleavened bread cooked on a round dome-shaped hot plate, also known as reshmi chappati |
| ROTI | bread, Indian style, akin to Mexican tortilla or middle-eastern pita, unleavened |
| RUSHBARRY | raspberry |
| RUSMARY | rosemary |
| RUSS | gravy or sauce or juice |
| S | |
| SAAG / SAG | a cooked mixture of any number of green leafy vegetables such as mustard, bathua and methi (fenugreek), generic term for edible leafy vegetables such as spinach, mustard greens |
| SABUDANA | sago or tapioca |
| SABZI | generic term for vegetables |
| SADA | cracked wheat |
| SAFAID JIRA | white or regular cumin seed (safaid = white) actually the common cumin is not really white but light greenish brown |
| SAFAID KADDU | ash gourd |
| SAFAID RAI | white mustard seed |
| SAG | see saag |
| SAHJAN | see drumstick |
| SAHNN | lobster |
| SAITUN | olives |
| SAJAN KI PHALLI | see drumstick |
| SAJAWAT | garnish |
| SALAN | braised vegetables |
| SALARY | celery |
| SALAT | leaf lettuce |
| SALVIA | sage |
| SAMBHAR / SAMBAR | a curried lentil preparation with one or more vegetables added to it (Tamil term but now part of urbane Hindi vocabulary) |
| SAMOSA | triangular deep-fried pastry filled with a variety of foodstuff |
| SAMUNDAR JHAG | calcified inner shell of the cuttle fish, an edible mollusk similar in appearance to a squid |
| SANCHA | mould for shaping of items |
| SANCHAL | rock salt |
| SANDALWOOD | a tree native to south India whose bark is used to distill an essential oil, containing aromatic santol which is used as a flavoring |
| SANDESH | a dry Bengali sweetmeat made from sweetened and flavored milk solids and molded into small shapes |
| SANTRA | orange |
| SANTRA-KA-CHILKA | orange peel |
| SARSON | mustard - a plant with edible leaves and seeds which are used for making condiments and pickling black mustard seeds are from a variety of mustard species brassica nigra with tiny blackbrown seeds, also known as true mustard - Indian mustard seeds, variety of mustard species brassica juncea with tiny reddishbrown seeds, also known as brown mustard - white mustard seeds variety of mustard species Sinapsis alba / Brassica alba with large yellowishwhite lightly pitted seeds, also known as white mustard and yellow mustard |
| SARSON-KA-BHAJI / SARSON-KA-SAAG | edible leaves of the mustard plant |
| SANCHAL | rock salt or black salt |
| SARU | juniper |
| SATHRA | oregano |
| SAUNF | fennel - an aromatic plant, Vilayati saunf, with a hint of the flavor of aniseed its seeds, stem and leaves are used in cooking the seeds are small, elongated, ridged, and greenish-yellow with a pleasant aromatic flavor resembling aniseed |
| SEB | apple |
| SEEKH | long thin taper of metal or wood used to spit or skewer foodstuff for the purpose of grilling |
| SEEKH KEBAB | grilled, skewered, spiced minced meat mixture |
| SEER | Indian salmon |
| SEFAKUSS | sage |
| SELA | rice, parboiled |
| SEM | bean, broad |
| SEM | a generic term used for a variety of edible-pod beans |
| SENGRI | radish, red |
| SEV | apple |
| SEV / SEVI / SEVIYAN | small deep-fried thin besan threads that look like miniature chow mien noodles or vermicelli |
| SHAH JEERA | cumin, black |
| SHAIHID | honey |
| SHAITOOT/SHAHTOOT | mulberry |
| SHAKAHARI | vegetarian |
| SHAKARKAND | sweet potatoes |
| SHAKH | cooked vegetables |
| SHAKKAR / CHINI | raw sugar (note: it is derived from the oldest Indo-European language still extant viz Sanskrit "shakkar" closely related to Ukrainian shakar, French sucre, English sugar etc. |
| SHAKKARKANDHI | sweet potato |
| SHALARI | celery (possibly corrupted form of the word celery) |
| SHALGAM | turnip |
| SHAMMI KEBAB | grilled, round, flat cutlet-like preparation made of precooked, spiced minced meat |
| SHARAB | alcohol (could be liquor or wine or any alcoholic beverage) |
| SHARBAT | beverage made of sweetened fruit juice or essence |
| SHARIFA | custard apple |
| SHERBET | sweet, cooling beverage in contrast to sorbet. frozen dessert made from a mixture of either fruit syrups, liqueurs, or wine |
| SHIA JIRA | caraway - this is contestable there are variations in spelling and they refer to a darker cumin than the safaid (white) variety |
| SHIKAR | game animal / bird |
| SHIRA | sugar syrup also known as chaasni |
| SHIRAB | see sharab |
| SHORA | saltpeter, sodium nitrate |
| SHORBA / SHORNA | gravy / soup |
| SHRIKHAND | a sweetened cultured dairy product similar to yogurt in consistency (Gujerati but popular elsewhere as well) |
| SHULGUM | turnip |
| SIAH MIRCH | pepper, black |
| SIGRI | brazier |
| SIMLA MIRICH / SIMLA MIRCH | a variety of green pepper, capsicum (a little hotter than the north American bell pepper) |
| SINGHARA | water chestnut |
| SIRKA | vinegar |
| SITAPHAL | pumpkin |
| SITAPHUL | custard apple |
| SIYA ZEERA | cumin, black (see also shia jira above - shiah = black) |
| SONP | fennel see also saunf |
| SONTH | dried ginger |
| SOOJI / RAWA | semolina |
| SOOT MOOLI | asparagus |
| SOOVAR | pig |
| SOOVAR-KA-GOSHT | pork |
| SOWA | dill seed |
| SOWA SAG / SOWA-KI-BHAJI | dill leaf |
| SUAR | pig |
| SUAR-KA-GOSHT | pork |
| SUKHA NARIYAL | dried coconut (copra) |
| SUPARI | betel nut |
| SURAN | elephant yam |
| SURIYA MUKHI | sunflower |
| SURJANI-KI-SEM | see drumstick |
| SURMAI | haddock |
| SUWA/SOWWA/SOYA | dill |
| SVADISHT | tasty (Sanskrit term, now in common Hindi use) |
| T | |
| TAMATAR | tomato |
| TANDOOR | an oven of baked clay, from north India and Pakistan |
| TARAIL | toddy |
| TARBUZ/TARBUZA | watermelon |
| TARDI | toddy |
| TARKA | see baghar |
| TARKARI | vegetable |
| TARKHA/TARKA/TADKHA | seasoning that is sautéed in oil |
| TAWA | griddle for making flat breads |
| TEEKHA / TIKKHA | term for a foodstuff that is pungent and chile hot |
| TEJ PATTA | bay leaf |
| TEJ PATTA / TEJPAT / TEJPATAR | cassia leaf (bay leaf is usual substitute) |
| TEL | oil (generic, so sarson ka tel, moongphali ka tel etc.) |
| THALI | round, flat, metal dish with a vertical rim (used as dinner plate) |
| THELPA | a type of Gujarati bread |
| TIKKA | bite-sized morsels, as in chicken tikka |
| TIL | sesame seed |
| TIL-KA-TEL | sesame oil |
| TINDA | small, round, light green gourd with white flesh and small flat seeds |
| TINDLI | gherkin |
| TISRI | mussel |
| TITAR | partridge |
| TITORI | bean, dried field that has been sprouted |
| TODDY | fermented sap of the toddy palm, alcoholic in nature |
| TODDY PALM | species of palm tree which yields a milk-like sap that is used to make toddy |
| TOOR / TOOVAR | arhar dal, dried pigeon pea |
| TORAI | ridge gourd (similar to courgette, zucchini) |
| TULSI, GULAL | basil |
| U | |
| UPMA / UPPAMA | a south Indian snack made from semolina |
| UPPAMA | savory south Indian dish made from semolina |
| URAD | bean, dried urad |
| URAD-KI-DAL | bean, dried urad that have been split in two (may be hulled or unhulled) |
| USNA CHAWAL | rice, parboiled |
| V | |
| VAAMU | see ajwain |
| VADAIS | dried dal paste dumplings |
| VAGHAR | seasoning that is sautéed in oil |
| VAL | bean, dried field |
| VALAITI SAUNF | aniseed (saunf alone is fennel seed) |
| VANASPATI | hydrogenated vegetable oil |
| VARAKH | paper-thin sheets of silver and gold used to decorate sweetmeats and other foodstuff (actually they are quite thinner than paper, they are really known in the west as gold or silver leaf used in gilding) |
| VAREES | see vadais |
| VARIALI SAUNF | fennel |
| VILAITI KADDU | winter squash |
| VILAITI LASSON | stone leek |
| VILAITI PIYAZ | leek |
| W | |
| WADIS | see vadais |
| X | no Hindi/Urdu terms |
| Y | |
| YAKHNI | word for soup, stock, or gravy also called akhni |
| Z | |
| ZABAN | tongue, see jeeb |
| ZAFRAN/KESAR/KESARI | saffron (stigma of the crocus flower) |
| ZAIPHAL/JAIPHAL | nutmeg |
| ZAMIN KAND / ZAMIKAND | elephant yam |
| ZATUN / ZATOON | olives |
| ZEERA/JEERA | cumin |
| ZEDOARY ROOT / ZEDOARY | ginger/galangal -- common name for members of the Zingiberaceae, a family of tropical and subtropical perennial herbs, chiefly of Indomalaysia. |
| ZUFAH | hyssop |