Food

Gordon’s Indian eating guide

 

 

Thanks to Rick Stein

 A meal in India is not a series of courses like in the West, if you look at a restaurant menu you will see there are a few soups and some deserts. But the emphasis is much more on the main course which will contain at least three dishes but often more.The satisfying subtlety is in the balance between these two the way one dish complements another. You might for example have a meat curry, a dal two vegetable curries maybe even two types of bread poppadoms and naans  perhaps two chutney too, say a fresh green one made with mint and coriander and a tomato or chilli and ginger relish. There will often be a salad perhaps sliced cucumber with lime and salt and normally a raita, a cooling yoghurt with mint

As far as sweets are concerned in an everyday Indian meal you're more likely just to get a fruit drink and finally a sweet masala chai

 

 

 

Dhaba

A roadside restaurant or cafe in either India 

. These are found on highways and on the outskirts of cities, towns, and villages.

 

 

Sabzi

a vegetable cooked in gravy

 

Macchi

The incomparable taste of fish and shellfish, coconut, tomato

 

Murgh

Spicy and creamy chicken curries, butter chicken

 

Gosht

Deep dark meat curries

 

Meetha

bread pudding desert

 

Masala

The Hindi word for spice

 

 

 

 

 

Name		Image	Description
Aloo baingan			Diced Potatoes and Eggplant  in curry
Aloo baingan masala			Diced Potatoes and eggplant  stuffed with spices in curry
Aloo gobi (also Pakistani and Nepali dish)			Cauliflower with potatoes sauteed with garam masala, tumeric, sometimes kolongi and curry leaves.
Aloo ki Tikki			Patties of potato mixed with some vegetables fried
Aloo Matar			Potatoes and peas in curry.
Aloo methi			Methi leaves and potatoes nicely flavoured. Potato, fresh Methi leaves. Methi leaves, and a combination of spices. Methi is a green leafy vegetable with a unique taste that is packed with nutrients.
Aloo shimla mirch			Potatoes And Caspian peppar
Alu Pitika			Dish made of mashed potato.
Amriti with Rabdi			A popular north indian sweet made from milk. basically rabri is thickened sweetened milk having layers of malai or cream in it.
Amritsari fish			Fish in batter
Amritsari Kulcha			Type of bread
Amti			The meaning of amti is “any curry or dal dish which has acidic ingredient, Lentil curry.
Ande bhujia			Spicy scrambled egg
Appam			Pancake, thicker at centre. Ground rice.
Arbi masala			Edoes cooked in onion tomato masala.
Avial			Coconut paste, curd mixed with vegetables and some spices.
Baati			Ghee (Clarified butter). Wheat flour.
Baingan bharta			Eggplant (Baingan) cooked with tomatoes or onions.
Bajji			Vegetable or onion fritters
Bajri no rotlo			Bread. Thick millet flour flatbread usually grilled over coals.
Barfi			Sweet
Basundi			A sweetened dense milk made by boiling milk on low heat until the milk is reduced by half.
Bengena Pitika			Dish made of mashed aubergine .
Bhaji			Fried Vegetables.
Bhakri			Bread. Whole wheat flour, thicker than rotli, crispy.
Bharwaan baigan			Brinjal ( aubergine)stuffed with spices
Bharwaan tinde
Bharwein karela			Bitter gourd stuffed with spices
Bhatura			Bread. All purpose flour, Vegetarian
Bhindi Masala			Okra sautéed with onions and tomatoes.
Bilahi Maas			Fish curry cooked with tomatoes.
Biryani			Main or side dish. Mixed rice dish, optional spices, optional vegetables, meats or seafood. Can have with plain yogurt.
Biryani			Spicy rice dish with vegetables or chicken or mutton or fish or prawns.
Bisi Bele Bath			Rice preparation with vegetables.
Black rice			Special local variety of rice
Bombil fry			Main Course. Bombay Duck (Fish).
Bonda			Snack. Potatoes, gram flour.
Bora Sawul			Breakfast cereal; an Assamese specialty. Sticky rice, sugar or jaggery.
Brown Rice			Special local variety of rice.
Butter Chicken			also known as Murgh Mahal
Chaat			Typical north Indian tadka.
Chaat			original chaat is a mixture of potato pieces, crisp fried bread Dahi vada or Dahi Bhalla ("Bhalla" in Hindi), gram or chickpeas and tangy-salty spices, with sour home-made Nikhil chill and Saunth (dried ginger and tamarind sauce), fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for garnish
Chakri			Savoury snack. Mixed grain flour.
Chana masala			tangy chickpea curry
Chapathi			Bread. Whole wheat flour.
Cheera Doi			Breakfast cereal.
Chevdo			Mixture. Flattened rice, groundnut, chana, masala.
Chhenagaja			Dessert. Cottage cheese, flour, sugar syrup.
Chhenapoda			Dessert. Cottage cheese, flour, sugar syrup. Oriya Specialty.
Chicken 65			Popular deep fried chicken preparation. Chicken, onion, ginger.
Chicken Razala			Bhopali style chicken cooked in a rich gravy with mint.
Chingri malai curry			Curry. Prawn, coconut, mustard, steamed. Traditional Bengali Dish.
Cholafali			Snack
Chole bhature			Main. Chick peas, assorted spices, wheat flour and yeast for bhatura.
Chorafali			Spicy. Grinding of charudala, masala, sprinkle with red chilly powder on top.
Copra paak			Sweet coconut halwa/barfi: Halwa is soft, barfi more like cake.
Currivepillai sadam			Curry leaves and rice
Daal Baati Churma			Rajasthani special.
Daal Dhokli			Snack
Daal Puri			Stuffed dal in parathas.
Dahi vada			Fried lentil balls in a yogurt sauce. Lentils, yogurt.
Dal			Main. Assorted types of lentils, such as toor, urad, chana, masoor dal.
Dal			Lentils.
Dal makhani (Kali Dal)			Main. A typical type of lentil is used.
Dal fry with tadka			Typical north Indian tadka.
Dhokla			Lentil snack. Gram.
Dhup Pitha			A sweet Assamese specialty
Doodhpak			Sweet A milk-based sweet dessert with nuts.
Dosa			Pancake/Hopper. Ground rice, Urad dal.
Double ka meetha			Bread crumbs fried in Ghee and dipped in milk and sugar syrup
Dudhi no Halwo - Bottle Gourd Halwa			Sweet
Dum Aloo			Potatoes cooked in Curry.
Ennai Kathirikkai			a spicy South Indian gravy that goes well with rice, idli or dosa. And eggplant
Fara
French bean aloo
Gajar Halwo - Carrot Halwa			Sweet
Gajar ka Halwa			A sweet dish native to U.P./Punjab. Carrot, Milk, Ghee, Cashew.
Gajar matar aloo
Gatta curry			Curry. Steamed dumplings made from chickpea flour cooked in a spiced yoghurt sauce.
Ghari (sweet from Surat)			Sweet
Ghebar or Ghevar			Sweet from Surat
Gheela Pitha			Sweet Assamese specialty
Ghooghra			Sweet
Gobhi matar
Goja			Sweet. Bengali Specialty
Goli bajje			Snack. Gram flour.
Gud papdi (Gol papdi)			Sweet
Gulab Jamun			Snack
Gur			Sweet unrefined brown sugar sold in blocks
Halvasan			Sweet
Hando Guri			Breakfast cereal; an Assamese specialty
Handwo (steamed dish)			Snack
Haq Maas			Fish curry cooked with leafy green vegetables.
Hari Mutter ka Nimona (Green peas daal)			Typical north Indian tadka.
Horioh Maas			Golden Mustard Fish Curry.
Hurum			Breakfast cereal; an Assamese specialty
Idiappam			Steamed rice noodles/vermicelli. Ground rice.
Idli			Steamed cake of fermented rice and pulse flour. Rice, Urad dal.
Ilish or Chingri Bhape			Curry. Ilish (Hilsha fish) or prawn, coconut, mustard, steamed. Traditional Bengali Dish.
Idly			A black lentil and rice savoury cake served at breakfast
Imarti			A spherically meshed sweet dish from North India made up of batter from moong dal dipped in sugary syrup
Indian omelette			Egg omelette or veg omelette
Jaleba		Bigger form of jalebi	Vegetarian
Jalebi			A North Indian twisted noodle like sweet dish dipped in sugary syrup
Jalebi			Sweet maida & grained semolina flour, baking powder, curd, sugar.
Jalfrezi			South Asian curry which involves frying marinated pieces of meat, fish or vegetables in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. Typically cooled  with cream
Jeera Aloo			Typical West Indian dish
Juvar no rotlo			Bread. Thick sorghum flatbread.
Kaara Kozhambu			Dish used with rice made of chilli powder and tamarind.
Kachori			Rajasthani / Marwari special
Kadai paneer			Kadai Paneer is a mouthwatering combination of paneer, capsicum, tomato, onion and traditional Indian spices cooked in a ghee, is one of the most popular curry ...
Kadhi Pakoda			Gram flour with yogurt with gramflour fried balls.
Kanji			Rice porridge
Kansar			Sweet
Karela Bharta			Bitter gourd/melon.
Katha meetha petha/halwakadoo
Keerai kootu			Green leaves kootu
Keerai masiyal			Grinded green leaves used as a side dish for rice or mixed with rice.
Keerai sadam			Rice and green leaves.
Keerai poriyal			Green leaves mixed with daal and coconut with little oil.
Keri no ras			Sweet
Khakhra			Snack. Wheat flour, methi.
Khandvi			Snack. Besan.
Khar			Assamese specialty side dish: papaya, banana, soda
Kharoli			Pickle made from mustard; an Assamese specialty
Kheer			Rice cooked with milk and dry fruits. Milk and Rice, dry Fruits.
Khichdi			Rice cooked with daal and veggies and sauteed
Khorisa			Pickle made from bamboo shoot; an Assamese specialty
Kofta			Gram flour balls fried with vegetables. Gram flour, veggies, rolled into balls with gram flour and fried in oil and then cooked with curry.
Koldil Chicken			Chicken cooked with banana flower; an Assamese specialty
Koldil Duck			Duck meat cooked with banana flower; an Assamese specialty
Kombdi vade			Chicken Curry with Bread. Chicken.
Konir Dom			Egg curry.
Koottu			Vegetable, daal or lentil mixture boiled in water.
Kos kootu			Cabbage and lentil dish used for rice.
Koshambri			A cucumber salad dish popular in Karnataka. Prepared during festivals.
Koshimbir			Salad. Salad/side-dish.
Kothamali sadam			Coriander rice
Kulfi falooda
Kumol Sawul			Breakfast cereal; an Assamese specialty. Soft rice with cream & jaggery.
Kuzhakkattai			Dumplings. Rice flour, jaggery, coconut.
Kuzhambu			Thick soup with coconut. Coconut, vegetables.
Laapsi			Sweet coarse ground/ broken wheat cooked with butter and sugar.
Laddu			Sweet
Lai Haq Maas			Fish Curry with herbs & lemon.
Lauki ke kofte			Bottle gourd
Lauki ki subji			Bottle Gourd
Lilva Kachori			Snack. Lilva and whole wheat flour.
Litti			Balls of wheat and sattu baked in oven and served with mashed potatoes (chokha)
Litti chokha			A baked salted wheat flour cake filled with sattu (baked chickpea flour) and some special spices
Locha			Spicy. Grinding of chanadal, masala,.
Loskora (Coconut Laddu)			Sweet
Luchi			Puffed bread, fried in oil, made from flour. A Bengali specialty
Maasor Tenga			Tomato Fish Curry.
Machher Jhol			Curry. Fish, various spices.
Magaj			Sweet
Makki di roti, Sarson Da Saag			Punjabi speciality
Malpua			Sweet
Malpua/Malpoa			Sweet Snacks. Specially in Bengal.
Masala			The Hindi word for spice
Masala Dosa			Dosa with masala and potato.
Masor Koni			Fish delicacy.
Masor Petu			Fish delicacy.
Masor tenga			An Assamese fish stew cooked with any of a variety of sour fruits including tomatoes.[1]
Mathura ke pede
Methi na Gota			Snack. Fried fenugreek dumplings.
Methi Saag, Chaulai Saab			Veggie leaves sauteed in oil and garlic with little masalas. Cooked mostly in Central part of India.
Mishti Chholar Dal			Curry. Bengal gram, coconut, sugar. Bengali Specialty.
Mishti Doi			Dessert. Curd, sugar syrup and /or jaggery. Bengali Sweet curd.
Misi roti			methi missi roti are soft, light north indian flat breads which are a healthy breakfast or excellent tiffin
Modak			Sweet coconut dumplings. Rice flour, coconut.
Mohanthal			a sweet prepared from gram flour and ghee dry fruits
Momo			Originally from Tibet, it is a popular snack/ food item in India.
Moong dal ka halwa
Murgh Musallam
Muri Naaru			Sweet Bengali specialty.
Mushroom do pyaza
Mushroom matar			Mushroom With Green Peas
Muthiya			Snack. Whole wheat flour, methi leaves, besan/chickpeas flour and coriander leaves/cilantro.
Naan			Tandoor-baked soft flatbread. Refined wheat flour.
Namakpara			Snack. A deep fried snack made out of salt and Gram Flour .
Nandu (Crab in Tamil) Omelette			Omelette with pieces of crab and spices. Now becoming popular among local residents.
Nannari			A welcome drink frequently with lime , means endless root  In southern states of India (particularly Tamil Nadu), Sarsaparilla roots are called Maahali or Mahani Kizhangu and in its pickled form is also served along with rice dishes. It is also called the False Sarsaparilla. It is administered in the form of powder, infusion or decoction as syrup. It is one of the Rasayana plants of Ayurveda.[2] It is sometimes confused with another Ayurvedic herb called white sariva.
Navrattan korma
Obbattu (holige, bobbattu, Pooran-poli)			A stuffed (Moong gram dal and jaggery or coconut poornam) paratha. Dish native to South and West India in the states of (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Ou tenga Maas			Fish curry cooked with elephant apple.
Pakhala			Rice. Fermented rice, yoghurt, salt, seasonings.
Palak Daal			Spinach with toor daal
Palak Paneer			Cottage cheese cubes in spinach gravy. Spinach, Paneer.
Paneer butter masala
Paneer Tikka Masala
Pani Pitha			Sweet Assamese specialty
Pani Puri			Typical north Indian tadka.
Pani Tenga			Pickle made from mustard.
Panipuri			Snack
Panjeeri
Pantua			Assamese sweet similar to Gulab Jamun
Paratha			Bread. Wheat flour. Can be stuffed: Common stuffings: potato mixture, paneer, muli(white radish).
Parotta			Layered kerala parotta made with maida and dalda.
Paruppu sadam			Daal rice
Patra			Snack. Taro leaves, coconut, seeds, dal.
Pattor
Pav Bhaji			Veg main dish. Mix curry of onion, capsicum, peas, cauliflower potatoes.
Payasam			Rice dessert. Rice, milk.
Payokh			Dessert
Peda			Sweet
Penda			Sweet
Pesarattu			Dosa (pancake or crepe) of Andhra Pradesh made from Moong Dal (lentils), grains and spice batter.
Phirni			Rice pudding
Pindi chana
Pinni
Poha			specialty from Madhya Pradesh. Common snack in Central part of India. Flattended rice, potato, turmeric.
Pohe			Vegetarian Snack. Flattened rice.
Pongal			Pulao. rice. Besides rice and milk the ingredients of this sweet dish include cardamom, jaggery, raisins, Green gram (split), and cashew nuts. Cooking is done in sunlight, usually in a porch or courtyard, as the dish is dedicated to the Sun god, Surya. The cooking is done in a clay pot that is decorated with coloured patterns called kolam. Pongal has two variants, one sweet and one savoury. The dish is served on banana leaves. Cooking pongal is a traditional practice at Hindu temples during any part of the Temple Festival in Tamil Nad The word means overflowing
Pooran-poli			Sweet stuffed bread. Wheat flour, gram.
Poriyal			Side dish for rice prepared from one or more vegetables with little oil stirred, with daal half boiled and coconut / mustard seeds.
Prawn malai curry			Curry. Prawns, coconut cream, crushed mustard seed, red chillies. Bengali dish.
Puli sadam			Tamarind rice
Puri			Bread. Wheat flour.
Puri Bhaji			Breakfast or Snack
Puttu			Ground Rice.
Ragi Mudhe
Rajma			Main. Kidney beans & assorted spices.
Rajma Chaval			Bean curry with rice
Ramatori subji
Rasam (dish)			Tarmard Soup with pepper with rice and taken.Helps for Regular Digestion
Rasya Muthia			Snack. A spicy yogurt dumpling soup.
Red Rice			Special local variety of rice.
Rice			Staple Food.
Rongi
Rosgulla			Dessert. Cottage cheese, flour and sugar syrup. Signature Bengali condiment.
Sabudana Khichadi			Vegetarian Snack. Sago.
Sabzi (curry)			Different green or other vegetables.
Sajjige			Sweet dish
Sakkara pongal			Sweet rice dish
Sambar			Lentil soup with vegetables and masala mixed with rice and taken.
Samosa			Normally served as an entree or appetiser. Potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, may be served with a mint or tamarind sauce
Sattu ki Roti			A flour based bread consisting of a mixture of ground pulses and cereals .
Sev Khamani			Snack. Chana dal, green chillies, ginger, lemon juice and olive oil.
Sev Tameta			Veggie. Potatoes and sev.
Sevai			Kind of rice vermicelli used for breakfast.
Sevai lunch			Kind of rice vermicelli mixed with either tamarind or lemon or coconut.
Shahi paneer			A popular Indian, as well as Punjabi and Nepalese dish, made with paneer (cottage chesse), in a thick cream and tomato gravy and spices
Shahi tukra			Bread. Bread pudding in a rich sauce of thickened milk, garnished with sliced almonds.
Shakarpara			Snack. A deep fried snack made out of sugar and wheat. AKA a donut.
Shankarpali			Sweet or savoury snack. Plain flour, sugar.
Shiro			Sweet roasted semolina/flour/dal with milk, butter, sugar, nuts and raisins.
Shondesh			Dessert. Milk, sugar. Signature Bengali Dish
Shrikhand			Sweet A thick yogurt-based sweet dessert garnished with ground nuts, cardamom, and saffron.
Shukto			Curry. Vegetables, ghee, milk. Traditional Bengali dish.
Singhada Halwa			Lotus fruit dried and powdered to make this fasting sweet meat.
Sohan papdi			Sweet
Sooji Halwa			Semolina cooked with clarified butter and Dry fruits. Semolina (Suji), clarified butter, cashew nuts.
Soonvali			Snack
Sukhdi			Sweet
Sunga Pitha			Sweet Assamese specialty
Sunga Pork			Rich spicy pork curry
Sutarfeni			Sweet
Sweet Pethas/ kesar petha/ pista petha
Tenga Doi			Sour curd
Thalipeeth			Savoury pancake. Mixed grain flour.
Thayir sadam, Mosaranna			Curd rice
Thengai sadam			Coconut rice
Til Pitha			Sweet Assamese specialty. Rice powder, til, jiggery
Undhiyu			Mix veggi. Plantain, brinjal, carrot, green chillies, potatoes, fresh coconut and other vegetable.
Upmaa			Vegetarian snack. Semolina.
Uttapam			Rice Pancake/Hopper with a topping of onions/tomatoes/coconut.
VadaI			Savory donut. Urad dal.
Vada pav			Burger. Gram flour, potatoes, chilli, garlic, ginger.
Varuval			Vegetables fried in shallow oil
Veg Kolhapuri			Vegetarian dish. Mixed vegetables.
Vegetable Jalfrezi
Vindaloo			Goan pork vindaloo. Pork, goan red chilli paste.
Wheat Upma			A breakfast dish and snack. Upma prepared from Wheat Dhalia Rava.
Yelumincham sadam, Chitranna			Lemon rice. Rice, lemon juice.

 

Marchoba		Asparagus
Bengan		Aubergine / Eggplant
Chakandar		Beetroot
Shimla mirch		Bell pepper
Karela		Bitter gourd
Sabaz gobhi		Broccoli
Baand gobhi		Brussels sprout
Kadu		Butternut squash
Baand gobi		Cabbage
Gaajar		Carrot
Phool gobhi		Cauliflower
Ajwain / Khrasani		Celery
Mirch		Chilli
Makai		Corn / Sweetcorn
Hare tore		Courgette / Zucchini
Kheera		Cucumber
Lassan		Garlic
Adrak		Ginger
Sabz phaly		Green bean
Hara pyaaz		Leek
Slaad		lettuce
Taro		Root vegetable
Bhindi		Okra
Zetoon		Olive
Pyaaz		Onion
Matar		Pea
Alu		Potato
Paythaa		Pumpkin
Mooli		Radish
Palak		Spinach
Timatar		Tomato
Shaljam		Turnip
Shakar qandi		Yam / Sweet potato
Edoes