Indian Food Definitions: user's guide to eating out!

Indian Eating: Definitions

Aloo: Potato

Basmati rice: Basmati rice is authentic Indian long grained white rice, which has unique nutty flavor. Basmati rice is very popular in India and all over the world.

Biryani: Elaborate dish made from spiced saffron rice cooked with pieces of lamb, chicken or vegetables.

Chappati: Unleavened Indian flat-bread made with wheat flour, water, oil and salt. Usually cooked on a "tava" or thick griddle and brushed with "ghee".

Chaat: Salty snacks served with an array of sweet and spicy chutneys. 

Chana (chole/chanay): “Chickpea”- Garbanzo beans.

Chutney: Fresh relishes made with fruits, vegetables, and herbs. 

Curry: To the Indians, the term curry means gravy or sauce, Curries are what made Indian cuisine famous all over the world, the most famous of all is the Chicken Curry. Residents of the rest of the world, however, have come to think of "curry" as simply a thick creamy yellow sauce or any dish seasoned with a curry-powder blend, whether it has a sauce or not. An authentic Indian curry is an intricate combination of a stir-fried wet masala (mixture of onion, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes), various spices and seasonings with which meat, poultry, vegetables or fish is prepared to produce a stew-type dish

Daal: (Dal/Dhal/Daal) the preparation of dried peas, beans, and lentils which are red, yellow orange, or pink, plus split peas and other legumes. The husks are removed and the legume is split (like split peas).

Dosa: A popular delicacy from southern India made from rice and "urad" daal. They are usually made very thin and pancake-like and sometimes filled with a spiced potato mixture. Served with chutney and "sambar".

Gosht: Meat. Usually adapted by the western world to mean “lamb”.

Gobi: cauliflower

Kheer: Essentially a rice pudding, made with rice, milk and sugar flavored with cardamom. Sometimes nuts are added. Served either hot or cold.

Koftas: Spiced meat or vegetable balls. 

Korma: Rich sauce thickned with yogurt, nuts or poppy seeds. 

Lassi : A tall cool drink made from yogurt and water and made either sweet or salty.

Masala: Spices, herbs and other seasonings ground or pounded together. When wet ingredients like water, vinegar, yogurt etc. are added to the spice mixture it is appropriately called a "wet masala". Dry spice mixtures are also called "Garam masala"

Masoor: Lentils

Mutter : Peas

Naan: Indian flat bread made from wheat and baked in a tandoor.

Palak: Spinach

Paneer: Indian Cheese made with the use of lemon and milk to separate the curds and create the cheese.

Paratha: Whole-wheat unleavened flatbread. It is sometimes filled with cooked ground meat or a vegetable mixture. Slightly larger than a Chappati and shallow fried to perfection

Rogan Josh: Rich lamb curry.

Roti: is Bread in Hindi. "Tandoori roti" is bread that is baked in a tandoor, "Rumali Roti" or literally meaning handkerchief bread is a kind of a thin and flaky partha made up of many layers. 

Saag Curry: Aromatic curried dish made from greens (like spinach or mustard leaves).

Samosas: Deep-fried pastry appetizers filled with vegetable or meat mixtures.

Tandoor: The traditional Indian clay oven is called the "Tandoor". A Tandoor is a clay pot usually sunken neck deep in the ground. Charcoal is put on the flat bottom of the pot.  The heat generated by the hot charcoal in and on the sides of the clay pot is used for cooking. Long iron rods, long enough to reach the bottom of the pot, are used in the cooking process.  It is probably the most versatile kitchen equipment in the Indian kitchen. Barbecues, breads, daal, gravies made in them acquire a unique taste, very different from the food cooked on the regular kitchen oven. 

Tikka: Skewered boneless meat cubes cooked in a tandoor.  

Vindaloo: Meat usually pork is used to make this very spicy and flavorful dish. Cooked in vinegar and typically served 2 to 3 days after it is made. A great dish to make when entertaining as it can be made ahead of time.