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| achar |
pickle
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| aloo |
potato
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| bhaji, onion |
Deep fried balls of onion and batter. The batter is made from gram flour which is derived from chana dhal. The name can be a little confusing because restaurants use the term "bhaji" both for the deep fried onion sort and for various dishes e.g. bhindi bhaji, brinjal bhaji, which are vegetables cooked in a little curry sauce.
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| bhindi |
okra, ladies fingers
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| brinjal |
aubergine ( eggplant)
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| chana dhal |
Also known as gram dhal or Bengal gram. It is a yellow dhal which looks like split peas but is much tastier and does not break up when cooked. Chana dhal is related to chick peas and can be ground into a flour to make the batter for pakoras and onion bhajis.
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| chapati |
A flat, unleavened bread made with finely milled wholemeal flour. Eaten hot. Traditionally, pieces of chapati are curled up with the right hand and used like a spoon to scoop up meat and sauce from a curry.
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| chat |
Chats are traditionally cold snacks or salads but chat literally means "lick". Indian restaurants often offer a potato chat and a chicken chat and will serve them warm. Chats are spiced with chat masala which you might recognise as the flavouring in Bombay Mix.
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| Chef's special |
The Chef's special dishes (of course!). Try one instead of your regular tikka masala or madras. In many contemporary restaurants the Chef's specials will include some authentic regional dishes. Well worth trying.
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| curd |
yoghurt |
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| dhal |
Dhal refers to any of the pulse family - dried peas, beans and lentils. There are hundreds of types of dhal but the most common in restaurants are "masoor dhal" (split red lentils) and "chana dhal". The word dhal is also used to describe the name of the finished dish. e.g. tarka dhal where cooked dhal is garnished with fried garlic and spiced oil.
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| dhania |
Coriander. Dhania can refer either to the seeds or to the fresh leaves ( cilantro) so dhania chicken could be either chicken cooked with coriander leaves or chicken cooked in a sauce rich in ground coriander seed.
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| gobhi |
cauliflower
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| gosht |
meat, typically lamb or mutton
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| jeera |
Cumin seed. The J in Jeera is pronounced like the S in pleaSure
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| karahi |
A concave cooking pan similar to a wok but with 2 handles. Used for stir-frying dishes over a high heat. The term can also refer to
a smaller serving dish of the same shape.
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| keema |
minced meat, usually lamb
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| methi |
Fenugreek. Restaurants typically use the leaves rather than the seeds. The dried leaves have a pungent aroma. In a dish such as methi aloo the fenugreek leaves should be fresh rather than dried. In their fresh form the leaves are milder and used like spinach. Pronounced "met-hee".
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| mirch |
chilli
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| murgh |
chicken
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| muttar |
peas
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| nan |
A teardrop shaped leavened bread cooked in a tandoor. Nan bread is cooked by slapping it onto the wall of the tandoor where it sticks while baking. Nan has a unique flavour because it is cooked in the tandoor alongside meaty kebabs. The kebabs give off juices which burst into little droplets when they hit the charcoal imparting a smoky flavour to the nan. There are numerous types of nan including stuffed ones. For example, a kulcha is a nan stuffed with onions and a Peshwari nan is a nan stuffed with sultanas, coconut and ground almonds. Nan is pronounced "nah-rn".
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picture by permission of and
© Beech Ovens
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| palak |
spinach
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| paneer |
Home-made cheese made by boiling whole milk and then curdling it with an acid such as lemon juice. The whey is then strained off and the curds are pressed to extract moisture. The end result is a block of fresh cheese which is cut into cubes. Paneer has a mild taste and does not melt when heated.
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| paratha |
A flat, unleavened bread enriched with butter. Similar to a chapati but thicker and layered to give a flaky texture. Can be stuffed with a spicy filling of mashed vegetables or minced meat.
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| pilau rice |
Fried rice flavoured with spices. Pilau rice is often coloured with food colouring for added effect.
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| popadom |
Deep fried crispy wafers made with lentil flour. Popadoms are often served warm as an appetiser accompanied by a selection of chutneys.
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| prawn and puri / puree |
A puri is a deep fried unleavened bread. For some reason best known to themselves many restaurants insist on writing puri as "puree" on the menu. This often confuses newcomers to Indian restaurants who think they are ordering a purée of prawns ( shrimps). But no, the prawns arrive at the table whole served in a thick bhuna-like sauce.
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| saag |
Saag usually refers to spinach on the Indian restaurant menu although, strictly speaking, it means soft green leaves like fresh fenugreek leaves, mustard greens or, of course, spinach.
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| samosa |
Deep fried triangular pastries filled with either spiced vegetables or minced lamb.
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| seekh kebab |
A long sausage shaped kebab made with spiced minced lamb. Can be cooked in the tandoor or on a char-grill
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| shashlik |
Chunks of marinated chicken or lamb threaded onto a skewer with pieces of onion, pepper and tomato and cooked either in the tandoor or over a char-grill. Shashlik is often served on extremely hot cast iron dishes which cause the juices to sizzle while the dish is being brought to the table. It is sometimes therefore known as "chicken sizzler".
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| tandoor |
Barrel shaped clay oven. Traditionally fired with charcoal although gas fired tandoors are sometimes used in restaurants. The enclosed nature of the oven, the thick walls and the fierce heat source mean that wall temperatures can reach up to 250ºC. Nan breads are stuck onto the inner walls of the oven and cook in seconds. Tandoori chicken and kebabs are threaded onto skewers and let down into the oven for rapid cooking in the high heat. Chicken quarters can take as little as 10 minutes to cook.
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picture by permission of and
© Beech Ovens
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| tandoori chicken |
Chicken quarters which have been marinated in yoghurt and spices and then cooked in the tandoor. The characteristic red colour of tandoori chicken is usually achieved in restaurants by the use of artificial food colouring.
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| tikka |
Tikka means "little pieces". Tikkas are small chunks of chicken or lamb which have been marinated in yoghurt and spices and then threaded onto skewers and cooked in a tandoor or over a char-grill. Chicken tikka can be served dry or added to a rich creamy sauce to make the famous chicken tikka masala. As with tandoori chicken, the red colour of tikka and the same colour in tikka masala comes from artificial food colouring. |
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