There are 15 official languages and 1568 dialects in India. Here we give you a taste of some of the food names that are widely recognized and commonly used in Indian cooking.
Appam: Wafer thin, round and flat. They are usually made out of rice, potato and/or various lentil flours.
Barfi: A dessert made from milk that has been cooked slowly and reduced to a fudge-like consistency. This sweet is flavoured with either saffron, vanilla essence, cocoa, rose water, etc. Sometimes nuts and fresh coconut are added.
Basmati rice: Basmati rice is authentic Indian long grained white rice with a unique nutty flavour.
Bhel Puri: One of Bombay s favourite snacks. It is a mixture of puffed rice, "sev", "puri", lentils, finely chopped onions, chopped coriander topped with two kinds of chutneys -- sweet tamarind date chutney or spicy onion chili chutney.
Biryani: Elaborate dish made from spiced saffron rice cooked with pieces of lamb, chicken or vegetables. It is usually made on special occasions since it takes a long time to make a biryani.
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".
Chai: Indian tea.
Chutney: Fresh relishes made with fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Daal: Daal is an Indian word, which includes dried peas, beans, and lentils which are red, yellow orange, or pink, plus split peas and other legumes. Daal can also be used to describe a soup like dish prepared with lentils.
Ekuri: Indian version of scrambled eggs with onions and spices.
Gulab Jamun: Deep-fried cake balls served with aromatic syrups.
Halva: Indian sweet made from a variety of finely grated vegetables, milk, sugar and flavoured with cardamom. The consistency is that of a thick pudding.
Idli: Steamed rice cakes. A very popular snack from the south of India which is generally eaten with sambar and chutney.
Kababs: Marinated and spiced small pieces of any meat, poultry, fish, ground meat, vegetables, skewered and grilled in a tandoor/oven or over a grill. Kebabs can also be shallow fried over a pan.
Kheer: Essentially a rice pudding, made with rice, milk and sugar flavoured with cardamom. Sometimes nuts are added. Served either hot or cold.
Koftas: Spiced meat or vegetable balls.
Korma: Rich sauce thickened with yogurt, nuts or poppy seeds.
Kulcha: Flatbread often stuffed with onion or potatoes and seasoned with cilantro.
Kulfi: Sweet, aromatic ice cream made from cream, milk, and sugar flavoured with mango, pistachios, saffron etc.
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" or commonly known in the world as curry powder.
Mutter Paneer: Curried peas with cubes of fried homemade cheese.
Naan: Indian flat bread made from wheat and baked in a tandoor.
Paratha: Wholewheat unleavened flatbread. It is sometimes filled with cooked ground meat or a vegetable mixture. Slightly larger than a Chappati and shallow fried.
Papad: Thin wafer like discs about 4 to 8 inches in diameter made from a variety of lentils, potato, shrimp, rice etc. The discs are deep fried or dry roasted on an open flame and served as a crispy savory appetizer.
Pulao: Delicately flavoured rice, sauted in ghee and flavoured with whole spices like cumin, cloves etc. There are many varieties of Pulao.
Puris: Deep-fried whole-wheat flatbreads. They are usually around 4 inches in diameter and puff up when deep-fried. Delicious when hot!
Saag Curry: Aromatic curried dish made from greens (saag).
Samosa: 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.
Tikka: Skewered boneless meat cubes cooked in a tandoor.
Vindaloo: Meat, usually pork, is used to make this very spicy and flavourful dish. Cooked in vinegar and typically served 2 to 3 days after it is made.
