Though vegetarian dishes featuring rice and a variety of beans dominate Indian cuisine, India's cooking has also been influenced by traders such as the Arabs and Chinese, and invaders such as the Persians, Mongols, Turks, British and Portuguese. North Indian food features more dairy and pulses, while South Indian cooking includes more rice, curries, and fruits like coconut.
Biryani: Meat and rice dish
Boti Kabab: Marinated lamb kabobs cooked in a tandoor
Cardamom: Seed with aromatic flavor—4 whole pods make 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Coriander: Available as a ground spice (ground coriander seeds) or fresh coriander leaves (also known as cilantro)
Chili Peppers: Jalapenos and milder Anaheim chili peppers
Chutney: Fresh relishes made with fruits, vegetables, and herbs
Dal: Dried beans, peas, and lentils—Can also be used to describe a dish prepared with legumes (such a creamy lentil soup)
Ghee: Clarified butter used in sauteeing and less commonly for deep frying
Gulab Jamun: Deep-fried cake balls served with aromatic syrups
Koftas: Lamb meatballs
Korma: Rich nut-based sauce used in lamb dishes
Kulcha: Flatbread often stuffed with onion or vegetables (potatoes and cilantro)
Kulfi: Sweet, aromatic ice cream made from pistachios
Masala: Spice mixture
Mattar Paneer: Curried peas (mattar) with cubes of paneer
Moghlai Kabab: Skewered lamb
Murgh Kari: Curried chicken
Naan: Flatbread made from wheat and baked in a tandoor
Pakoras: Deep-fried vegetables snack first dipped in chick-pea batter
Palak: Spinach
Paneer: Home-made cheese similar to firm ricotta
Paratha: Whole-wheat flatbread—sometimes meat-filled
Poppadums: Thin wafers made from lentils
Pulau: Indian version of pilaf
Puris: Deep-fried whole-wheat flatbreads
Raan: Leg of lamb marinated in yogurt-based masala
Rayta: Vegetable and yogurt salad
Roghan Josh: Rich lamb curry
Saag Curry: Aromatic curried dish made from greens (saag)
Saffron: An expensive yet important herb collected from the crocus flower—has a distinct flavor and also imparts orange color
Samosas: Deep-fried pastry appetizers filled with vegetable or meat mixtures
Sultana: Golden raisins used in Indian cooking
Seekh Kabab: Kabobs of ground lamb cooked in a tandoor
Tamarind: pulp of a fruit that resembles gigantic vanilla beans with a distinct sour-sweet flavor—used in marinades, sauces, and chutneys
Tandoori murgh: Chicken (murgh) cooked in a tandoor
Tikka kabobs: Skewered boneless chicken cutlets (tikka) cooked in a tandoor
Turmeric: slightly bitter ocher-yellow powder ground from boiled and dried rhizome
Wet Masala: A thick marinade "paste" for meats
Yogurt: Adds important texture and flavor to dishes—use plain yogurt for home-cooking
from Kate's Global Kitchen:
Back to the main India page
India on Wikipedia
More country Destinations
This page modified January 2007

The Global Gourmet®
Main Page

Spring Recipes for
Easter & Passover
Twitter: @KateHeyhoe
Advanced Search
Recent Searches
Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Books
Cookbook Profiles
Global Destinations
Holiday & Party Recipes
I Love Desserts
On Wine
Shopping
New Green Basics
Cooking with Kids
Archives
Conversions, Charts
& Substitutions
Search
About the
Global Gourmet®
Contact Info
Advertising
Feedback
Privacy Statement
Cooking Italian
175 Home Recipes
4-Hour Chef
Bakery Cookbook
Barefoot Contessa
Bouchon Bakery
Burma: Rivers of Flavor
Cake Mix Doctor
Comfort Food
Craft of Coffee
Crazy Sexy Kitchen
Daily Cookie
Fifty Shades Chicken
French Slow Cooker
Frontera - Rick Bayless
Gluten-Free Quick & Easy
Jerusalem: A Cookbook
Kitchen Science
Lidia's Favorite Recipes
Make-Ahead and Freeze
Modern Milkshakes
Modernist Cuisine
Mystic Cookbook
Paleo Slow Cooking
Picky Palate
Pop Bakery
Practical Paleo
Quick Family Cookbook
Saltie
Sensational Cookies
Smitten Kitchen
Southern Living Recipes
Sweet Life in Paris
Trader Joe's Vegetarian
True Food
Whole Larder
Copyright © 1994-2013,
Forkmedia LLC
Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts
Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts
Bestselling Cookbooks
Cooking Light Store
Kitchen Markdowns
Buy 3 Products, Get 4th Free
Kitchen Bonus Deals
Cookware Rebates
Bestselling Small Appliances