Glossary

Desi kitchen glossary

Achariاچاری

Cooked with the spices used for desi pickles (achar): fennel, nigella, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and cumin, usually with a sour note from lemon or vinegar. Achar gosht and achari chicken take their tangy taste from this mix.

Ajwainاجوائن

Carom seeds: tiny seeds with a strong thyme-like taste. Used in pakora batter, parathas and fish masala, and said to help digestion.

Amchurامچور

Dried green mango powder. It adds a fruity sourness without liquid, so it is sprinkled into dry vegetable dishes, chaat and spice blends like pav bhaji masala.

Anardanaانار دانہ

Dried seeds of sour pomegranates, used whole or crushed to add a fruity sourness to chana chaat, chutneys and parathas.

Ashta (qishta)عشطہ (قشطہ)

A thick, clotted Arabic cream, traditionally made by skimming the skin from simmered milk. It fills qatayef and tops many Levantine sweets. A quick version is made by thickening milk and cream with cornflour.

Attaآٹا

Finely ground whole-wheat flour, used for roti, chapati and paratha. It is softer and absorbs more water than Western whole-wheat flour.

Baelبیل

Wood apple: a hard-shelled fruit grown across South Asia, with a sticky, fragrant orange pulp that tastes of tamarind, mango and marmalade. Used for cooling summer sharbats; the dried pulp is sold as bel giri.

Baharatبہارات

The Arabic word for "spices", and the name of an all-purpose blend of black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, cardamom and nutmeg used across the Levant and the Gulf, much like garam masala.

Besanبیسن

Gram flour, ground from dried split chickpeas. It makes the batter for pakoray, thickens kadhi, and is the base of besan ladoo.

Bhartaبھرتا

A vegetable (most often eggplant) roasted until soft, then peeled, mashed and cooked into a masala. Roasting over an open flame gives it its smoky taste.

Bhunaiبھونائی

Stir-frying the masala over steady heat, scraping and stirring, until the oil separates from it and the raw smell of tomato and spices is gone. Most of the deep flavour in desi cooking comes from this step.

Biristaبریستہ

Thinly sliced onions fried slowly until deep golden-brown and crisp. Used inside and on top of biryani for sweetness and colour.

Brineنمکین پانی (برائن)

Salted water (sometimes with milk, buttermilk or spices) that chicken soaks in before frying or grilling. The salt seasons the meat all the way through and helps it hold on to its juices, which is why fried chicken from good shops stays juicy inside.

Bulgurبلغور

Wheat that has been boiled, dried and cracked. It cooks quickly and is used in pilav, kısır and köfte. Coarse bulgur suits pilav; fine bulgur suits kısır. Coarse dalia is a reasonable substitute in Pakistan.

Çaydanlıkچائیدانلک

The Turkish double teapot: water boils in the large bottom pot while strong tea brews in the small one on top. Each glass is mixed to taste from the two.

Cezveجزوے

The small long-handled pot used to brew Turkish coffee, usually copper or brass. A very small saucepan works at home.

Chaasچھاچھ

Thin, salted buttermilk: yogurt whisked with plenty of water, often spiced with roasted cumin, ginger and curry leaves. Drunk after meals across India to cool down and help digestion.

Chaat masalaچاٹ مصالحہ

A tangy spice mix of dried mango powder, black salt, cumin and other spices, sprinkled over chaat, fruit, fries and salads.

Charbiچربی

Rendered or raw animal fat, usually beef or mutton fat from the butcher. Melted charbi is the traditional frying fat for Peshawari chapli kebabs and is often mixed into kebab mince to keep it juicy.

Chashniچاشنی

Sugar syrup made by boiling sugar with water, sometimes scented with cardamom, kewra or rose water. Mithai such as gulab jamun are soaked in a light chashni; halwa is cooked with a thin one.

Chhenaچھینا

Fresh curds from curdled milk, drained but not pressed hard, then kneaded until smooth. The soft base of Bengali sweets such as rasgulla and sandesh.

Coffee concentrateکافی کنسنٹریٹ

Coffee brewed much stronger than you would drink it, meant to be diluted with water, milk or ice before serving. Cold brew is usually made as a concentrate and kept in the fridge.

Couscousکسکس

Tiny granules of semolina rolled with water and steamed. Traditional couscous is steamed two or three times over a simmering stew; instant couscous only needs soaking in boiling water.

Curry leavesکڑی پتہ

The fragrant leaves of the curry tree (kadi patta), not related to curry powder. Fried in oil for a few seconds until they crackle, they give South Indian food its signature aroma. Fresh leaves freeze well.

Degchiدیگچی

A heavy, straight-sided cooking pot, usually aluminium or steel, with a fitted lid. The everyday pot for daal, salan, rice and biryani.

Dhungarدھوئیں کا دم (دُھنگار)

Smoking a dish with a piece of hot coal placed in a small bowl inside the pot, drizzled with ghee and covered for a few minutes. Gives keema, daal and kebabs a barbecue flavour.

Dosa batterڈوسے کا گھول

Rice and urad dal soaked, ground and left overnight to ferment until bubbly and slightly sour. The same batter makes dosa, idli and uttapam. It needs warmth (about 25–35°C) to rise.

Double fryingدو بار تلنا

Frying food twice: first at a lower heat to cook it through, then again in hotter oil for a minute or two to make the outside crisp and golden. Used for chips, wings and fried chicken; the crust stays crunchy far longer.

Dredgeآٹے میں لپیٹنا (ڈریج)

To roll or press food in a dry coating, usually seasoned flour and cornflour, just before frying. For crunchy fried chicken the pieces are dipped in liquid and dredged again, so the coating forms craggy flakes.

Dried lime (loomi)سوکھا لیموں (لومی)

Small limes boiled in salt water and dried in the sun until hard and dark. Pierced or crushed, they give a sour, earthy, slightly fermented flavour to Gulf, Iraqi and Persian stews and rice. Called loomi in the Gulf and noomi basra in Iraq.

Dumدم

Slow-cooking in a tightly sealed pot over very low heat so the food finishes in its own steam. Biryani is usually finished on dum.

Espressoایسپریسو

A small, very strong shot of coffee made by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee under pressure. Lattes, cappuccinos and iced lattes are built on it. At home without a machine, very strong instant coffee or moka-pot coffee is the usual stand-in.

Falooda sevفالودہ سیویاں

Thin, soft noodles made from cornflour (or arrowroot) used in falooda. They are boiled for a few minutes until translucent, then rinsed in cold water.

Frappéفراپے

A cold coffee drink blended with plenty of ice until thick, smooth and slushy, usually sweetened and flavoured (caramel, mocha) and topped with whipped cream. Unlike a milkshake, its body comes mainly from crushed ice rather than ice cream.

Freekehفریکہ

Young green wheat that is roasted over fire and then cracked, giving it a smoky, nutty flavour. Popular in Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Egypt for soups and pilafs.

Gheeگھی

Butter simmered until its water cooks off and the milk solids turn lightly golden, then strained. It has a nutty taste and can take high heat without burning.

Ghotnaگھوٹنا

Mashing and beating a dish (haleem, saag, daal) with a wooden masher until smooth and stringy. A hand blender does the same job faster.

Ginger-garlic pasteادرک لہسن کا پیسٹ

Fresh ginger and garlic ground together (often 1:1) into a paste. Fry it briefly until its raw smell disappears before adding wet ingredients.

Gurگڑ

Unrefined cane sugar (jaggery), sold in golden-brown blocks or lumps. It has a deep, caramel-like sweetness and is used in winter tea, sweets and rice dishes.

Handiہانڈی

A deep, narrow-mouthed cooking pot, traditionally clay. Dishes named after it, such as chicken handi, are usually rich and creamy and are often served in a small handi.

Harissaہریسہ

A North African chilli paste of dried red peppers, garlic, olive oil, caraway, coriander and cumin. It adds smoky heat to couscous, tagines and soups. (Not to be confused with harees, the Gulf wheat dish.)

Hingہینگ

Asafoetida: a dried plant resin with a strong, oniony smell that turns mellow and savoury once it hits hot oil. A pinch goes into most South Indian and Gujarati tarkas and into dal. Sold as a yellow compounded powder.

Idli standاڈلی اسٹینڈ

A stack of round plates with shallow cups that holds idli batter while it steams in a covered pot or pressure cooker (without the weight). Small steel bowls in a steamer work as a substitute.

Iftarافطار

The meal that breaks the fast at sunset in Ramadan. A Pakistani iftar table usually has dates, pakoras, samosas, fruit chaat and a cold sharbat.

Imli chutneyاملی کی چٹنی

A sweet and sour sauce made from tamarind pulp cooked with sugar or jaggery, salt, chili and roasted cumin until syrupy. It is the dark brown chutney drizzled over chaat, samosas, dahi bhallay and pakoray.

Kadayıfقدائف

Very fine strands of pastry, like vermicelli made from batter, used for künefe and other syrup desserts. Fine roasted vermicelli (seviyan) is the easiest Pakistani substitute.

Kahvaltıکاہوالتی

Turkish breakfast: a spread of cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, honey, jam and bread, with endless glasses of tea. The name means 'before coffee'.

Kala namakکالا نمک

Black salt: a pinkish-grey rock salt with a sulphury, egg-like smell. A small pinch gives shikanjvi, chaat, raita and lassi their tangy, savoury edge.

Kanniکنّی

The stage when boiled rice is about three-quarters cooked: soft outside with a firm core. Biryani rice is drained at kanni so it can finish on dum without going mushy.

Karahiکڑاہی

A deep, round-bottomed iron or steel pan with two handles, a bit like a heavy wok. Dishes cooked and served in it, such as chicken karahi, take its name.

Karakکڑک

Extra strong, used for chai. Karak tea gets more tea leaves and a longer simmer after the last boil, so it turns dark and bold.

Kashmiri chilliکشمیری مرچ

A mild dried red chilli prized for its bright red colour rather than its heat. Used in rogan josh, tandoori dishes and butter masala gravies. Mix paprika with a little regular chilli powder if you cannot find it.

Kasuri methiقصوری میتھی

Dried fenugreek leaves, originally from Kasur in Punjab. Crushed between the palms and added at the end, they give a deep, slightly bitter aroma.

Kewraکیوڑہ

A fragrant water distilled from screwpine flowers. A few drops perfume biryani, kheer, zarda and mithai; too much tastes soapy.

Khameerخمیر

Leavening, or a dough that has been left to rise with yeast (or an older piece of dough) until puffy and doubled. Naan and sheermal are made from khameeri, risen dough.

Khoyaکھویا

Milk cooked down slowly until almost all the water has gone, leaving soft, rich milk solids. Used in gajar halwa, barfi and many mithai.

Kokumکوکم

The dried purple rind of a fruit from India's west coast, used like tamarind to add a gentle sourness to Goan and Konkan curries, and soaked to make kokum sharbat and sol kadhi.

Kutti lal mirchکٹی لال مرچ

Crushed dried red chilies (chili flakes), seeds included. Gives heat and a slightly smoky look to karahi and kebabs.

Lachhaلچھا

Thin rings or strands, like a coil of thread. A lachha paratha is folded and coiled so it cooks into ring after ring of flaky layers; lachha pyaz is onion sliced into fine rings.

Madhaniمدھانی

A wooden churner with a star-shaped head, spun between the palms to whip yogurt into lassi or churn butter. A hand blender or whisk does the same job.

Maidaمیدہ

Fine white all-purpose flour, used for samosa pastry, puri, naan and baking. It makes softer, lighter breads than atta.

Makhaniمکھنی

Cooked in a smooth tomato sauce enriched with butter (makhan) and cream. Butter chicken is the best-known makhani dish.

Malaiملائی

The thick layer of cream that forms on top of full-fat milk after it is boiled and cooled. Spooned onto lassi, stirred into kheer or eaten with paratha.

Martabanمرتبان

A glazed ceramic or glass jar with a wide mouth, used in desi homes for pickles, murabba and fermented drinks like kanji. It does not react with salt or acid.

Mezeمیزے

Small shared dishes served before or with a meal: salads, dips, stuffed vegetables and cheeses, much like a spread of chutneys, raitas and chaats on a Pakistani table.

Moka potموکا پاٹ

A small stovetop coffee maker in two halves. Water in the bottom boils and pushes up through ground coffee into the top chamber, giving strong, espresso-like coffee without a machine.

Moyanموین

Fat (oil or ghee) rubbed into flour before any water goes in, until the flour looks like breadcrumbs and holds together when squeezed. It coats the flour so the pastry fries up short and crisp instead of chewy, as in samosas, papri and mathri.

Muddleہلکا کُوٹنا

Gently pressing and twisting mint, lime or fruit in the bottom of a glass or jug with a muddler or the back of a spoon, so it releases its juice and aromatic oils. Press, don't pound: shredded mint turns bitter.

Murmuraمرمرے

Puffed rice: rice grains heated in hot sand or salt until they puff up, light and crunchy. The base of bhel puri and jhal muri; also called kurmura or mamra.

Mustard oilسرسوں کا تیل

A pungent oil pressed from mustard seeds, the everyday cooking fat of Bengal, Kashmir and parts of North India. It is heated until it just smokes to mellow its sharpness before cooking.

Nalliنلی

A marrow bone, usually cut from the shank. Slow cooking melts the marrow into the gravy and gives nihari and paye their rich, sticky body.

Nar ekşisiنار ایکشیسی

Pomegranate molasses: pomegranate juice boiled down to a thick, sweet-sour syrup. It dresses kısır and salads. Make a quick version by simmering anardana with a little sugar and water and straining it.

Nashville hotنیش وِل ہاٹ

A style of fried chicken from Nashville, Tennessee (USA): crisp fried chicken brushed straight out of the fryer with a fiery paste of hot oil, cayenne pepper, a little brown sugar and spices, and served on white bread with pickles. Heat levels range from mild to extremely hot.

Orange blossom waterنارنج کے پھولوں کا عرق

A fragrant water distilled from bitter orange blossoms, used in small amounts in Arabic and Moroccan sweets and syrups, much as kewra and rose water are used in South Asia.

Panch phoronپنچ پھورن

Bengali "five spices": equal parts cumin, fennel, nigella, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, used whole and crackled in mustard oil at the start of a dish.

Paneerپنیر

Fresh, unsalted cheese made by curdling hot milk with lemon juice or vinegar and pressing the curds. It does not melt, so it can be cubed, fried and simmered in curries. The main protein of North Indian vegetarian cooking.

Patilaپتیلا

A round metal pot, from small ones with a long handle (for boiling milk and making chai) to large ones for boiling rice.

Pav bhaji masalaپاؤ بھاجی مصالحہ

A Mumbai street-food spice blend: coriander, cumin, Kashmiri chilli, fennel, dried mango powder (amchur), black salt, cinnamon and cloves. It gives pav bhaji its tangy, deep-red flavour.

Payeپائے

Goat, sheep or cow trotters slow-cooked for hours until the meat falls off the bone and the gravy turns thick and sticky from the gelatin. A famous Lahori breakfast eaten with naan.

Peraپیڑا

A ball of dough portioned out for one roti or paratha. Rolling the dough into smooth peray before rolling them out gives rounder, more even breads.

Phentnaپھینٹنا

Beating something hard with a whisk, spoon or your hand, always in one direction, to whip air into it. Beaten batter turns pale and fluffy and fries up light (soft bhallay, airy pakoray); beaten coffee and sugar turn into the pale foam of phenti hui coffee.

Phulkaپھلکا

A thin whole-wheat roti that is finished over an open flame or pressed on the tawa so it balloons with steam. The puffing separates the two layers and keeps the roti soft.

Preserved lemonنمکین لیموں کا اچار

Lemons cut and packed in salt and their own juice for a month until the peel turns soft and silky. The rind is rinsed, chopped and added to Moroccan tagines and salads for a fragrant, salty, lemony depth.

Pul biberپُل بیبر

Turkish red pepper flakes: mild, fruity and slightly oily, sprinkled on almost everything. Substitute 2 parts paprika (or Kashmiri chili) to 1 part crushed red chili.

Rabriربڑی

Milk simmered in a wide pan for a long time, with the cream that forms on top pulled back in, until it is thick, sweet and full of soft milky layers. Eaten on its own or spooned over shahi tukray, kulfi and jalebi.

Ras el hanoutراس الحانوت

A warm Moroccan spice blend whose name means "head of the shop", meaning the best the spice seller has. It usually includes cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom and sometimes rose petals.

Sabut garam masalaثابت گرم مصالحہ

Whole spices (usually cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black and green cardamom, black peppercorns and bay leaf) fried in oil at the start of a dish to flavour it.

Salanسالن

Any everyday curry with a gravy, meant to be eaten with roti or rice. A karahi is drier and thicker than a salan.

Salçaسالچا

Thick Turkish paste made from sun-dried tomatoes (domates salçası) or red peppers (biber salçası). It gives Turkish dishes their deep colour. Tomato paste works; for pepper paste, blend roasted red capsicum with a little chili and cook it down.

Sambar powderسانبھر مصالحہ

A roasted South Indian spice blend of coriander seeds, dried red chillies, chana dal, urad dal, cumin, fenugreek, black pepper and curry leaves, ground fine. It flavours sambar and many vegetable dishes.

Sandoسینڈو

Japanese shorthand for sandwich, now used worldwide for Japanese-style sandwiches on thick, soft, crustless milk bread (shokupan), such as katsu sando (crumbed cutlet) and tamago sando (creamy egg). Cafés also use it for any thick, neatly cut chicken sandwich.

Sattuستو

Flour made from roasted chickpeas (or sometimes roasted barley), with a nutty, toasty taste. High in protein, it is a staple of Bihar and eastern India, eaten as a stuffing for litti and parathas and stirred into water as a cooling drink.

Sevسیو

Fine, crunchy noodles of spiced gram flour (besan) dough pressed through a sieve straight into hot oil. Sprinkled over poha, bhel puri, sev puri and chaat. Thin aloo bhujia is a close substitute.

Shikoraشکورا

A small, shallow unglazed clay bowl used to set and serve firni. Soaked in water first, the clay draws a little moisture from the pudding as it sets and gives it a faint earthy smell.

Shorbaشوربہ

The gravy or broth of a salan. A dish can be made 'with shorba' (thin and plentiful, for rice) or 'dry' (thick, for roti).

Simple syrupسادہ شیرہ

Sugar dissolved in an equal or smaller amount of water, heated just until clear and then cooled. It mixes instantly into cold drinks, where plain sugar would sink to the bottom. Ginger, mint or citrus peel can be simmered in it for flavour.

Sujiسوجی

Semolina: coarse grains of wheat. Roasted in ghee it becomes suji halwa; it also adds crunch to puris and some batters.

Sumacسماق

A deep red, sour spice made from dried berries, used on onions, salads and kebabs. If you can't find it, a little lemon zest with anardana powder gives a similar sourness.

Tahiniتحینہ (تل کا پیسٹ)

A smooth paste of hulled, lightly toasted sesame seeds. It is the base of hummus, mutabbal and many sauces, and thickens to a cream when whisked with lemon juice and water.

Tariتری

The red, spiced layer of fat that floats on top of a slow-cooked salan such as nihari or paye. It is skimmed off and spooned back over each plate, and some people ask for extra.

Tarkaتڑکا

Whole spices, garlic or onion sizzled in hot ghee or oil and poured over a finished dish, usually daal, right before serving. Also called baghar.

Tawaتوا

A flat or slightly curved round iron griddle used for roti, paratha and anday. It is heated dry, and only a little ghee is added for parathas.

Tikkaتکہ

Boneless or bone-in pieces of meat or chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon and spices, then cooked over coals or in a hot pan until charred at the edges.

Tukh malangaتخمِ ملنگا

Sweet basil seeds. Soaked in water for 15–20 minutes they swell and grow a soft, jelly-like coat. Used in falooda and sharbats and valued as a cooling summer ingredient.

Ubaalاُبال

The moment chai or milk foams up and rises towards the rim. Letting doodh patti rise two or three times, lowering the heat in between, gives it its strong colour and taste.

White sauce (béchamel)وائٹ ساس (بیشامیل)

A smooth sauce made by cooking butter and flour together for a minute, then whisking in milk until thick. It is the base of white-sauce pasta, lasagne and many baked dishes; cheese stirred in at the end makes it richer.

Yakhniیخنی

A light stock made by simmering meat or chicken on the bone with whole spices, onion and garlic. Pulao rice is cooked in it, which is where most of its flavour comes from.

Yufkaیوفکا

Thin Turkish sheets of unleavened dough, similar to filo, used for börek and gözleme. In Pakistan, samosa or spring roll patti is the closest substitute; you can also roll your own.

Zeytinyağlıزیتن یاغلی

Turkish vegetables cooked gently in olive oil and served at room temperature, never hot. İmam bayıldı is the most famous example.