Commonly Used Terms and Phrases

Aachar Pickle.
Ajwain Seeds from the thymol plant - relative of the cumin and caraway seeds.
Aloo Potato.
Bajji Deep fried fritters made with besan batter. Bajji can also classify curried vegetables cooked in a little sauce.
Besan Ground gram lentils also known as gram flour - used in batters, dumplings, sweets and breads.
Baingan Eggplant, aubergine, bringal.
Bhindi Oakra, ladies fingers.
Dhal Lentils- any of the pulse family eg kidney beans; split peas; chickpeas etc. Dhal is used to describe not only an ingredient, but also the dish made from it.
Gobi Cauliflower.
Garam Masala North Indian spice mix - means "warming spice mix" containing ground coriander, cumin, cardamon, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Gosht Meat - usually lamb or goat.
Jeera Cumin seeds.
Jhinga Prawns.
Kachumber Chopped salad usually containing cucumber, onion, tomato and coriander.
Karahi Heavy cast iron pan, similar in shape to a wok. Also denotes a style of cooking - "Karahi Chicken".
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Kheema Minced meat, usually lamb.
Kheer Rice Pudding.
Kofta Can be vegetable or meat shaped dumplings usually in curried sauce.
Kulfi Indian style ice cream made from milk, sugar, cardamon and pistachios or almonds.
Laccha Thinly sliced salad - speciality from Delhi of onion, tomato and cucumber and spices.
Masala Spice blend.
Methi Fenugreek leaves, can be fresh or dried.
Mirch Chillies.
Murgh Chicken.
Muttar Green peas.
Naan Plain flour leavened bread cooked in the tandoor.
Navaratan Literally translated means "nine items" vegetable curry containing a selection of seasonal vegetables.
Palak Spinach.
Pulao Rice flavoured with spices sometimes yellow with saffron.
Papadam Deep-fried thin corn chips like discs made from ground lentils and spices.
Paneer Home made ricotta style cheese.
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Paratha Wholemeal, flat, unleavened bread enriched with butter or clarified butter. Can be cooked in the tandoor or on a hot plate. Frequently stuffed with potatoes.
Pudina Mint.
Raan Leg of lamb.
Raita Yoghurt accompaniment often made with cucumber, spices and yoghurt.
Saag Usually refers to spinach but can be a mix of green leafy vegetables.
Samosa Crisp flaky pastries - deep fried, can be filled with minced lamb and peas or potato and peas.
Seekh Kebab Seekh's are the long metal skewers used to hold the meat cooked in the tandoor. Seekh kebab's are minced lamb and spices and are sausage shaped.
Shorva Soup.
Shashlick Skewered meat or vegetables - char grilled or cooked in the tandoor. This dish is served on the skewers.
Tandoor Barrel shaped clay oven, traditionally fired by charcoal but can be gas fired. Meat is cooked on skewers and bread is cooked on the walls of the tandoor. Temperatures reach up to 250 degrees Celsius, resulting in evenly cooked, moist meat and smoky flavoured breads.
Tandoori Chicken Chicken on the bone marinated in yoghurt and spices, cooked in the tandoor on skewers. The distinctive red colour is derived from food colouring.
Tikka "Tikka" literally translates to "little pieces".
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Curries

Biryani Traditionally biryani is an aromatic combination of lamb, chicken or mixed vegetables, baked together with rice (white or saffron yellow rice). In a restaurant, where it is made to order, it is usually rice combined with a dry curry of chicken or lamb and garnished with fried shallots, flaked almonds and dried fruit.
Jhalfrezi Jhalfrezi is a stir-fried curry with sliced meat or chicken, sliced onions, red and green capsicums and tomato. It has a light sauce and can be quite spicy with fresh sliced green chillies to garnish. Not a traditional Indian curry, Jhalfrezi is a British adaptation to traditional curries to utilize left over roast meats.
Korma/Kurma A very mildly spiced creamy curry sauce, thickened with ground almonds or cashew nuts. Sometimes using meat marinated in yoghurt and spices.
Kashmiri Kashmiri curry sauce is a rich and creamy sauce, flavoured with ginger, yoghurt, cream and ground almonds. It sometimes also contains dried fruit as a garnish.
Rogan Josh A very popular favourite amongst most Indian menus. Originating in the North of India, Rogan Josh is often made with lamb and contains freshly ground spices. It derives its rich red colour from red Kashmiri chillies and fresh tomatoes.
Saag Saag gosht or gosht saagwalla literally means "meat with spinach". This dish can also be called "palak" gosht. Palak is spinach on its own, where as saag could be any combination of fresh green leaves, fenugreek, silver beet, mustard greens etc. The curry is usually served quite dry and spicy and has a rich green colour.
Tikka Masala Tikka masala is a semi-dry, well-spiced chicken curry, rich and creamy with coconut. The dish is deep red in colour, obtained from the colour in the pieces of tandoori chicken fillets. Tikka masala can also contain pieces of capsicum and red onion.
Molee Creamy curry with coconut milk, this curry is popular in Kerala on India's West Coast, and usually contains seafood and is often very hot.
Vindaloo Extremely hot and spicy curry - the word is Portuguese for vinegar and garlic, which form the base of this curry's sauce. The Portuguese in Goa invented this dish.
Dum A classic Mogul technique of long slow cooking food in sealed pots (usually clay). The pots are often sealed with dough, which helps to seal and lock in the flavours of the dish, which can be meat, chicken or vegetables.
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