FOOD Terminology used in Indian Cuisines.

1)      Baghar or Tadka or Chounk: Spices and herbs are added one at a time to hot oil and this tempering is either done as the first step in the cooking process, before adding the vegetables for example, or as the last, pouring the tempered oil over a cooked dish. The oil extracts and retains all the sharp flavours of the spices and flavors the entire dish.

2)      Balchao , A Goan speciality where vegetables like aubergines or seafood like prawns are "pickled" in sugar, vinegar and spices for a day or two before eating.

3)      Bhunao or Bhuna is to saute or stir-fry.  Usually onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies are fried in oil, but to make sure that this doesn’t stick, burn or cook unevenly, a small amount of liquid is added, repeatedly.

4)      Curry: To the Indians, the term curry means gravy or sauce, Curries are what made Indian cuisine famous all over the world, the most famous of all is the Chicken Curry.

5)      Do Pyaza: A mildly flavored creamy dish made with onions; usually twice cooked onions with meat.

6)      Ekuri *: Indian version of scrambled eggs, which obviously means the addition of onions and spices.

7)      Feni *: The Goan drink made from cashews or coconut is the perfect beach drink.

8)      Karanji *: Pastries made out of whole-wheat flour and filled with a cooked mixture of freshly grated coconut and sugar. It is a Maharashtrian delicacy.

9)      Kalvan *: Curry  in Marathi ( an Indian language from the state of Maharashtra) 

10)  Khichadi: Mildly spiced rice and daal preparation.

11)  Korma: Rich sauce thickned with yogurt, nuts or poppy seeds.

12)  Upma: Spiced semolina cooked with or without tiny cubed potatoes, peas, and sometime shrimp and garnished with freshly grated coconut and cilantro.  

13)  Vindaloo: Meat usually pork is used to make this very spicy and flavorful dish. Cooked in vinegar and typically served 2 to 3 days after it is made.

14)  Dhuanaar (Smoking): Glowing charcoal is placed in a small katori, or bowl, cooked meats are placed around this. Dry spices and ghee are poured on top of the coals and a lid is quickly placed over the meat. This smoking adds a delicate flavour to the prepared meats.

15)  Basundi is an Indian dessert mostly in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. It is a dense sweetened paste made by boiling milk on low heat until the milk is reduced by half.

16)  Cafreal is a spicy chicken preparation consumed widely in the Indian state of Goa. The generic preparation involves onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, mace and fresh coriander leaves.

17)  Dalcha is a Indian curry made from mutton and chana dal. It is a dish of Hyderabadi cuisine.

18)  Dhansak is a popular Indian dish, very popular among the Parsi community and combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine.

19)  Farsan  is a collective term used for a type of snacks from the Indian state of Gujarat. Some are fried items which are then dried and can be stored, others fresh, fried or steamed.

20)  Ghugni is an evening snack in Eastern India (Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Assam). Black gram (Kala Chana) or dried yellow peas or dried white peas is cooked with gravy, in the traditional eastern Indian style.

21)  Junka is a dish prepared in North Karnataka and Maharashtra. Its chief ingredient, gram flour (besan), is mixed with water to form a stiff paste. It is then sauteed in oil with other ingredients and served with roti or more traditionally with Bhakri. The dish is also referred to as Junka bhakar.

22)  Kozhukkattai  is a popular Indian sweet made from rice flour, grated coconut and jaggery, and is similar to Modak made in other parts of India.

23)  Lukhmi is a typical mince savoury or starter of the cuisine of Hyderabad, India. The snack's authentic preparation includes stuffing with mutton-mince kheema.

24)  Mishti Doi or মিষ্টি দই (Bengali) or Mitha Dahi (Oriya) is a sweet dahi or sweet yogurt. This type of yogurt is common in the states of Orissa and West Bengal in India, and in Bangladesh. It is made with milk, and sugar while also using yogurt and curd.

25)  Muthia, The name is derived from the way it is made, from the 'gripping' action of the hand. It resembles sausage, but is a vegan dish. It is made up of Chickpea flour, Methi (Fenugreek), Salt, Turmeric, Chili powder, an optional bonding agent/sweetener such as sugar and oil. It is a very good staple of Gujaratis.

26)  Mukhwas is a colorful Indian and Pakistani after-meal snack or digestive aid WITH  with fennel seeds, anise seeds, coconut, and sesame seeds.

27)  Neyyappam is a south Indian speciality common in Kerala. These are rice pancakes fried in Ghee. A batter of pouring consistency is made of rice flour and jaggery. Cardamom and dried ginger are added for flavour. Neyyappam is derived from "Neyy" which means Ghee and "appam", pancake.

28)  Poriyal serves as a side dish to a three course meal of rice with sambhar, rasam and curd.

29)  Thoran  is a dry Keralite dish and also a game (south India), made of vegetables such as peas, unripe jackfruit, carrots or cabbage with grated coconut.

30)  Vinyali is a dish of pork and spices with influences from Kerala in Southern India and Malayalees in Malaysia. Generally hot / piquant as much chili and ginger is used.

31)  Xacuti is a curry prepared in Goa, India with complex spicing, including white poppy seeds and large dried red chilies. It is usually prepared with chicken or lamb. It is also known as chacuti, in Portuguese.

32)  Undhiyu is a Gujarati mixed vegetable casserole that is a regional speciality of Gujurat, India. The name comes from "undhu" which is Gujarati for "upside-down".