Achar is the name in India for “pickle relishes.” Just as there are many different types of pickle relishes in the West, so there are many different types of Achar made in India. Many families have their own prized recipes. Achars are spicy relishes, though some will be hotter and some will be milder. Some…
Indian Food
Ajowan Seed
Ajowan Seed tastes somewhat similar to thyme, with a touch of bitterness. It has in it the same oil, which is called “thymol.” It looks somewhat like celery seed, and is used as a spice. The seed comes from an annual plant related to cumin and parsley that grows 1 to 2 feet (30 to…
Anardana
Anardana is a sticky spice made from the dried seeds and pulp of wild pomegranates. It is used to add tartness to dishes. Wild pomegranates are used as they are too sour to eat fresh out of hand, and the tree can be grown with almost no cultivation maintenance. The fruits are 1.5 to 2.5…
Appachatti Pans
An appachatti pan is a stove-top frying pan that is completely rounded at the sides, with two short handles, one on each side, and will usually come with a cover. It is used for making vella appam.
Asafoetida
Asafoetida is a spice used as a substitute for onions and garlic. It is a resin extracted from the sap of the roots and stems of a giant variety of Fennel plant (Ferula scorodosma syn. assafoetida.) Above ground the plant has fine leaves, and blossoms with yellow flowers. Underground, it has roots that are thick…
Basmati Rice
White Basmati Rice © Denzil Green Basmati is a long grain rice with a fine texture whose grains separate easily when cooked. It is great with Indian food. It has a perfumy fragrance to it, but not excessively so. You can get brown or white Basmati. The brown is a bit more nutritious and has…
Besan Flour
Besan is a white-coloured flour made from ground Chana Dal (aka gram.) Besan flour is often confused with chickpea flour. Given that Chana Dal are very closely related to chickpeas, the two flours can be used interchangeably. Nutrition Gluten free.
Black Millet Flour
Black millet flour is a grey flour made from black millet seeds. It has a nutty smell and a stronger flavour than flour made from wheat. As it ages, it can acquire a slightly bitter aftertaste if it goes rancid. It is often used mixed with other flours such as wheat or sorghum to make…
Bombay Duck
Bombay Duck is not a breed of duck. It’s dried, salted fish with a very pronounced smell. The fish that is dried for this is technically known as “Harpadon nehereus.” It is native to the waters around Bombay. It is a narrow fish, about 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) long. It is…
Chapati
Chapati are flat, unleavened, round breads made from wheat flour, water, and salt. They are baked or fried on a dry griddle. History Notes Chapatis were one of the first prepared foods to be “globalized” in relatively modern times. They spread into Africa and South-East Asia as Indians moved about within the British Empire, back…
Chapati Flour
Chapati flour is a blend of wheat and malted barley flours used in Indian cooking to make chapatis. It is also used to make Gol Guppa: small balls of dough that are deep fried. They puff up into little hollow shells that can be filled with a stuffing such as potato and chickpea, etc. Substitutes…
Chivda
Chivda is a crunchy, salty Indian snack mix based on flattened rice. Some recipes call for thick flattened rice, some for thin. Some recipes omit the rice entirely, and base it on cornflakes (sic.) There are many different takes on what to added to the flattened rice. One from the Gujarat area might include ajowan…
Chutney
Chutney is a savoury relish made with fruit and/or vegetables. It can be preserved or made fresh, served raw or cooked. It usually has a combination of sweet and sour tastes. Commercial varieties may include ingredients such as ginger, mangoes, raisins, spices, sugar, tamarind and vinegar. Though generally the version thought of as Indian started…
Coriander Seeds
Coriander Seeds © Denzil Green If Coriander plants are allow to flower, and pass through a normal life cycle, they produce small, round crunchy seeds that taste totally different from the plant, which is used as an herb. And unlike fresh Coriander, which should be added at the end of cooking as its flavour will…
Cumin
Ground Cumin © Denzil Green Cumin is a member of the parsley family. As such, it’s even related to the weeds called Cow’s Parsley and Queen Anne’s Lace that we pass everyday. It’s an annual plant that grows about a foot (30 cm) tall. Cumin seeds are actually the fruits of the plant. Sometimes, is…
Curry Dishes
A curry is a dish cooked in a spicy sauce that is a mixture of spices.In India, a curry will have about 20 spices crushed in a mortar, then mixed. The spices are then “woken up” by heating them in a bit of fat such as ghee or oil. Curries can be mild, medium or…
Curry Powder
Curry Powder, like Chili Powder, is a convenience for Westerners, and doesn’t actually exist in the culture that inspired it. Curry Powder comes in mild, medium and hot. Madras style is hot (as far as the commercial scale goes, at any rate.) It is a combination of several spices. Most Curry Powder mixes use coriander…
Dhai
Dhai is a yoghurt made in the Himalayas from Yak or Chauri milk. The milk is boiled, then cooled to about 99 F (37 C.) A small amount of Dhai from the previous batch is added to act as a starter. The mixture is then allowed to set and ferment overnight. Dhai can be used…
Doi
Doi is an Indian version of yoghurt that is usually made at home. It has less water and less whey than European styles of yoghurt. Bacteria is added to whole milk to ferment and congeal it. The resulting Doi will take on the shape of the container it was made in. It’s used in sauces,…
Fenugreek
The Fenugreek plant is an annual that grows from seed to maturity in 110 days. It can grow about 2 feet tall (60 cm.) It will produce white flowers, and then long green pods, with each pod having about 20 seeds in it. The leaves are used as an herb. The plant is cut when…
Flattened Rice
Flattened rice (aka “poha”) is exactly that: rice that has literally been flattened. To make it at home, the rice is soaked overnight in water, then flattened, then dried. To make it commercially, the rice is threshed, then soaked, roasted, then hulled and polished, then rolled to make it flat, then sieved and dried. It…
Folium Indicum
Folium Indicum is a leaf from a close relative of the same tree that gives us cinnamon bark. Its taste is reminscent of cloves and mint; the fragrance is somewhat like pepper. It is used in Indian cooking, as Europeans would use bay leaves. It is used dried and ground in garam masala; it is…
Garam Masala
Garam Masala © Denzil Green Garam Masala is an Indian spice mix whose name means, “hot mix.” Despite its name, it is actually generally sweet and warming rather than spicy. The contents will vary, particularly from region to region in India, Components can include black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds,…
Ghee
Ghee © Denzil Green Ghee is butter that has been clarified, then browned a bit, then strained of the browned milk solids at the bottom, resulting in pure butter fat with a high smoke point. The browning of the milk solids gives the Ghee a nutty, caramelized flavour and taste. Traditionally, people in India would…