Solidified Condensed Milk (aka Khoya) is made in India from condensed buffalo milk. It develops a slightly carmelized flavour during the processing. It can be used in curries and in Indian desserts. To make it, the milk is heated to about 180 F (82 C), and simmered at that temperature until it thickens, stirring constantly….
Indian Food
Sooji
Sooji is a term used in India to describe a type of grind applied to grain. There are actually two types of grinds, sooji and medium sooji. For regular Sooji, the grain is ground to be like coarse grains of sand. Medium sooji is more finely ground. A third stage of grinding further creates a…
Sorghum Flour
Sorghum flour has a bland taste, but then wheat flour isn’t so exciting on its own, either. Sorghum flour is made in the same way as wheat flour is. The flour is creamy-white to yellow, with flecks of light and dark in it, and is gluten free, which is its main advantage for those who…
Split Mung Beans
Whole mung beans have a green skin. When the skin is removed in processing, the beans are usually split as well, exposing their pale to dark yellow insides. At this point, they are called “Yellow Mung Beans”, “Split Mung Beans” or even more descriptive, “Yellow Split Mung Beans.” The darkness of the yellow insides will…
Split Yellow Peas
Split Yellow Peas are Yellow Peas that have been split in half before sale. They are mostly used to make soups, casseroles, or pease pudding. They can also be used in Indian cooking. You can get also them whole, but the split cook faster. The yellow peas have a grainier, heartier flavour than the green…
Tamarind
Tamarind Pods © Denzil Green Tamarind is a soft, pulpy seed pod used in cooking to give a sweet yet tart flavour (yet without being quite as sour as lemon.) It is used in curries and chutneys, and to make sauce for fowl. In India, Tamarind Fish (pickled in Tamarind) is very popular. It is…
Tinda Gourd
Tinda Gourds are sometimes referred to as a summer squash, but they are actually an edible gourd. They look somewhat like flattened green apple. They are about the size of a large apple, and weigh about 2 oz (50g.) The gourd has soft fuzzy hairs on the green rind, and white flesh inside. They grow…
Tirphal
Tirphal is a variety of Szechuan Peppercorn grown in and around Goa, India and in the rain forests of the West Coast of India in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Like Szechuan Peppercorns and indeed proper Peppercorns, it is a berry. The berries are gathered from the wild in September and October, and dried…
Uppuma
Uppuma is an Indian dish. Writers in English grapple to describe it as anything from a savoury porridge to a pilaf. It’s a starchy side dish you have with curries. It can be used for any meal; a lot depends on the household tradition. The most well known version of Uppuma is made from farina…
Vark
Vark is the silvery coating that is sometimes seen on top of Indian desserts and sweets. It is hammered to form an extremely thin sheet. You buy it backed with paper, which makes it easier to handle and less brittle. You peel the paper off when you want to use it. It falls apart very…
Vella Appam
Vella Appam is a sort of savoury pancake or if you will, small flat cakes baked in a pan. They are made in Kerala, southern India. They are traditionally made from raw rice, cooked rice [1], coconut shavings, coconut water, yeast, salt and sugar. The raw rice is soaked for several hours or overnight, then…
Vindaloo
Vindaloo, an Indian curry dish, is as Indian as pizza is American. Which is to say, it is now. Goa, India, was a Portuguese colony until the 1960s. The Portuguese colonists made a dish “porco vinho e alho” (pork, wine and garlic.) The spices were added over time as the colonists acquired more local tastes….
Winter Melon Squash
Winter Melon Squash is not actually a squash; nor is it actually a melon, though it is related to both. In an effect to distinguish it, some English synonyms draw on the word gourd instead. It is treated as a vegetable in Asian cooking. For the most part the melons are round, though they can…
Xaccuti
An Indian dish that is made with a spicy coconut sauce. There are many variations. Sometimes the meat used is chicken, but the dish can also use lamb or rabbit, or even be meatless. The recipes usually call for chiles and fresh ginger that, combined with the sourness of tamarind, make the sauces quite pungent…
Zedoary
Zedoary is a perennial herb plant related to Turmeric and Ginger. It grows in tropical and subtropical areas.Above ground, the plant grows up to 3 feet (1 metre) in height with dark green leaves. When it flowers, it produces small pink and yellow blossoms. The underground root (which is actually a “rhizome” like ginger), is…