The Vegetarian Curry Bible

Balti : I have heard various explainations for the origin of this, including a

mythical 'Baltistan', but was reliably informed when in India that it simply

means 'bucket'.

Glossary

Basmati : Long grained rice.

Here are just a few curry terms to get you going, if you get stuck. The

problem with Asian foods, is that there are literally hundreds of words for

similar things – take India for example, where everyone speaks a few

languages and there are more than a dozen in the country. So each region

has its own dishes, which may be similar to a neighbour's, but have different

names.

Besan / Gram Flour : Flour of dried chickpeas.

Bhaji : Deep fried fritter.

Biriyani : A rice-based dish.

Bhuna : When the spice paste is cooked in hot oil.

Burfi : Sweet made with condensed milk.

Cardamom / Elaichi / Laichi : A tiny dried fruit. Mostly the seeds are

used.

Chana / Chick Pea : Usually used dried, must be soaked overnight and

then boiled.

Chapatti : A thin, flat bread served with eveyrthing- 'More chapatis?'

Chat Masala : A spice mix.

Chawal : Rice.

Chole : Dish usually with tamarind and chickpeas.

Coriander / Dhania / Cilantro / Chinese Parsley : Herb of the parsley

family. Also sold as seed or dry powder.

Cumin / Jeera : Seed sold whole or ground.

Curcumin : The word for tumeric in many countries.

Curry Leaves : A plant with small, dark green leaves (about 1 inch long).

We can, then, separate curry dishes into three types – first, the regional,

speciality dishes that you rarely find in your local restaurant – the Masala

Dosas, Pakodi Kadhis and Barwa Baigans of the world; then the main-

stream, breakthrough curries that everyone knows and loves – vindaloo,

rogan josh, etc.; and finally the dishes that have been created in the west to

mimic them – the ubiquitous 'Vegetable Curry', which you'll more than

likely be served if your Australian auntie offers to cook you a curry.

Another problem is the fact that Indian languages are all written using

phonetic scripts, and there is some disagreement about how to write them in

a Roman script – the 'Dal' vs. 'Dhal' debate, if you like. So, go by the sound

of things, and if two things sound similar, they are probably the same. This

is also why India produces such amusing English menus – they often spell

English phonetically too.

Dal / Dhal : Hindi name for all members of the legume or pulse family.

Commonly used

Achar : Pickle

are: Arhar, Channa, Masur, Mung, Labia, Rajma (red kidney).

Dalchini / Cinnamon : Used powdered or in sticks.

Dhai : Yoghurt

Dhansak : Hot, spicy, sweet and sour dish with lentils.

Dopiaza : 'Two onions' – a very oniony dish.

Ahta : Flour used for chapattis – use wholemeal.

Aloo / Alu : Potato.

Am : Mango.

Amchoor : Dried mango powder. Use lemon juice if you can't find it.

Asafoetida / Hing : Dried gum resin from a plant root.

Adrak : Ginger.

Fennel Seed / Sauf : Sold whole or ground.

Fenugreek / Methi : Seed with bitter flavor. Sold whole or ground.

Badaam : Almond.

Garam Masala : A spice mix.

Ghee : Ghee is clarified butter, used for frying.