| English | Scientific | Hindi | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ajwain / carom seed / bishop's weed | Trachyspermum ammi | अजवाइन (ajvain) | Tiny brown seeds with strong peppery-thyme flavor, popular in North Indian cooking. |
| allspice | Pimenta dioica | कबाब चीनी (kebab cheeni) | Dried fruit resembling large brown peppercorns. Flavour of cinammon, nutmeg, and cloves. Not frequently used in Indian cuisine. |
| almond | Prunus dulcis | बादाम (badam) | |
| anise | Pimpinella anisum | छोटी सौंफ (choti saunf) | "little fennel" A mixture of aniseed with roasted dry coconut and poppy seeds are eaten after meals as a mouth freshener. |
| asafoetida | Ferula assafoetida | हींग (hing) | Dried gum resin of an east Indian plant. Has strong unpleasant smell when raw, but has flavour of garlic in cooked dishes. |
| aubergine / brinjal / eggplant | Solanum melongena | बैंगन (baingan) | |
| banana | Musa acuminata × balbisiana | केला (kela) | |
| basil, holy | Ocimum tenuiflorum, formerly O. sanctum | तुलसी (tulsi) | Basil variety cultivated for religious and medicinal purposes, rather than cooking. |
| basil seeds | Ocimum basilicum | सब्जा (sabja); तुकमारिया (tukmaria) | Gelatinous coating when soaked in water, so look like little eyes or frog spawn in drinks like falooda. |
| bay leaf | Laurus nobilis | तेज पत्ता (tej patta) | Compare entry "Malabathrum / Malabar leaf" |
| bitter melon / bitter gourd | Momordica charantia | करेला (karela) | |
| black cumin | Bunium persicum | काला जीरा (kala jeera) शाही जीरा (shahi jeera) हिमाली जीरा (himali jeera) | "black cumin" "imperial cumin" "Himalayan cumin" |
| black cumin / nigella / onion seed | Nigella sativa | कलौंजी (kalonji) | Often sprinkled over breads before baking. |
| black-eyed pea | Vigna unguiculata subspecies unguiculata | लोबिया (lobiya) | Cooked as dhal. |
| black gram | Vigna mungo | उड़द (urad) | Cooked as dhal. Main ingredient of South Indian dishes, idli and dosa. Popular in Punjabi cuisine, used to make dhal makhani. |
| brinjal / aubergine / eggplant | Solanum melongena | बैंगन (baingan) | |
| butter, clarified | घी (ghee) | ||
| caraway | Carum carvi | अजमाद (ajmaad) विलायती जीरा (vilaayti jeera) | According to Khana Khazana, "If you ever find references to caraway in books about Middle East, Indian or Far East cooking, then the most probable explanation is a translation mistake and you should probably read cumin[...] Use of Caraway Seeds in Indian cuisine is limited. Typically it has been used in some regions for flavoring rice dishes like Pulao." |
| cardamom, black | Amomum subulatum | काले इलायची (kale elaichi) बड़ी इलायची (bari elaichi) | Coarser in flavour and larger in size than green cardamom. |
| cardamom, green | Elettaria cardamomum | छोटी इलायची (choti elaichi) | |
| carom seed / ajwain / bishop's weed | Trachyspermum ammi | अजवाइन (ajvain) | Tiny brown seeds with strong peppery-thyme flavor, popular in North Indian cooking. |
| carrot | Daucus carota | गाजर (gajar) | |
| cashew nut | Anacardium occidentale | काजू (kajoo) | |
| cassia | Cinnamomum aromaticum | जंगली दालचीनी (jangli dalchini) | "wild cinnamon" |
| cauliflower | Brassica oleracea | गोभी (gobi) | |
| celery seed | Apium graveolens | अज्मुद (ajmud) | Compare entry "radhuni". |
| celery, wild / radhuni | Trachyspermum roxburghianum | अज्मुद (ajmud) | According to Wikipedia, these "small dried fruits, mistakenly referred to as seeds, are similar in appearance to those of ajwain, celery, and caraway. Because of their similarity in both appearance and flavor, it is often confused or substituted with celery seed." |
| charoli | Buchanania lanzan | चिरौन्जी (charoli) | Tiny almond-flavoured dried seeds commonly used in sweets in India. |
| cheese, Indian / paneer | पनीर (paneer) | Indian fresh cheese made by curdling heated milk with acid. | |
| chickpea | Cicer arietinum | चना (chana) छोले (chole) | |
| chickpea, desi / Bengal gram | Cicer arietinum | काले चने (kala chana) | "black chickpea" Smaller and darker than the kabuli type chickpea, with a higher fibre content and hence a very low GI index. Used to make chana dhal. |
| chickpea, green (unripe) | हरा चने (hara chana) | ||
| chickpea, kabuli / garbanzo bean | Cicer arietinum | काबुली चने (kabuli chana) | Larger and lighter coloured than the desi type chickpea. |
| chilli | Capsicum annuum | मिर्च (mirch) | |
| chilli, green | Capsicum annuum | हरी मिर्च (hari mirch) | |
| chilli, red | Capsicum annuum | लाल मिर्च (lal mirch) | |
| cilantro / coriander | Coriandrum sativum | धनिया (dhaniya) | |
| cinammon | Cinnamomum verum | दालचीनी (dalchini) | |
| clove | Syzygium aromaticum | लौंग (laung) | |
| coconut | Cocos nucifera | नारियल (narial) | |
| coconut, dessicated | सूखा नारियल (sukha narial) | ||
| coconut milk | नारियल का दूध (narial ka doodh) | ||
| coriander / cilantro | Coriandrum sativum | धनिया (dhaniya) | |
| corn / maize | Zea mays | मक्का (makka) | |
| cumin | Cuminum cyminum | जीरा (jeera) | |
| curry leaves | Murraya koenigii | करीपत्ता (karipatta) मीथ णीम (mitha neem) मीथ नीम पत्ता (mitha neem patta) | |
| date | Phoenix dactylifera | खजूर (khajur) | |
| dill | Anethum graveolens | सोआ (soa) | Both the leaves (dill weed) and the seeds may be eaten. |
| drumstick | Moringa oleifera | सहजन (sahjan) | From Wikipedia: "The immature green pods called “drumstick” are probably the most valued and widely used part of the tree. They are commonly consumed in India and are generally prepared in a similar fashion to green beans and have a slight asparagus taste. The seeds are sometimes removed from more mature pods and eaten like peas or roasted like nuts. The flowers are edible when cooked and are said to taste like mushrooms. The roots are shredded and used as a condiment in the same way as horseradish; however, they contain the alkaloid spirochin, a potentially fatal nerve-paralyzing agent." |
| eggplant / aubergine / brinjal | Solanum melongena | बैंगन (baingan) | |
| fennel seed | Foeniculum vulgare | सौंफ (saunf) | |
| fenugreek | Trigonella foenum-graecum | मेथी (methi) | |
| fenugreek leaves, dried | Trigonella foenum-graecum | कसूरी मेथी (kasoori methi) | |
| flour, gram | बेसन (besan) | Flour made from chickpeas. | |
| flour, plain | मैदा (maida) | Wheat flour used in Indian cooking and baking. | |
| garam masala | गरम मसाला (garam masala) | " hot mixture" | |
| garbanzo bean / chickpea, kabuli | Cicer arietinum | काबुली चने (kabuli chana) | |
| garlic | Allium sativum | लहसुन (lahsun) | |
| ginger, dried | Zingiber officinale | सोंठ (sonth) | |
| ginger, fresh | Zingiber officinale | अदरख (adrakh) | |
| gum tragacanth | कटीरा गोंद (katira goond) | A thickener and coating for desserts. | |
| horse gram | Macrotyloma uniflorum | कुलथी (kulith) | One of the lesser known beans, generally used as cattle feed but also eaten in South Indian states. |
| Indian gooseberry | Phyllanthus emblica | आँवला (aamla) | |
| jaggery | गुड़ (gur) | Unrefined sugar made from boiling raw sugarcane juice or palm sap. | |
| kidney bean | Phaseolus vulgaris | राजमा (rajma) | |
| lady's finger / okra | Abelmoschus esculentus | भिंडी (bhindi) | |
| lemon | Citrus × limon | नींबू (nimbu) | Compare entry "lime". |
| lentil, red | Lens culinaris | मसूर (masoor) | |
| lime, acid, Persian / Tahiti | Citrus × latifolia | नींबू (nimbu) | Compare entry "lemon". |
| lime, sweet | Citrus × limon | मीठा नींबू (meetha nimbu) | |
| Malabathrum / Malabar leaf | Cinnamomum tamala / Cinnamomum tejpata | तेज पत्ता (tej patta) | Often erroneously labelled "Indian Bay Leaves". Compare entry "bay leaf". |
| mace | Myristica fragrans | जावित्री (javitri) | From the covering of the nutmeg seed. |
| maize / corn | Zea mays | मक्का (makka) | |
| mango powder | Mangifera indica | आमचूर (amchoor) | Tangy seasoning made from green, unripe mangoes which have been peeled, thinly sliced, sun-dried and ground. |
| meat, generic | गोश्त (gosht) | ||
| mint | Mentha spicata | पुदीना (pudina) | |
| mung bean | Vigna radiata | मूँग (mung) | Cooked as dhal. Main ingredient of the South Indian soup rasam |
| mustard seed, black | Brassica nigra | काली राई (kaali raai) काली सरसों (kali sarson) लाल सरसों (lal sarson) राई (raai) | |
| nigella / black cumin / onion seed | Nigella sativa | कलौंजी (kalonji) | Often sprinkled over breads before baking. |
| nutmeg | Myristica fragrans, Myristica malabarica | जायफल (jaiphal) | |
| okra / lady's finger | Abelmoschus esculentus | भिंडी (bhindi) | |
| onion | Allium cepa | प्याज़ (pyaz) गण्डा (kanda) | |
| onion seed / black cumin / nigella | Nigella sativa | कलौंजी (kalonji) | Often sprinkled over breads before baking. |
| paneer / cheese, Indian | पनीर (paneer) | Indian fresh cheese made by curdling heated milk with acid. | |
| parsley | Petroselinum crispum | अजमोदा (ajmoda) | |
| pea, split | Pisum sativum | मटर की दाल (mater ki dhal) | Not commonly used on the Indian sub-continent. |
| pepper, black | Piper nigrum | काली मिर्च (kaali mirch) गोल मिर्च (gol mirch) | |
| pigeon pea | Cajanus cajan | तूअर (toor) अरहर (arhar) | Split pigeon peas (toor dhal) are one of the most popular pulses in India and the main ingredient of the South Indian stew sambar. |
| pistachio | Pistacia vera | पिस्ता (pista) | |
| pomegranate | Punica malus | अनार (anar) | |
| pomegranate seed, dried | Punica malus | अनारदाना (anardana) | |
| poppy seeds | Papaver somniferum | खसखस (khaskhas) | |
| potato | Solanum tuberosum | आलू (aloo) | |
| pulse, split | दाल (dhal) | From Wikipedia: "[Generic term for] preparation of pulses (dried lentils, peas or beans) which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split" | |
| pulse, whole | साबुत (sabut) | ||
| radhuni / celery, wild | Trachyspermum roxburghianum | अज्मुद (ajmud) | According to Wikipedia, these "small dried fruits, mistakenly referred to as seeds, are similar in appearance to those of ajwain, celery, and caraway. Because of their similarity in both appearance and flavor, it is often confused or substituted with celery seed." Compare entry "celery". |
| rice, basmati | Oryza sativa | बासमती चावल (basmati chaaval) | |
| rose | Rosa | गुलाब (gulab) | |
| rose water | गुलाब पानी(gulab pani) | ||
| saffron | Crocus sativus | केसर (kesar) जाफरान (zaafraan) | |
| salt | नमक (namak) | ||
| salt, black | काला नमक (kala namak) | Natural volcanic rock salt mined in the Himalayas salt ranges and processed. Dark violet colour from iron sulphide, and slight bitter taste and distinctive smell from sulphur compounds. | |
| semolina | रवा (rawa) सूजी (sooji) | Coarse wheat flour. | |
| sesame seeds | Sesamum indicum | तिल (til) | |
| silver foil | वर्ख (varak) | Thin edible layer of silver, used for garmishing Indian sweets. | |
| spinach | Spinacia oleracea | पालक (palak) | |
| star anise | Illicium verum | चक्र फूल (chakra phool) | Component of garam masala |
| tamarind | Tamarindus indica | इमली (imli) | |
| taro | Colocasia esculenta | अरबी (arbi) | |
| turmeric | Curcuma longa | हल्दी (haldi) | |
| vermicelli | सेवई (sev) | Often made from arrowroot or cornflour rather than wheat, in drinks/dessert like falooda. Also dried chickpea flour noodles sprinkled over chaat dishes. | |
| yoghurt | दही (dahi) |
Ingredients in Indian Cooking
See also: