North Indian Hindu

Food Notes

On the subject of food, in north India, meals generally consist of a grain - rice or various sorts of flat breads - served alongside a dal - a dish made with legumes or some kind - and optionally, various meat or vegetable dishes and small condiments - pickled things and sauces. Sweets are served with the meal, rather than after it as a dessert. Much like the names, these come from a patchwork of sources.

Grain Dishes

1. Kachori, a wrap surrounding a stuffing of spiced dal or peas.
2. Matar pullao, white rice spiced with coriander and saffron and studded with green peas
3. Chapati, a flaky flatbread made with a mixture of white and whole flours
4. Yellow rice, coloured with turmeric
5. Batloo, millet flatbread, always marked with a decorative pattern of thumbprints
6. Khichadi, mild rice-and-dal porridge
7. Roti, large round wholewheat flatbread
8. Naan, a tender, thick white bread cooked against the wall of a tandoor oven
9. Phale, a round flaky bun with minced meat filling
10. White rice, made fluffy and separate-grained
11. Aloo paratha, stuffed with spiced potato
12. Gosht ka biryani, a festive dish of fluffy rice and lamb, scented with cardamom and cumin
13. Kulcha, naan stuffed with onions, garlic, mashed seasoned potatoes, or fenugreek leaves
14. Bhatura, a giant, puffy deep-fried bread with a texture like naan
15. Roomali roti, a very large, extremely thin roti
16. Dhokla, a delicate steamed cake made with rice and dals, served cut into diamonds
17. Puranpoli, a flatbread filled with sweet cardamom porridge
18. Bhopali pullao, a ginger and cumin-flavored rice with carrots and onions
19. Poori, tiny, oily, saucer-shaped brown flatbreads, always served in large quantities
20. Shirmal, a sweet baked flatbread flavored with saffron milk

Dals and Accompaniments

1. Chhundo, pickled sweet-and-sour mango
2. Mullagatanni, the dal that every cook has her own recipe for, usually tangy and peppery
3. Meethi chatni, literally “sweet chatni”, a smooth sweet-and-sour tamarind sauce
4. Leela Mirch, pickled green peppercorns
5. Gujarati dal, stew with mixed dal and mixed vegetables
6. Gulab jamun, sweet fried balls of fresh curd cheese in rose-scented syrup
7. Kachumbar, a salad of raw cucumber, onion, and tomato, with a bit of lemon and salt
8. Dal-dhokla, a dal with diamond-shaped chickpea flour dumplings
9. Kaju katri, diamonds of cashew paste decorated with silver varq
10. Kesar kulfi, dense almond-and-saffron gelato
11. Raita, yogurt and cucumber sauce similar to tzatziki
12. Khatte channe, sour tamarind-flavoured chickpeas
13. Gajjak, sesame brittle
14. Papad, crunchy chickpea wafers served with relishes
15. Podina chatni, a green sauce made with mint and lime
16. Mungaude ki bhaji, moong dal dumplings in a green spinach-and-cilantro gravy
17. Gobhi moong, a chunky stew with cauliflower and yellow moong dal
18. Badaam barfi, a fudgey almond sweet
19. Kache piaz, onion and red chile relish
20. Karhi, a tangy white soup thickened with chickpea flour

Meats and Vegetables

1. Shahjehani raan, leg of lamb in a cream sauce with nuts and dried fruits
2. Baigan bharat, smoky mashed eggplant
3. Tali vekti, a native fish deep-fried in chickpea batter
4. Seekh kebab, minced lamb kebabs, served with crescents of grilled onion
5. Do piaza, any meat with ‘double onion’ gravy
6. Vindaloo, a very hot, sour gravy for chicken and potatoes
7. Jheenga masala, stirfried giant prawns with lots of paprika
8. Rogan josh, meat in a garlic and coriander gravy
9. Hakka aloo, an Indochinese dish, potatoes with a crispy crust of ginger and fresh chiles
10. Chapli kebab, fried lamb meatballs shaped like a sandal
11. Saag paneer, spinach and curd cheese
12. Pakoras, batter-fried vegetables served with dipping sauces
13. Moghlai dum, creamy slow-cooked chicken
14. Bhindi sabzi, stirfried okra
15. Safaid Kheema, lamb mince with a white cashew sauce
16. Dum aloo, slow-cooked potatoes in cream
17. Bhona gosht, roasted minty lamb
18. Panchrangi korma, five-coloured vegetables in creamy yogurt gravy
19. Tandoori murgh, chicken barbecued in the /tandoor/
20. Parsi ande, boiled whole eggs served in a golden coconut gravy

Clothing

1. Sari - A long, unstitched piece of cloth, wrapped around the body to form an ankle-length skirt, and then around the upper body and over the shoulder. In modern times, worn with a choli.
2. Lehenga - A pleated skirt worn with a choli.
3. Choli - A stitched and fitted short sleeved or sleeveless blouse.
4. Kameez - A long loose tunic top or dress. Worn with a dupatta.
5. Salwar - Straight cut trousers worn under a kameez.
6. Kurta - A long strait-cut loose shirt.
7. Churidar - Close-fitting, gathered trousers, worn with a kameez or kurta
8. Duppatta - large scarf worn with a lehenga choli, churidar kameez, or salwar kameez.
9. Dhoti - A large cloth, wrapped like a skirt and tied at the waist or drawn through the legs and tied at the waist.
10. Lunghi - A large wrap skirt tied at the waist, worn with a mundu.
11. Mundu - A top cloth worn over the shoulder.
12. Topi - A colorful woolen cap with a woven or embroidered band.
13. Lachhoo - A blanket used to cover the shoulders.
14. Chadder - A gentleman’s shawl.
15. Pattoo - A whole body cover-all wrap worn over a dress, a pattoo is fastened with silver boomini broaches and a gachchi.
16. Gachichi - A cloth belt.
17. Dhatu / thipu - A square piece of cloth used to cover the head
18. Pullas - Hemp slippers woven with colored threads.
19. Sherwani - A formal, fitted, button-down, long coat with a high striaight collar.
20. Phulkari - An ornately embroidered shawl.