Common ingredients for India

These are common ingredients you may see on packaging and menus in India. Local words are left unchanged so they stay readable in the original language; translate this page if you want supporting text and English names in your own language.

• आलू (potato)

  Aloo

• काजू (cashews)

  Kaaju

• खाद्य रंग (food coloring)

  Khadya rang

  Often used in biryani or sweets

• खोया / मावा (milk solids)

  Khoya / Mawa

  Dried milk solids used in sweets

• घी (ghee)

  Ghee

  Clarified butter

• चिकन (chicken)

  Chicken

• चिकन शोरबा (chicken stock)

  Chicken shorba

  Chicken stock

• चीनी (sugar)

  Cheeni

• दही (yogurt)

  Dahi

  Curd

• दूध (milk)

  Doodh

• पनीर (paneer)

  Paneer

  Indian cottage cheese

• प्याज (onion)

  Pyaaz

• बैंगन (eggplant)

  Baingan

  Eggplant or Brinjal

• मक्खन (butter)

  Makkhan

• मछली (fish)

  Machhli

• मटन (mutton)

  Mutton

  In India, usually refers to goat meat

• मलाई / क्रीम (cream)

  Malai / Cream

  Malai is traditionally thickened cream

• मांस का शोरबा (meat stock)

  Maans ka shorba

  Meat broth

• मूंगफली (peanuts)

  Moongfali

  Groundnut

• मेमने का मांस (lamb)

  Memne ka maans

  Lamb meat

• लहसुन (garlic)

  Lahsun

• वनस्पति तेल (vegetable oil)

  Vanaspati tel

  Vegetable oil

• सूजी (semolina)

  Sooji / Rava

  Coarse semolina

• हींग (asafetida)

  Hing

  Pungent resin, often added to hot oil

• हींग (asafoetida)

  Hing

  Spelling variant of asafetida