Glossary

For readers unfamiliar with the regional words that find their way into my writing...

Food Housekeeping: The Analogue

Davara
Duh-vuh-RA (usually used in conjunction with 'tumbler')

Tamil. Steel saucerbowl set that is a prerequisite for serving freshly brewed South Indian coffee.

Chana-chole
Chu(as in 'chu'rch)-NA Cho-LAY

Hindi. Gravy dish made of Bengal gram/ Kabuli gram. (By the way, 'gram' is a kind of lentil. Also known by the general term dal.)

Moong parathas
MOO-ng puh-RA-Thas

Hindi. Moong dal refers to green gram, while paratha (anlicised to the plural 'parathas') is an slightly greased version of the chapatti.

Thokku

Tamil. A kind of pickle.

Thayir Saadam
Thu(as in 'Thu'rsday)-YIR SAA-thum(th as in 'though')

Curd rice. Staple part of the largely vegetarian Tamil Brahmin meal. Colloquially, a teasing reference to any member of the Tamil Brahmin community.

Veththa Kozhambu
Veth(rhymes with 'meth')-thu(as in 'Thu'rsday) KO-yambu (the y here has a roll of the tongue, as in a Frenchman were saying it.)

Smoked onion sambhar-like preparation. Again, a famous part of Tamil Brahmin cuisine.

Appalam

Tamil. Crisp fried biscuit (known as papad in North India and as poppadom to international lovers of Indian cuisine.)

Gajjar Halwa
GAA-jurr hul(as in 'hul'k)-WAH

Hindi. Popular sweet dish made of carrots (gajjar).

Sambhar
Saam(rhymes with 'palm')b-HAAR (rhymes with 'car')

Tamil originally, but also a familiar term in North India. A thicker version of the Mulligatawny soup, due to its base which is made of mashed dal.

Ladki Ka Baap
Luh-duh-KI KAA(rhymes with 'car') BAAP

Hindi colloquial. Father of the girl (ladki), derived from mainstream Hindi films where the girl's father almost always plays party pooper to the hero and heroine's romance.

Molagootal
MO-luh-GOO-Tull (rhymes with 'hull')

Tamil. A gravy dish made with mashed coconut base and an important part of the cuisine of the South Indian/ Tamil Brahmin community, especially the Iyer community.

Maami

Tamil, partly colloquial. Loosely used as a common substitute for the English 'aunt/ aunty' among the Tamil Brahmin community. Literally refers to the wife of one's Maama (mother's brother) and also used to address any married Tamil Brahmin lady, including mothers-in-law.

Aloo Gobi

Hindi/ Punjabi. Made famous by the Punjabi British family in Bend It Like Beckham, it refers to a popular dish made of aloo (potatoes) and gobi (cauliflower.)

Shahi Pulao

Urdu. A well-known rice preparation made from Basmati rice whose preparation by the Muslim community in India and Pakistan is unrivalled. Another famous rice dish: Hyderabadi biriyani, originally made for the Nizams of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, and also famous in Hyderabad, Pakistan.

Medhu vadai (also spelt as 'Methu vadai')
May-too(t as in 'though') Vuh-duy(rhymes with 'buy')

Tamil. Fried savoury doughnut without which South Indian cuisine is incomplete.

Jalebi
Juh-LAY-Bee

Tamil/ Hindi. Syrupy sweet pretzel-like preparation, usually ranging from yellow to orange.

Pachchadi
Putch(rhymes with 'Clutch')-ADI(rhymes with 'buddy')

Tamil. Gravy dish made from curd/ yoghurt and other ingredients. Somewhat similar to the north Indian raitha.

Upma
Oo(as in B'oo'k)-p-MA

Steamed semolina.

Puri (also spelt as 'Poori')

Fried, thin bread, similar to chapatti but much thinner and oilier.

Payasam
PAA-yuh-some

Tamil. Sweet dish, usually milk based, that is made for elaborate meals and special occasions.


All Smoke And No Fire?

"Tera Kya Hoga Kaaliya?"
Hindi. Loosely translates as 'Kaaliya, what will become of you?'

Arguably Hindi cinema's most famous line, uttered by Amjad Khan as the dacoit Gabbar Singh in the superhit film Sholay (1975).

Other famous lines ....
"Kitne Aadmi The?" ('How many men were there?')
"Arre O Samba!" ('Hey Samba!')
"Mujhe Haat Dede, Thakur." ('Give me thy hands, Thakur.')