Resource Center · Glossary
The glossary.
Plain-English definitions for the terms that keep showing up — across spices, lentils, and vegetables, including the Bengali words you've been quietly Googling. Each entry tells you what something is and how it's actually used.
Spices (মসলা)
Our eight foundational spices.
Each one has a full profile — flavour, origin, pairings, and exactly how to use it. Tap any to go deeper.
Definitions
Terms, decoded.
Browse by category. No jargon — just what the ingredient is and why it matters in the pan.
Spice technique
The vocabulary of how spices behave in the pan.
- Tempering (tadka / phoron)ফোড়ন
- Blooming whole spices in hot oil or ghee to release their essential oils before the aromatics go in. The foundation of most South Asian curries.
- Garam masala
- A warming spice blend finished at the end of cooking. Literally 'warm spice' — it adds aroma, not heat. Recipes vary by household.
- Bloom
- To awaken a spice's flavour in fat or dry heat. Spices that bloom taste seasoned; spices tossed in cold taste like dust.
- Quill
- A rolled stick of dried cinnamon bark. The form true (Ceylon) cinnamon is sold in.
- Aril
- The lacy red covering around the nutmeg seed — dried, it becomes the spice mace.
Lentils (ডাল)
The pulses behind the daily dal.
- Dalডাল
- Both the dried split pulse and the stew cooked from it. A daily staple across South Asia — comforting, cheap, and protein-dense.
- Masoor dal
- Split red lentils. Cook fast and break down to a soft, golden stew — the lentil most weeknight dal is made from.
- Moong dal
- Split mung beans, pale yellow. Light, easy to digest, and the base of many restorative, gentle dals.
- Chana dal
- Split Bengal gram. Holds its shape, nutty and hearty — closer to a chickpea than a soft lentil.
- Toor dal
- Split pigeon peas. The classic lentil for South Indian sambar — earthy and slightly sweet.
Vegetables (সবজি)
The Bengali names for the produce you'll meet in our recipes.
- Alooআলু
- Potato. The great peacemaker of the Bengali kitchen — it shows up in everything from curries to biryanis.
- Lauলাউ
- Bottle gourd. A mild, watery squash that drinks up the spices it's cooked with.
- Kumra / Misti kumraমিষ্টি কুমড়া
- Pumpkin or sweet pumpkin. Adds natural sweetness and body to lentils and curries.
- Pui shaakপুঁই শাক
- Malabar spinach. A leafy green that turns silky and thick when cooked — beloved in fish and lentil stews.
- Begunবেগুন
- Aubergine / eggplant. Absorbs oil and flavour like nothing else; the star of begun bhaja and many a curry.
Take the glossary to the stove.
Every term here points back to a recipe or a spice you can cook with tonight.