Pakistani Cooking Recipes | Pakistani Ingredients

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Pakistani Ingredients

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These are the most commonly used ingredients in Pakistani Cuisine along with their Pakistani name and description:

Aniseed	Saunf	Has a sweet licorice flavor. The greenish brown, oval *anise seed perfumes and flavors a variety of confections as well as savory dishes.*
Bay Leaf	Tezpat	Are pungent and have a sharp, bitter taste. When dried, the fragrance is herbal, slightly floral, and somewhat similar to oregano and thyme.
Bitter Ground	Karela	In Pakistan bitter melon is available in the summertime and is cooked mostly with lots of onions.
Black Cumin Seeds	Kala Zeera	Cumin seeds are used as a spice for their distinctive aroma. They are used to season many dishes, as it draws out their natural sweet nesses.
Black Pepper	Kali Mirch	The small, dark, unripe fruit of the pepper plant used whole or ground as a pungent spice.
Caraway	Ajwain	It is dried ripe fruit of Carum carvi. It has a distinctive aroma and a warm, slightly sharp taste. It is used as a seasoning.
Cardamom	Ilaichi	Cardamom has a pungent aroma and a warm, spicy-sweet flavor. Widely used in Pakistani cooking to flavor dishes such as stews and curries.
Cayenne Pepper	Lal Mirch	Is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes, and for medicinal purposes.
Chilli	Mirch	The pungent fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum, used especially as a flavoring in cooking.
Cinnamon	Dar Cheeni	Has a peppery, earthy, spicy, yet slightly woodsy fragrance. Cinnamon is widely used in sweet dishes, but also makes an intriguing addition to savory dishes such as stews and curries.
Cloves	Laung	Are the dried, unopened flower buds of the tropical evergreen clove tree. Used for flavoring in meat products and baked goods.
Coriander	Dhania	Have an extremely pungent odor and flavor that lends itself well to highly seasoned food.
Coriander Leaf	Hara Dhania	Is a herb and member of the parsley family. The leaf is used fresh or dried, the dried fruit (dhanyia) as a spice in meat products and curry powder.
Cumin Seed	Zeera	Is the dried fruit of a plant in the parsley family. Seeds have an aromatic and nutty-flavor. Cumin is available in seed and ground forms.
Curry Leaf	Curry Patta	This fragrant herb looks like a small, shiny lemon leaf and has a pungent curry fragrance
Dill	Soya	The aromatic herb is a member of the parsley family. Dill weed is used to flavor many dishes such as salads, vegetables, meats and sauces
Fenugreek	Meithi	This aromatic plant is known for its pleasantly bitter, slightly sweet seeds. Fenugreek seeds, which come whole and ground, are used to flavor many foods including curry powders and spice blends.
Fresh Mint	Hara Podeina	Is a genus of strongly-scented herbs, some of which are used for flavoring. Mint is used in both sweet and savory dishes and in drinks.
Garlic	Lehson	Is the bulb of Allium sativum with a pungent odor when crushed, widely used in Pakistani Cuisine to flavor foods.
Ginger	Adrak	Has a tan skin and a flesh that ranges in color from pale greenish yellow to ivory It has a peppery and slightly sweet flavor , while the aroma is pungent and spicy.
Gram Flour	Besan	Is a flour made from ground chickpeas.
Green Chilies	Hari Mirch	Are large, mild chiles are available in most local grocery stores.
Lentils	Dal	Are dried seeds of many varieties of Lens esculenta, they may be green, yellow, or orange-red. They can be used as a side dish pureed, whole or combined with vegetables, in salads, soups and stews.
Mustard	Rai	Are seeds of black or brown mustard,or white or yellow mustard, or a mixture. Mustard seeds are used for pickling and as a seasoning.
Nutmeg	Jaifal	The hard, egg-shaped nutmeg seed is grayish-brown and about 1 inch long. The flavor and aroma are delicately warm, spicy and sweet. Nutmeg is sold ground or whole.
Onion Seeds	Kalaunji	These tiny, angular, deep black seeds have a nutty, peppery flavor. They’re used in Pakistan, India and the Middle East as a seasoning for vegetables and breads.
Oregano Seeds	Ajwain
Okra	Bhindi	The green okra pods have a ridged skin and a tapered, oblong shape.
Peppercorn	Kali Mirch	Is a pungent seasoning from the berry of the common pepper plant, used whole or ground.
Pomegranate	Anar Dana	It is the dried seeds of pomegranate. t is used to add tartness to dishes. It is a common ingredient in chutnees.
Pulses	Dal	Are the dried seed of any of several legumes including beans, peas and lentils.
Red Lentils	Masoor ki Dal	A leguminous plant,having flat pods containing lens-shaped, edible seeds. They are puréed, whole and combined with vegetables, in salads, soups and stews.
Rose Water	Gulab ka Araq	A fragrant preparation made by steeping or distilling rose petals in water. It is mainly used as a flavoring agent for Deserts in Pakistani Cuisine.
Saffron	Zafran	Is a pungent, aromatic spice and is primarily used to flavor and tint food. Saffron is marketed in both powdered form and in threads.
Semolina	Sooji	Is durum wheat that is more coarsely ground than normal wheat flours, a result that is often obtained by sifting out the finer flour.
Sesame Seeds	Till	Small sesame seed is used whole in cooking for its rich nutty flavor. They are usually used in deserts in Pakistani Cooking.
Tamarind	Imli	The large pods contain small seeds and a sour-sweet pulp that, when dried, becomes extremely sour. It’s used to season full-flavored foods such as chutneys and curry dishes.
Turmeric	Haldi	It has a bitter, pungent flavor and an intense yellow-orange color. Turmeric is very popular in Pakistani cooking and is almost always used in curry preparations.
Vermicelli	Sawaiyan	Is a type of pasta, round in section and somewhat thinner than spaghetti. The noodles are used in a number of dishes including a variation of kheer, a sweet dessert similar to rice pudding.

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Pakistani Ingredients

These are the most commonly used ingredients in Pakistani Cuisine along with their Pakistani name and description:

Aniseed

Saunf

Has a sweet licorice flavor. The greenish brown, oval anise seed perfumes and flavors a variety of confections as well as savory dishes.

Bay Leaf

Tezpat

Are pungent and have a sharp, bitter taste. When dried, the fragrance is herbal, slightly floral, and somewhat similar to oregano and thyme.

Bitter Ground

Karela

In Pakistan bitter melon is available in the summertime and is cooked mostly with lots of onions.

Black Cumin Seeds

Kala Zeera

Cumin seeds are used as a spice for their distinctive aroma. They are used to season many dishes, as it draws out their natural sweet nesses.

Black Pepper

Kali Mirch

The small, dark, unripe fruit of the pepper plant used whole or ground as a pungent spice.

Caraway

Ajwain

It is dried ripe fruit of Carum carvi. It has a distinctive aroma and a warm, slightly sharp taste. It is used as a seasoning.

Cardamom

Ilaichi

Cardamom has a pungent aroma and a warm, spicy-sweet flavor. Widely used in Pakistani cooking to flavor dishes such as stews and curries.

Cayenne Pepper

Lal Mirch

Is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes, and for medicinal purposes.

Chilli

Mirch

The pungent fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum, used especially as a flavoring in cooking.

Cinnamon

Dar Cheeni

Has a peppery, earthy, spicy, yet slightly woodsy fragrance. Cinnamon is widely used in sweet dishes, but also makes an intriguing addition to savory dishes such as stews and curries.

Cloves

Laung

Are the dried, unopened flower buds of the tropical evergreen clove tree. Used for flavoring in meat products and baked goods.

Coriander

Dhania

Have an extremely pungent odor and flavor that lends itself well to highly seasoned food.

Coriander Leaf

Hara Dhania

Is a herb and member of the parsley family. The leaf is used fresh or dried, the dried fruit (dhanyia) as a spice in meat products and curry powder.

Cumin Seed

Zeera

Is the dried fruit of a plant in the parsley family. Seeds have an aromatic and nutty-flavor. Cumin is available in seed and ground forms.

Curry Leaf

Curry Patta

This fragrant herb looks like a small, shiny lemon leaf and has a pungent curry fragrance

Dill

Soya

The aromatic herb is a member of the parsley family. Dill weed is used to flavor many dishes such as salads, vegetables, meats and sauces

Fenugreek

Meithi

This aromatic plant is known for its pleasantly bitter, slightly sweet seeds. Fenugreek seeds, which come whole and ground, are used to flavor many foods including curry powders and spice blends.

Fresh Mint

Hara Podeina

Is a genus of strongly-scented herbs, some of which are used for flavoring. Mint is used in both sweet and savory dishes and in drinks.

Garlic

Lehson

Is the bulb of Allium sativum with a pungent odor when crushed, widely used in Pakistani Cuisine to flavor foods.

Ginger

Adrak

Has a tan skin and a flesh that ranges in color from pale greenish yellow to ivory It has a peppery and slightly sweet flavor , while the aroma is pungent and spicy.

Gram Flour

Besan

Is a flour made from ground chickpeas.

Green Chilies

Hari Mirch

Are large, mild chiles are available in most local grocery stores.

Lentils

Dal

Are dried seeds of many varieties of Lens esculenta, they may be green, yellow, or orange-red. They can be used as a side dish pureed, whole or combined with vegetables, in salads, soups and stews.

Mustard

Rai

Are seeds of black or brown mustard,or white or yellow mustard, or a mixture. Mustard seeds are used for pickling and as a seasoning.

Nutmeg

Jaifal

The hard, egg-shaped nutmeg seed is grayish-brown and about 1 inch long. The flavor and aroma are delicately warm, spicy and sweet. Nutmeg is sold ground or whole.

Onion Seeds

Kalaunji