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Faq Index	Indian Food Glossary (2)	Topics Index

Breads, Pancakes and Dumplings
(Doughs and Batters)

• Appam
  A pancake made with ground soaked rice and cooked rice, mixed to a batter with coconut milk and water then left in a warm place to ferment for a number of hours. Because it is fried in an oiled karhai a typical appam is thin and crisp round the edges and fluffy and thick in the centre. (From the South)
• Bhakri
  An unleavened flatbread, made from a flour and water dough rolled out and baked on a tawa (griddle). Jawari (Sorghum) flour is used for this bread, made in the drier areas of central and western India, it may be lightened with bajra (millet) flour.
• Bhatura
  A deep-fried leavened bread, popular in the Delhi area, made with a cultured starter of sooji (semolina) and yoghurt, which is set in a warm place to ferment then mixed with maida (unbleached white flour) to form a dough. Baking powder and bi-carbonate of soda can be used to cut out the fermentation process.
• Chapatti
  An unleavened flatbread, made from atta (wholewheat) flour and water dough rolled out and baked on a tawa (griddle).
• Cheela
  Although the dal for these pancakes are soaked the batter is not fermented and wheat flour may be added to the batter with spices, sometimes buttermilk or yoghurt. The batter is thick and the pancakes are spread quite thinly on the tawa (griddle). Even though a cover is placed over the pan while the first side is cooking they have a crispy finish.
• Dosa
  Dosai are southern Indian pancakes, cooked on an oiled tawa (griddle) and there are many variations; the basic batter is made from rice and dehusked, split urad dal which have been soaked overnight and wet-ground into a creamy batter. The dosai from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are paperthin and crisp. Various sweet or savoury fillings are rolled into the pancakes and restaurant dosai are very large in diameter, even those made at home can be over a foot (30cm) across.
• Dhokra/Dhokla
  A steamed batter bread, formed in a cake tin style pan set on a trivet. the batter may be made with flour or wet-ground soaked rice and dal.
• Gulab Jamun
  Deep fried balls of dough made with flour and milk curds which are then steeped is sugar syrup.
• Handvo
  A Gujurati savoury batter cake made from ondhwa flour (milled rice and gram), yoghurt, spices and grated vegetables baked in an oven.
• Idli
  Light and spongy steamed dumplings made from fermented batter of wetground soaked parboiled rice and dal, though idli rava (ground rice) can be added to the ground dal. Idlis are made in individual moulds about 3 inches diameter, (similar to shallow poached egg moulds) which are supported on tiered circular plates. The cooked idlis are about 1 inch deep in the centre.
  The dal can be varied and sooji (semolina) or makkai (cornmeal) used instead of rice. Spices and finely chopped vegetables may be added to the batter.
• Kachori
  Deepfried pastry patties, made with white flour, ghee and water, stuffed with spiced mashed vegetables.
• Khasta Roti
  This bread is made from a firmer dough than chapittis, which is rolled into 4inch circles and oven-baked.
• Luchi
  A Bengali form of puri, a puffed, deepfried bread, but made with white flour, maida.
• Makkai Roti
  Similar to a chapatti but made with makai (maize flour/cornmeal)
• Moti Roti
  A risen flatbread, made from a maida (unbleached white flour), yoghurt and water dough and baked on a tawa (griddle). Baking soda is added to the flour and the dough is left to rise for several hours.
• Nan/Naan
  A leavened flatbread from Punjab, baked in a tandoor (try a pizza brick in a hot oven). The dough is made with maida (unbleached white flour), yoghurt and water; yeast is used as a raising agent. Nan breads can be stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings
• Paratha
  An unleavened flatbread, made from atta (wholewheat) flour and water dough rolled out and fried on a tawa (griddle). Parathas differ from chapattis in that there may be ghee in the mixture and the bread is layered by rolling, folding and rolling again and also basted with ghee during cooking. Parathas may be stuffed with a variety of fillings.
• Phulka
  An unleavened flatbread, starting as a chapatti then made to balloon out by holding over a flame to complete the cooking.
• Poppadum/Papad
  Thin crisp wafers made from dal flour, which may contain spices. These are generally bought ready to deep-fry (which makes them enlarge and bubble) as the process of rolling and drying the paper thin dough is a lengthy one.
• Poora Made with a similar batter to that of cheelas these substantial Gujurati pancakes usually have a flour and possibly yoghurt in the batter and can be served flat or rolled and stuffed. there is also a Besan Poora with peas, maize kernels and chopped vegetables mixed into the batter and cooked for longer on both sides with a cover over the pan. This is served cut into wedges.
• Puri/Poori
  An unleavened flatbread, made from atta (wholewheat) flour and water dough rolled out and deep-fried, which makes the bread puff up. Pureed or mashed cooked vegetables may be mixed into the dough.
• Thepla
  An unleavened flatbread, similar to a chapatti, baked on a tawa (griddle) this Gujurati variation has fenugreek leaves mixed into the dough, besan (chickpea) flour may be substituted for part of the flour.

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