Indian Ingredient Encyclopedia

Ivy gourd is a tropical vine vegetable popular in South Indian cuisine. It has a slightly tangy taste and crunchy texture, perfect for stir-fries and curries.

Amaranth leaves are highly nutritious leafy greens with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Both green and red varieties are used in Telugu cuisine for dals and stir-fries.

Elephant foot yam is a starchy tuber with a unique earthy flavor. It's used in curries, fries, and traditional festival dishes across South India.

Flat beans are long, flat green pods with a slightly sweet taste. They're rich in protein and commonly used in curries, stir-fries, and rice dishes.

Bitter gourd is known for its distinctively bitter taste and numerous health benefits. It's a staple in Indian cuisine, especially valued for its medicinal properties.

Ridge gourd is a mild-flavored gourd with distinctive ridges. It's easy to digest and commonly used in South Indian cooking for curries, chutneys, and dal.

Bottle gourd is a versatile, mild-flavored vegetable used in curries, dals, sweets, and even juices. It's highly valued in Ayurveda for its cooling properties.

Taro root is a starchy tuber with a nutty flavor when cooked. The leaves (chamadumpa aaku) are also edible and used in many dishes.

Spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy green used worldwide. In Telugu cuisine, it's prepared as dal, curry, or stir-fry.

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable central to Telugu cuisine. From gutti vankaya to vankaya pachadi, it's prepared in countless delicious ways.

Raw banana is a starchy vegetable used extensively in South Indian cooking. It's used in curries, fries, and traditional dishes.

Yellow cucumber is a traditional Telugu vegetable used mainly for pickles (avakaya) and pappu. It has a tangy taste.

Gongura is Andhra Pradesh's signature ingredient with a distinctive sour taste. Used in pickles, chutneys, and curries.

Okra is a popular vegetable known for its unique texture and mild flavor. It's widely used in Indian cuisine for fries, curries, and stuffed preparations like gutti bendakaya.

Beetroot is a vibrant root vegetable with a sweet, earthy flavor. It's used in salads, fries, curries, and even desserts in Indian cuisine.

Sweet corn is a popular ingredient used in soups, snacks, and curries. The sweet corn chicken soup is a favorite Indo-Chinese dish.

Malabar spinach is a nutritious leafy green with thick, succulent leaves. It has a mild flavor and slightly mucilaginous texture, perfect for dals and stir-fries.

Cabbage is a versatile vegetable used in stir-fries, curries, and salads. It's popular in Telugu cuisine with preparations like cabbage pesarapappu and cabbage curry.

Sweet potato is a nutritious root vegetable with natural sweetness. It's used in curries, fries, and even desserts in South Indian cuisine.

Tomatoes are essential in Indian cooking, used in curries, chutneys, rasam, and sambar. Tomato pachadi is a popular Andhra condiment.

Snake gourd is a long, slender vegetable with mild flavor. It's commonly used in stir-fries and curries in South Indian cooking.

Drumstick is a highly nutritious vegetable essential in sambar. Both the pods and leaves (moringa) are used for their health benefits.

Sesame seeds are tiny nutritional powerhouses used in chutneys (nuvvula podi), sweets, and as garnish in Telugu cuisine.

Tamarind is the soul of Telugu cooking, providing the signature tangy taste to sambar, rasam, pulusu, and chutneys.

Green chillies add heat and flavor to Indian dishes. They're used fresh in cooking, pickled, or made into chutneys.

Chickpeas are protein-rich legumes used in curries, sundals, and snacks. Both white (kabuli) and brown (desi/kala chana) varieties are popular.

Green gram is the most easily digestible legume, used whole, split, or sprouted. Essential for pesarattu and many Telugu dishes.

Toor dal is the most commonly used dal in Telugu households. It's the base for sambar, pappu, and many everyday dishes.

Urad dal is essential for idli, dosa batter and vadas. The split white version is used for tempering and chutneys.

Raw mango is a tangy, sour fruit used extensively in Indian cuisine for pickles, chutneys, dals, and cooling drinks like aam panna.

Coconut is indispensable in South Indian cuisine. Fresh coconut, coconut milk, and coconut oil are used in chutneys, curries, and sweets.