Aloo Tikki: mashed potato patties
Bhaji: vegetables such as eggplant, potato, okra or peas that are steamed then mashed and sauteed in ghee
Bhelpuri: a dry mix of potatoes, chickpeas, nuts and tamarind chutney eaten with a puri
Chaat: snack food
Chapatti: also called roti, unleavened bread cooked on a tawa
Chole: spiced chickpeas
Dhahi: spiced curds, similar to yoghurt,
Dhal: generic term for cooked and uncooked lentils and pulses
Dhokla: spongy squares of steamed rice-flour flavoured with any number of savoury/spicy toppings
Dosa: crepe of fermented rice-flour and dhal
Frankie: Mumbai version of a frankfurter, soft chapattti rolled around fillings of spiced meat or vegetables
Ghee: clarified butter
Gulab jamun: Indian sweet of deep fried milk dough soaked in rose-flavoured syrup
Idli: fermented rice-flour and lentil cakes that are served with various fillings. The batter is similar to that used for dosas.
Kachori: savoury lentil puff served with a sour tamarind sauce flavoured with fenugreek seeds
Kadhai: large wok-shaped cooking vessel
Lassi: blended yoghurt drink flavoured with salt and sugar as well as additions such as various fruits, rosewater, ground almonds and or cardamom.
Masala: a mixture of spices used in cooking. Each cook creates their own for each dish.
Paan: mixture of betel nut, lime paste and spices wrapped in a betel leaf, eaten as a digestive and breath freshener. There are two types: plain and sweet.
Pani Puri: puffed flour dough crisp filled with spicy tamarind, chutney and gram sprouts
Pau Bhaji: spiced vegetables served on western-style white bread
Puri: a soft-fried bread made from whole wheat
Samosa: deep-fried triangular-shaped pastries filled with either spiced vegetables (potato and peas) or meat, served with chutney
Tawa: flat hotplate or iron griddle used to cook bread
Tiffin: light meals served throughout the day, also the multi-tiered stainless steel carrier that can be used to transport lunch
Wada: balls of mashed lentils that are fried and frequently served with dahi
Wallah: vendor or delivery man as in the phrase tiffin wallah or chai wallah