Ingredients & recipes

Kasa kasa (கசகசா) is the Tamil name for poppy seeds , the tiny white seeds of Papaver somniferum .

Mundhiri (முந்திரி) is the Tamil name for the cashew nut — the kernel of the cashew tree, Anacardium occidentale .

Elakkai (ஏலக்காய்) is Tamil for green cardamom , the pod of Elettaria cardamomum .

Kalpasi (கல்பாசி) is the Tamil name for black stone flower , also called pathar phool or dagad phool – a dried lichen ( Parmotrema perlatum ) that grows on rocks and tree bark.

Chambala tea is tea from the Chambala Tea Factory in Gudalur, in the Nilgiris – the factory was established in 1963 and has been processing leaf from the surrounding estates for over…

Marathi moggu (மராத்தி மொக்கு) is the unopened flower bud of the kapok tree ( Bombax ceiba ) – which is why it is also sold as kapok bud.

Katuku (கடுகு) is Tamil for mustard seed – here, the small black seeds of Brassica nigra .

Jeeragam (சீரகம்) is Tamil for cumin seeds – also written sirakam or seeragam.

Peruncirakam (பெருஞ்சீரகம்) is one of the Tamil names for fennel seeds – also called sombu (சோம்பு) in the kitchen, and saunf in Hindi.

Kirambu (கிராம்பு) is Tamil for cloves – the dried, unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum .

Badam (பாதம்) is Tamil for almonds – also written padham or batham in transliteration.

Pattai (பட்டை) is Tamil for cinnamon – the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum verum , also called lavangappattai in some Tamil households.

Biriyani ilai (பிரியாணி இலை) literally means biryani leaf – the Tamil name for bay leaf , from Cinnamomum tamala .

Karumilaku (கருமிளகு) is Tamil for black pepper – the whole dried berry of Piper nigrum , also called kurumilagu or milagu.

Walnut (வாதுமைக் கொட்டை) is the kernel of Juglans regia .

Pista (பிஸ்தா) is Tamil for pistachio – the kernel of Pistacia vera .

Ventayam (வெந்தயம்) is Tamil for fenugreek seeds , the small, hard, pale-brown seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum .

Chakr phool is the name star anise is usually sold under in India, and in Tamil it is nadcathira sombu (நட்சத்திர சோம்பு) – literally star fennel, because the eight-pointed fruit looks…