KitchenDal, flour and millet names in English and Hindi
Is arhar the same as toor? What is ragi in English? Search 42 dals, beans, flours, millets and grain products by English or Hindi name.
| English name | Hindi name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pigeon pea, split | अरहर दाल, तूर दाल arhar, toor | The everyday yellow dal of much of India; base of sambar. |
| Green gram, split and skinned | मूंग दाल (धुली) moong dal | Small, yellow, quick to cook and light to digest. |
| Green gram, split with skin | मूंग छिलका moong chhilka | Green and yellow. Used in khichdi and cheela. |
| Green gram, whole | साबुत मूंग sabut moong | Sprouted for salads; cooked as a thick dal. |
| Red lentil, split | मसूर दाल masoor dal | Orange when raw, yellow when cooked. Very quick. |
| Brown lentil, whole | साबुत मसूर sabut masoor | The whole form of masoor, with its brown skin. |
| Bengal gram, split | चना दाल chana dal | Nutty and firm. Also ground into besan. |
| Black gram, split and skinned | उड़द दाल (धुली) urad dal | White. Ground for idli, dosa and vada batter. |
| Black gram, whole | साबुत उड़द sabut urad | Black skin. The dal of dal makhani. |
| Chickpeas, white | काबुली चना, छोले kabuli chana, chole | Large and cream coloured. |
| Chickpeas, black | काला चना kala chana | Smaller, darker and firmer than kabuli chana. |
| Kidney beans | राजमा rajma | Red or speckled. Always soak and cook fully. |
| Black-eyed beans | लोबिया, चवली lobia, chawli | Cream beans with a black spot. |
| Moth beans | मोठ moth | Small brown beans, sprouted for misal and used in Rajasthani food. |
| Horse gram | कुल्थी kulthi | A hardy pulse of hill and southern cooking. |
| Dried white peas | सफेद मटर safed matar | For ragda, ghugni and matar kulcha. |
| Soybean | सोयाबीन soyabean | Cooked like rajma; also made into chunks and granules. |
| Whole wheat flour | आटा atta | For roti, paratha and puri. |
| Refined wheat flour | मैदा maida | For naan, bhatura, samosa and baking. |
| Gram flour | बेसन besan | Pakora, kadhi, cheela, dhokla and laddu. |
| Semolina | सूजी, रवा sooji, rava | Upma, halwa, rava dosa and idli. |
| Rice flour | चावल का आटा chawal ka atta | Crisp coatings, chakli and some rotis. |
| Maize flour | मक्की का आटा makki ka atta | Yellow, coarse. For makki ki roti. Not the same as cornflour. |
| Cornflour (corn starch) | कॉर्नफ्लोर cornflour | White, fine starch for thickening soups and sauces. |
| Pearl millet | बाजरा bajra | Winter rotis and khichdi in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. |
| Sorghum | ज्वार jowar | Bhakri in Maharashtra and Karnataka. |
| Finger millet | रागी, मंडुआ ragi, mandua | Reddish-brown. Mudde, dosa, porridge and rotis. |
| Foxtail millet | कंगनी kangni | Cooked like rice or as upma. |
| Little millet | कुटकी kutki | Small grain used like rice. |
| Kodo millet | कोदो kodo | Cooked like rice. |
| Barnyard millet | समा के चावल sama ke chawal | Eaten on fasting days in place of rice. |
| Buckwheat flour | कुट्टू का आटा kuttu ka atta | Fasting-day puris and pakoras. |
| Water chestnut flour | सिंघाड़े का आटा singhare ka atta | Fasting-day halwa and puris. |
| Amaranth seeds | राजगीरा, रामदाना rajgira, ramdana | Popped for laddu and chikki; flour for fasting rotis. |
| Barley | जौ jau | Sattu, soups and barley water. |
| Oats | जई jai | Porridge, upma and cheela. |
| Broken wheat | दलिया dalia | Sweet or salted porridge and khichdi. |
| Flattened rice | पोहा, चिवड़ा poha, chivda | Soaked briefly for poha; fried for chivda. |
| Puffed rice | मुरमुरा murmura | Bhel, jhalmuri and laddus. |
| Tapioca pearls | साबूदाना sabudana | Khichdi, vada and kheer, often on fasting days. |
| Vermicelli | सेवइयां sevaiyan | Sweet kheer or savoury upma. |
| Parboiled rice | सेला चावल, उसना चावल sela, usna chawal | Rice steamed in the husk before milling. Firmer grains. |
Nothing matches. Try a shorter spelling.
One pulse, several forms
Most Indian pulses are sold in three forms, and each has its own name: whole with the skin (sabut), split with the skin (chhilka), and split without the skin (dhuli). Moong is the clearest example: green whole moong, green-and-yellow moong chhilka, and yellow moong dal are the same bean.
Names that are often mixed up
- Arhar and toor are two names for the same dal.
- Sooji and rava are the same thing: coarsely ground wheat.
- Cornflour and makki ka atta: in India, cornflour means white corn starch. Makki ka atta is yellow maize flour.
- Besan and chana dal: besan is flour ground from chana dal.
- Sabudana is made from tapioca (cassava) starch, though it is often called sago.
Questions people ask
Is arhar dal the same as toor dal?
Yes. Arhar and toor (also written tuvar) are names for split pigeon peas.
What is ragi called in English?
Finger millet. In Uttarakhand it is called mandua, and in Maharashtra nachni.
What is besan made from?
Besan is the flour of split Bengal gram, that is, chana dal.
What is the English name of lobia?
Black-eyed beans, also called black-eyed peas or cowpeas.
More kitchen help
- Cups to gramsAtta, maida, sugar, rice, ghee and more, by ingredient.
- MeasuresTeaspoon, tablespoon, cup, ml, katori, pav, tola and seer.
- Oven temperaturesCelsius, Fahrenheit and gas mark, with fan oven settings.
- SubstitutesWhat to use when an ingredient is missing.
- Cooking timesPressure cooker minutes for dals, beans and rice.
- How much to cookRice, dal, atta and vegetables for any number of people.
- Food storageHow long food keeps in the fridge and the freezer.
- Spice namesJeera, ajwain, kalonji: English and Hindi names with uses.
- Vegetable namesTori, tinda, parwal: English and Hindi names with season.