VEGETABLES

Okra, called bhindi in Hindi and vendakkai or bendakaya in South Indian languages, is known in German as Okraschote. The pods are long, ridged, and tapered, with a mild flavour and a texture that turns notably sticky and mucilaginous once cut and cooked in liquid.

It is most often cooked dry, as in bhindi masala or bhindi fry with onion and spices, so that it stays less sticky, and is also added to sambar or a mixed vegetable curry.

How to use

• Wipe the pods dry before cutting, since wet okra becomes stickier.
• Trim the stem end and slice or leave whole depending on the dish.
• Cook over fairly high heat with the pan uncovered to reduce stickiness, and use within 2 to 3 days of purchase as it softens quickly.

Green chilli, called hari mirch in Hindi and mostly known in German simply as gruene Chili, is the unripe form of the chilli pepper: slim, glossy, and firm, with heat that varies noticeably from mild to sharp even within the same batch.

It is used throughout Indian cooking as a base ingredient, slit or chopped into curries, dals and chutneys, or fried whole with salt as a side. It also flavours pickles and tempering (tadka) for dals.

How to use

• Wash and trim the stem before slitting, chopping, or using whole.
• Remove the seeds and inner white membrane for a milder result.
• Store in the fridge in a paper bag or open container; it keeps for around a week.

Drumstick is the long, ridged green pod of the moringa tree, known as murungakkai in Tamil, munagakaya in Telugu, and sahjan or saijan in Hindi; it has no widely used German name. The pod is fibrous and inedible on the outside, with soft pulp and small seeds inside that are scooped out and eaten while the tough outer fibre is discarded.

It is best known as an essential ingredient in sambar, and is also cooked into a moringa curry or added to avial and other mixed vegetable dishes.

How to use

• Trim the ends and cut into finger-length pieces before cooking.
• Simmer until soft, then eat by scraping the pulp out with your teeth, discarding the fibrous shell.
• Keep in the fridge and use within a few days, as it dries out and toughens over time.

Cluster beans, also called guar or gawar in Hindi and gokarakaya in Telugu, are slim, firm green pods that grow in small clusters, with a mildly bitter, slightly crunchy flesh once cooked.

They are usually cooked into a dry gawar ki sabzi with onion and spices, or gokarakaya curry in Telugu cooking, and can be added in small amounts to a mixed vegetable dish.

How to use

• Trim both ends of each pod before cooking; very young pods can be left whole, while larger ones are often cut into shorter pieces.
• Cook thoroughly, as the pods are tough and slightly bitter if undercooked.
• Store in the fridge and use within about 4 to 5 days.

Green mango, or raw mango, called kairi or kaccha aam in Hindi and mangai in Tamil, is the unripe stage of the mango, with firm, sour, crunchy flesh and skin that is still fully green.

It is used to make mango pickle (achaar), aam panna, a tangy raw mango drink, and various chutneys, and is grated or diced into some South Indian rice dishes and salads.

How to use

• Wash, then peel with a knife before removing the flesh from the flat central seed.
• For pickling, cut into small pieces or thin slices as the recipe requires.
• Store in the fridge and use within a week, as it is firmer and keeps a little longer than ripe mango but still softens over time.

Fresh raw green banana, 400–500g — the cooking banana, known as plantain, kaccha kela, vaazhai kai or aratikaya, and in German as Kochbanane or grüne Banane.

Picked unripe, it is starchy rather than sweet and behaves much more like a potato than like fruit. South Indian kitchens use it for vazhakkai poriyal and fry, for Kerala thoran and avial, for Andhra aratikaya curry and for crisp banana chips; Bengali cooking turns it into kanchkola kofta.

Peel under running water or with oiled hands — the raw skin gives off a sticky sap — and drop the cut pieces into water with a little turmeric to stop them darkening. Store at room temperature or in the fridge and use within a few days, before the skin starts to yellow.

This is a round yellow cucumber, similar to what is known in Telugu as dosakaya and in Hindi sometimes as kakdi. It has a thicker, more textured yellow-green skin than a regular cucumber, with firmer, slightly tangy flesh and larger seeds toward the centre.

It is used in South Indian cooking for dosakaya pappu, a lentil dish cooked with this cucumber, for pickles, and for a raw salad with a light tempering of mustard seeds and chilli.

How to use

• Peel the tougher skin before cutting.
• Halve and scoop out the larger, harder seeds in the centre if they have matured, keeping the firmer flesh.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

These are small onions, known as sambar onions in English, chinna vengayam in Tamil, and gaddalu in Telugu; they are similar to what is sold in Germany as Schalotten (shallots). They are smaller and more intensely flavoured than regular onions, with thin reddish-purple skin.

As the name suggests, they are a key ingredient in sambar, and are also used whole in a small onion sambar or fried into a base for various South Indian curries.

How to use

• Trim the root end, then peel; soaking briefly in warm water can make peeling easier.
• They are often used whole or halved rather than finely chopped, since they are already small.
• Store in a cool, dry place rather than the fridge; they keep for a few weeks.

Fresh Suran

Red onion is called lal pyaz in Hindi and pyaaz in Urdu, and is sold in Germany as rote Zwiebel. It has a thin purple-red skin over white flesh streaked with purple rings, and a sharper, more pungent bite than yellow onion when raw, mellowing into a sweeter flavour once cooked.

In Indian kitchens it goes into the base masala for curries and dals, into salads (kachumber) and raitas where it is eaten raw, and into biryani where thin slices are deep-fried into crisp birista. It also works well in German dishes such as Zwiebelkuchen or simply sliced into a salad.

How to use

• Peel off the papery outer skin before cutting.
• For raw use, slice thinly and rinse briefly in cold water to soften the sharpness.
• Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, not in the fridge; whole onions keep for several weeks.

These are beefsteak tomatoes, called Fleischtomaten in German and tamatar in Hindi. They are large, firm, and meaty with fewer seeds than smaller tomato varieties, and a balanced sweet-tart flavour.

In Indian cooking they form the base of most curry gravies, go into tomato chutney, and are used raw in salads. In German cooking they are common sliced in salads or on bread.

How to use

• Wash before use; a brief dip in boiling water makes the skin easy to peel if a smooth gravy is wanted.
• For a curry base, chop and cook down with onion and spices until soft and the oil separates.
• Store at room temperature for a couple of days for full flavour, or in the fridge for up to a week.

Parwal, also known as pointed gourd, is a small oval green gourd, sometimes faintly striped, with a mild flavour and a texture close to a firm courgette once cooked. It has no established German name.

It is often stuffed with a spiced filling and shallow-fried as bharwan parwal, cut into rounds for a simple parwal sabzi, or cooked together with potatoes.

How to use

• Lightly scrape the skin if it feels tough; young, tender gourds can be left unpeeled.
• Trim the ends, then slit lengthwise for stuffing or slice into rounds for a dry sabzi.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

Cucumber, called kheera in Hindi and Gurke in German, is a smooth green vegetable with crisp, watery, mildly sweet flesh, most often eaten raw.

In Indian kitchens it is sliced into raita with yogurt, chopped into a kachumber salad with onion and tomato, or eaten plain with a little salt and chilli powder. In German cooking it is common in a simple vinegar salad (Gurkensalat) or on bread.

How to use

• Peel if the skin is thick or waxed, otherwise it can be left on and washed well.
• Slice just before serving, as cut cucumber releases water and softens.
• Keep in the fridge and use within about a week.

This is a round yellow cucumber, similar to what is known in Telugu as dosakaya, at a larger size than the smaller-packed version. It has thick, textured yellow-green skin, firmer flesh than a regular cucumber, and larger seeds toward the centre.

It is used in South Indian cooking for dosakaya pappu, a lentil dish cooked with this cucumber, for pickles, and for a raw salad with a light mustard-seed tempering.

How to use

• Peel the tougher outer skin before cutting.
• Halve and scoop out the larger, harder seeds in the centre, keeping the firmer surrounding flesh.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

Garlic is called lahsun in Hindi and Knoblauch in German. It grows as a bulb made up of individual cloves, each covered in a thin papery skin, with a sharp, pungent flavour raw that mellows and sweetens when cooked.

It is a base ingredient in most Indian curries and dals, usually ground with ginger into a paste, and is also fried whole in tempering for dals and chutneys. In German cooking it flavours sauces, roasts, and bread.

How to use

• Separate cloves from the bulb as needed, leaving the rest intact for storage.
• Crush the clove lightly first to loosen the papery skin, which then peels off easily.
• Store the whole bulb in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, not the fridge; it keeps for several weeks.

Vegetables 

White button mushrooms, known as Champignons in German, have a firm, pale cap with a mild, earthy flavour and a smooth, faintly chewy texture once cooked. They are widely used in both German and Indian cooking.

In Indian kitchens they are cooked into mushroom masala, mushroom do pyaza, or a simple mushroom curry with onion and tomato, and they also work well stir-fried with garlic and pepper. In German cooking they suit a Champignon cream sauce, a pan-fried side dish, or a topping for schnitzel.

How to use

• Wipe clean with a damp cloth rather than soaking them in water.
• Trim the very end of the stem before slicing or halving.
• Keep refrigerated in a paper bag or the original packaging and use within 3 to 4 days.

Beetroot is called chukandar in Hindi and Rote Bete in German. It is a firm, round root vegetable with deep red flesh, an earthy flavour, and a texture similar to a dense carrot once cooked.

In Indian cooking it is grated raw into a beetroot salad or raita, cooked into a beetroot sabzi or poriyal with coconut, and occasionally used in cutlets. In German cooking it is common boiled and sliced into salads.

How to use

• Scrub well; peeling is easier after boiling or roasting than before.
• Boil, steam, or roast whole until a knife slides in easily, then peel and slice.
• Wear gloves or wash hands promptly, as the deep red juice stains easily; store in the fridge and use within one to two weeks.

Cauliflower, called Blumenkohl in German and gobi in Hindi, is a compact white head made up of tightly packed florets on a pale stalk, with a mild, slightly nutty flavour and a firm bite that softens on cooking.

It is a staple Indian vegetable, cooked into aloo gobi with potatoes, a dry gobi sabzi with cumin and turmeric, or gobi manchurian in the Indo-Chinese style. In German cooking it is often simply steamed or baked with a cheese sauce.

How to use

• Cut the head into florets, discarding the thick core and outer leaves.
• Rinse well, or soak briefly in salted water, as insects can hide between the florets.
• Store in the fridge and use within about a week; it browns and softens as it ages.

This is white onion, called Gemuesezwiebel in German and safed pyaz in Hindi. It has pale, papery skin and white flesh, with a milder, sweeter flavour than red onion, especially when cooked.

It is used in the same way as other onions, as a base for curries and gravies, and works especially well in dishes where a lighter colour and gentler flavour are wanted, as well as in German cooking such as soups and roasts.

How to use

• Peel off the papery outer skin before chopping or slicing.
• Cook gently over medium heat to bring out its natural sweetness.
• Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, not the fridge; it keeps for several weeks.

Lemon is called nimbu in Hindi and Zitrone in German. The variety sold here is the familiar yellow lemon, with a firm rind, juicy acidic flesh, and a sharp sour flavour.

In Indian cooking it is squeezed over dals and curries just before serving, used to make nimbu pani (lemon water) or achaar (pickle), and added to marinades. In German cooking it flavours dressings, cakes, and drinks.

How to use

• Roll firmly on the counter before cutting to release more juice.
• A squeeze of lemon added at the end of cooking, rather than during, keeps its flavour brighter.
• Store at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for two to three weeks.