Extracted from dried coconut, this oil is solid when cool; once melted, it's used for sauteeing or drizzled over cooked curries to add flavor. It spoils quickly, so keep it in the fridge.

No relation to commercial curry powder, these bright green leaves, when fried, release a flavor that is a cross between those of grapefruit and green peppers. Always use fresh leaves, as the dried have no taste, and set the leaves aside as you eat—they're a bit leathery.

A term that encompasses all dried raw legumes—peas, beans, and lentils—as well as any kind of Indian cooked-legume dish. Certain dhals may also be fried and mixed into curries or rice dishes to give them crunch.

Labeled "cayenne" or sometimes just "red chile". Any variety 1 to 2 inches long may be used.

This nutty-tasting butter has a high smoke point, keeps for months with no refrigeration, and is used in both sweet and savory dishes. (See Ghee in a Nutshell.)

Indians use the small brown variety, but yellow may be substituted. When heated in oil, they pop, releasing a toasty flavor.

This silky flour, milled from rice, is used to make pancakes and breads.

Salt is essential for bringing out the full flavor of Indian food. Moreover, it tempers the heat of chiles and softens the bite of tamarind or other sour ingredients.

Also called "vermicelli" in India, they have the diameter of angel hair pasta and are used in desserts and stir-fries.

The sticky brown pulp of the tamarind pod that is sold in blocks is more flavorful than the smooth concentrate sold in jars.