How to Find Indian Grocery Items You Can't Pronounce

You know what you need. You may even recognise the packet when you see it. The problem is that you have absolutely no idea how to pronounce the name.

This happens all the time when shopping for Indian groceries, especially if you are new to Indian cooking. Names such as ajwain, asafoetida, poha, urad dal, toor dal and besan are easy to recognise once you cook with them regularly, but they can look confusing the first few times.

Quick answer: You do not need to pronounce an Indian grocery item correctly to find it. Search using the name written in your recipe, its English name, the dish you want to cook, the brand or packaging, or even a photo of the ingredient. Good Indian grocery websites usually organise products into categories such as spices, lentils, rice and flour, which makes finding unfamiliar ingredients much easier.

Start With the Name Exactly as It Appears in the Recipe

Do not worry about pronunciation first. Concentrate on spelling.

If a recipe asks for "urad dal", type urad dal into the grocery store search bar. If it asks for "besan", search for besan. You can copy and paste the ingredient directly from an online recipe rather than trying to spell it from memory.

This works particularly well because many Indian ingredients have more than one English spelling. For example, you may see moong written as mung, while urad may sometimes appear as urid. The names sound similar, but different shops and brands may use different spellings.

If one spelling gives no result, try a slightly different version rather than assuming the ingredient is unavailable.

Search for the English Name

A lot of Indian grocery ingredients have an Indian name and a more familiar English description. Knowing both makes shopping much easier.

Here are a few common examples:

• Jeera – cumin
• Dhania – coriander
• Haldi – turmeric
• Ajwain – carom seeds
• Hing – asafoetida
• Besan – gram flour or chickpea flour
• Atta – whole wheat flour used for roti and chapati
• Poha – flattened rice
• Toor dal – split pigeon peas
• Urad dal – black gram

There is one catch: English translations are not always perfect substitutes. For example, searching for "flour" when your recipe specifically requires atta is too broad. Use the translated name to help identify the product, but still check the package and recipe before buying.

Search by the Dish You Want to Cook

Sometimes you do not know the ingredient at all. You only know that you want to make dosa, rajma, biryani or pakoras.

In that situation, work backwards from the dish.

For example, if you are making pakoras and the recipe mentions a flour you have never heard of, searching for "flour for pakora" will usually lead you towards besan. Searching for "lentils for sambar" can help you identify toor dal, while searching for "rice for biryani" will point you towards basmati rice.

This is also a useful approach when browsing an Indian grocery store for the first time because it connects unfamiliar ingredient names with food you already recognise.

Browse by Grocery Category

Search bars are useful, but sometimes browsing is actually faster.

If you know the mystery ingredient is a spice, start with the Indian spices collection. If it is a dal or pulse, browse lentils and beans.

For ingredients used in roti, naan, pakoras or Indian sweets, check the atta and Indian flour collection. For basmati, sona masoori, poha and other rice products, browse the Indian rice collection.

Browsing by category helps because you can compare product names, photographs, pack sizes and brands side by side instead of trying to guess the exact search term.

Use a Photo When Words Fail

One of the simplest solutions is also one of the most overlooked: take a screenshot.

If someone sends you a recipe, a WhatsApp message or a picture of a product, save it. When you are shopping in a physical Indian grocery store, show the picture to a member of staff. There is no need to struggle through a pronunciation that neither of you understands.

Images are particularly helpful for products whose names are similar. A picture of the packet can identify the exact brand, variety and pack size far more accurately than saying something that sounds vaguely similar.

Check the Packaging, Not Just the Product Name

Indian grocery packaging often gives you more information than the unfamiliar name on the front.

Look for a short product description, ingredient list and cooking suggestions. A packet labelled "Chana Dal" may also describe the contents as split chickpeas. A packet of besan may mention gram flour underneath the main product name.

This becomes especially useful when two products look almost identical. Whole urad, split urad and urad dal with the skin removed are related ingredients, but they do not always behave the same way in a recipe.

Spend an extra few seconds checking exactly what is inside the packet. That is better than buying the wrong ingredient because the name looked familiar.

Do Not Be Afraid to Ask

There is no prize for pronouncing every Indian ingredient perfectly.

People who grew up speaking different Indian languages may themselves use different names for the same ingredient. What one family calls coriander leaves, another may call dhania, and another may simply say cilantro.

So instead of asking, "Am I pronouncing this correctly?", ask something useful: "I'm making dal makhani and the recipe says urad dal. Is this the right one?"

That gives the person helping you enough context to identify what you actually need.

Keep a Small List of Ingredients You Use Often

After you have cooked a few Indian meals, the same ingredients start appearing again and again.

You might regularly use cumin, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, atta, basmati rice, moong dal and chickpeas. Save the names in your phone along with a photo or English translation.

After a few shopping trips, names that initially looked impossible become completely ordinary. You stop thinking about how to pronounce "asafoetida" and simply know which shelf contains the hing.

What If I Don't Know What the Ingredient Looks Like?

Start with the recipe and identify what role the ingredient plays. Is it a spice, flour, lentil, rice, vegetable, sauce or snack?

Then search or browse that category. Product photographs can usually narrow the choice quickly. For ingredients that are still unfamiliar, check whether the recipe provides an alternative name.

This method is much safer than choosing a product simply because its name sounds similar.

Finding Indian Grocery Ingredients in Europe

Finding specialist Indian ingredients in Europe is much easier when you shop by ingredient category rather than relying entirely on pronunciation.

An online Indian grocery store lets you search the spelling, compare product images and read descriptions before ordering. This can be particularly useful if the nearest physical Indian supermarket is far away or you are learning to cook Indian food for the first time.

You can also explore convenient products such as idli mixes, ready curries and other ready-to-eat Indian foods while becoming more familiar with Indian dishes and ingredient names.

The Bottom Line

If you cannot pronounce an Indian grocery item, don't let the name stop you from cooking with it. Search for the spelling, try its English name, look for the dish it is used in, browse the appropriate grocery category or simply show someone a photograph.

Pronunciation becomes easier with familiarity, but finding the correct ingredient matters much more than saying its name perfectly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find an Indian ingredient if I can't pronounce its name?

Type or copy the ingredient name exactly as it appears in your recipe. You can also search using its English name, the dish you are preparing, its brand or a photograph of the product.

Why do some Indian grocery items have different names?

India has many languages and regional food traditions, so the same ingredient may have several names. Different brands may also use different English spellings. For example, mung dal may also appear as moong dal.

What is atta called in English?

Atta is Indian whole wheat flour commonly used for making roti, chapati and paratha. It is usually finer than many standard European whole wheat flours, so searching specifically for atta is better than simply buying any whole wheat flour.

What is besan called in English?

Besan is commonly called gram flour or chickpea flour. It is widely used for pakoras, chilla, kadhi, Indian sweets and many other dishes.

What are Indian lentils called?

Indian lentils and pulses are commonly referred to as dal. Popular varieties include toor dal, moong dal, masoor dal, chana dal and urad dal. They differ in flavour, texture and cooking time, so check which variety your recipe requires.

How can I identify an Indian spice from a recipe?

Search both the Indian and English names. Common examples include jeera for cumin, haldi for turmeric, dhania for coriander, ajwain for carom seeds and hing for asafoetida.

Can I find Indian groceries online in Europe?

Yes. Many Indian pantry products can be ordered online in Europe, making it possible to search by ingredient name, category or product image rather than depending on pronunciation.

Where can I buy Indian groceries in the Netherlands?

Mini India Grocery offers Indian groceries online with delivery throughout the Netherlands and to several other European countries. Customers in the Netherlands receive free delivery on qualifying orders above €29. There is also a physical Mini India Grocery store in Hilversum for customers who prefer to shop or collect their groceries in person.

Shop Indian Groceries with Mini India Grocery

Whether you already know exactly what you need or are still figuring out the difference between toor dal, urad dal and moong dal, you can browse Indian groceries by category at Mini India Grocery.

We offer online Indian grocery shopping across Europe, with a physical store in Hilversum for local customers. Orders above €29 qualify for free delivery within the Netherlands, subject to the applicable delivery conditions.