Traditional Indian Kitchen requires some typical utensils for cooking. This blog lists some of them which are essential to start cooking. However these could be easily found in any kitchen or improvised from a similar utensil.

1. Tools in an Indian Kitchen – Utensils
By: Ram Gupta
Tools and gadgets are essential in any function
be it blogging, cooking or gardening. The

2. degree of use and their type vary from function
to function. A functional and efficient kitchen is
no different. It requires tools and equipment to
cook different cuisines. Here we are going to
discuss some important tools required in an
Indian kitchen. It is assumed that the kitchen is
already equipped with all cooking equipment
like the range, hob and chimney, microwave,
kitchen machine etc.
Before we go any further, it is important to
understand that like any other cuisine, Indian
food is also cooked by boiling, frying, roasting
and or baking. People who aren’t acquainted
with Indian cooking often hold the view that
they need special utensils and equipment to
cook up an Indian meal. That is definitely not
the case. Most of what you need for Indian
cooking is bound to be available in your kitchen
and what you don’t have can easily by
substituted by cookware that is somewhat
similar in nature.

3. The utensils differ a bit in their shape or size
due to the shape or size of the food being
cooked. Therefore Indian kitchen also requires
all those basic tools and utensils that a Chinese
or a Continental kitchen requires with the
exception of size and shape.
Traditional Indian cooking makes use of a
variety of utensils in the kitchen. They are made
of different metals and alloys, ranging from
stainless steel and aluminum to iron and brass.
Modern invention has now placed Teflon coated
non-stick cookware in Indian kitchens as well.
So let’s start with our list of utensils.
Chakla Belan – Round rolling board and
rolling pin
Curious where your favorite Indian breads like
parantha and rotis come from? They are rolled
out on a flat platform known as the “chakla”

4. (the rolling board) with the help of the “belan”
(the rolling pin). Typically made from wood or
marble, the chakla and belan are the soul of any
Indian kitchen.
Kadhai
A “kadhai” can be best described as an Indian
wok, except that it is neither so deep nor so big.
Kadhais are used for the purpose of deep frying,
usually reserved to make a variety of Indian
snacks like “pakoda” or “samosa”. Although
available in stainless steel and brass, most
Indians prefer kadhais made from iron or
aluminum, although more and more people are
switching to the non-stick varieties as well for
the sake of convenience.

5. Pauni – Indian frying spoon with long handle
While frying an Indian snack, you would need a
“pauni” – a perforated spoon - to drain out all
the excess oil from the food.
Handi
Traditionally made of clay, modern day handis
are made from alloys of copper, steel or brass.
This circular pot has a thick bottom while a clay
saucer functions as the lid.

6. The traditional means of cooking in a handi
required the lid to be sealed with a paste made
from flour and water, while the food inside was
cooked on hot charcoals or open fire. Some
dishes required charcoals to be placed on the lid
as well to distribute the heat more evenly. This
method of cooking is referred to as “dum
pukht”.
Degchi
A “degchi” is one of the most commonly used
utensils in the Indian kitchen. Extremely
versatile in nature, it is just as perfect for
cooking dals, sauces, and rice pudding as it is
for making biryanis.

7. This deep, round dish has a narrow neck and a
thick, broad base and is traditionally made from
copper or brass.
Chimta
“Chimta”, also known as “pakkad”, are tongs
that are used to handle a hot utensil when you
are cooking.
In addition, they can also be used to roast
papads and rotis on an open flame. While
traditionally chimtas were made from iron,
modern ones are stainless steel.
Tawa
The closest thing to a tawa that the Western
world has is a skillet or a griddle. This Indian
tawa is slightly concave in nature, though, and is
used to make breads like chapattis, paranthas,

8. pancakes, and omelets. Although traditionally
made from heavy iron or aluminum, modern
non-stick tawas that are lighter in weight and
easier to clean are fast making their way into
Indian kitchens.
Hamam Dasta
The “hamam dasta”, or the mortar and pestle are
used to pulverize or coarsely grind whole spices
and herbs to make spice mixtures and pastes for
seasoning food. Unlike a food processor, a
hamam dasta, traditionally made from granite or
wood, only tears and shreds ingredients, thereby
retaining the flavor and fragrance of ingredients.
Sil Batta
This is a very interesting tool in an Indian
Kitchen. It consists of a stone slab that has a
roughened to surface and a stone roller stone.
One uses this for making fine paste or chutneys
in wet state and to make powder of a whole

9. spice of grain. Today the grinder of the food
processor has replaced it.
With that, I think we have the basic tools to
equip our Indian Kitchen and we are gradually
moving towards cooking those aromatic curries.
Looking to open an Indian Restaurant in casual
or fine dining segments of an Indian fast food
joint. Contact us for any help or assistance at:
ramgupta@bcgglobal.com