Lentils and Pulses Names in Hindi, English, Tamil, Marathi

The glossary or list of legumes and lentils or pulses names used mainly in Indian Cuisine is presented here. Pulses and legumes are an excellent sources of plant based proteins. In India most of the vegetarian population consumes a variety of legumes, pulses and their flours. So we have hundreds of recipes made with them. We even have sweets and desserts made with lentils. e.g. moong dal halwa, besan ladoo, chana dal payasam etc.

lentils and pulses in a white creamish bowl.

Just for your information:-

  • In Hindi, the word ‘Sabut’ is used for lentils which are whole.
  • The word ‘Dal’ or ‘Dahl’ is used for split lentils.
  • The word ‘Dhuli’ is used for split and husked/skinned lentils.

How to Cook, Buy and Store Lentils and Legumes

Soaking: Some people have difficulty digesting these due to the phytic acid present in them. To make them easily digestible soak the lentils like chana dal, tuvar dal, masoor dal in water for an hour and legumes like white chickpeas, kidney beans, black chickpeas for 8 to 9 hours or overnight.

Later drain all the water and rinse the lentils thoroughly in fresh water for a couple of times. This process helps to remove some of the phytic acid.

Cooking: Soaking the lentils and beans reduces their cooking time by 25%. Once they are soaked well, you have the options to cook them in a pressure cooker or pan or in an instant pot. While cooking lentils add double to triple the amount of water. When cooking beans, add 3 to 4 times water to one cup of dried beans.

In Indian cuisine, most of our lentil dishes contain many spices and herbs that help in the digestion. e.g. cumin, ginger, asafoetida, fennel seeds, carom seeds etc. They also add a ton of flavor and aroma in the dish. I suggest that in any Indian lentil or legume recipe don’t change or omit the spices or herbs but you can change some other ingredients if they are not available to you. 

Buying: While purchasing lentils and legumes make sure they are in their shelf period and not aged or old. Lentils that are old take a longer time to cook and also you don’t get the best texture and flavor in them.

If possible buy organic or locally sourced pulses and legumes. Also, try to buy unpolished pulses or lentils as they have higher nutrition than the polished ones. Moreover, they also taste better.

Preserve: To preserve lentils or their flours for a longer time so that they don’t get infested with insects, keep 1 to 2 tej patta (Indian bay leaf) or few cinnamon sticks or few pieces of cloves in the lentil jar. Keep in a cool dry place.

Note that this pulses names list is best viewed in a desktop or laptop browser. When viewing in a mobile phone or tablet, you will have to swipe the table from left to right.

The first column consists of the pulses names in English, whilst the second column consists of their names translated in Hindi, Tamil and Marathi languages. These names of the legumes, lentils are listed in alphabetical order.

Pulses Name List

EnglishHindiTamilMarathi
Bengal gram flourBesanKadalai mavu 
Bengal gram spilt and skinnedChana dal, chane ki dal,
Booter dal
Kadalai paruppuHarbaryachi dal,
Chanyachi dal
Bengal gram wholeKala chana, chana Harbhara
Black eyed beans, cow peasLobhiya, lobiya, chawli, chavliKaramani 
Black gram skinnedUrad dhuliUllutham paruppu 
Black gram splitUrad chilka  
Black gram wholeUrad sabut, urad sabootMuzhu ulundhu 
White chick peas,
Garbanzo beans
Kabuli channa,
Safed chole, chole
Kondai kadalai 
Field bean,
Hyacinth bean, lablab
Val  
Green gram dalMoong dalPayatham paruppu 
Green gram splitMoong chilka Mugachi dal
Green gram wholeMoong sabut, mung sabutPayaruMug
Horse gramKulthi, kulithKollu 
Lentil dal, pink lentilMasoor dal, masar dal,
Masur dal
  
Moth beanMoth, matki, mataki 
PeasMutter, matar, mattarPattani 
Dried green peasHara matar  
Dried white peasSafed matar  
Black peasKala vatana  
Peas spilt, green peas spiltMatar dal, green matar dal  
Pigeon peas spilt and skinnedArhar, tuvar, toor, tur dalThuvarum paruppu 
Red kidney beansRajmaRajma 
SoybeanBhatma  

Note – if you know the name of any legumes/lentils/pulses in any regional Indian language and want to update it in this post, then do leave it in the comment section and we will update the post. Thanks in advance for your information

If we have missed any legumes, then also you can let us know.

Related Culinary Posts

  1. Fruits Names
  2. Spices Names
  3. Cereals Names
  4. Vegetables Names

This lentils and pulses name list post from the blog archives (first published in September 2009) has been updated and republished on 26 June 2021.

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Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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102 Comments

    1. Dried White peas is called vellai pattani in Tamil and dried green peas is called kanja pacha pattani

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