List of Baking Ingredients in Singapore [Names of Flours in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil]

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

This is a slightly bastardized translation of what is perhaps the most famous star-crossed lovers play in the world - Romeo & Juliet. This quote might not have a direct link to the post, but it just popped up in my head when I was thinking of how to start off this post. My point was, in a multi-racial society such as Singapore, ingredients will most likely than not be available in a variety of names - English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil or perhaps their native names, whatever that may be. To further compound the problem, the same product might even have TWO different names, such as linseed and flaxseed (they are the same thing).

Earlier last year, I was on the hunt for a variety of flours, especially whole grain ones in a bid to build up my whole foods pantry and to introduce new flours/grains/seeds into my diet. I had some difficulty at first trying to identify flours, especially at Mustafa whose flours were mainly in Tamil/Hindi/Urdu, so I decided to compile a list after meticulously counter-checking with not only the staff, but other internet sources and native speakers of the language.

The following list is by no means comprehensive, but it has been of utmost help to me when grocery shopping, not only in Singapore, but in Malaysia and even Taiwan! (where I had to struggle with not just Mandarin names, but traditional Chinese :/) If there's anything wrong or if you have anything to add to the below table, please comment and let me know! :]

If time permits, I'll be coming up with a companion list to this, by indicating where in Singapore you can get your hands on some of these flours. It's still a work in progress so wait for it!

Simple Legend: 
[m] stands for malay
[j] stands for japanese
[i] stands for tamil or hindi or any other indian dialect (sorry I don't know which is which)

English Name	Chinese Name	Other names
More common flours
All- purpose flour, plain flour, rose flour	麵粉, 中筋麵粉	Tepung Gandum [m] Tepung seberguna [m]
Bread flour, high protein flour	高筋麵粉, 筋麵, 根麵, 高根粉	Tepung roti [m]
Cake flour, pastry flour, superfine flour	低筋麵粉, 低根粉	Hakurikiko, 薄力粉 [j]
Pau flour, Hong Kong Flour	香港面粉
Self-raising flour	自發麵粉	Tepung naik sendiri [m]
Almond flour /meal	杏仁粉
Amaranth	苋菜, 苋米	Rajgira [i]
Arrowroot	葛粉	Tikora/Paniphal [i] Kuzuko [j]
Barley Flour	大麦面粉, 薏仁粉	Jav flour [i]
Black gram/lentil	黑鹰嘴豆	Urid/urad dhal [i]
Black Chick Pea	黑鹰嘴豆	Kala Chana [i]
Brown Rice Flour	糙米粉
Buckwheat	乔麦粉, 苦蕎麥	Kotu/Kottu/Kuttu [i]
Bulgur	小麦片
Cassava flour	木薯粉	Gari flour [Nigerian]
Chestnut flour	栗粉
Chickpea flour	鹰嘴豆面粉	Also known as Garbanzo Besan/gram /chana [i]
Coconut flour, dessicated coconut	椰絲, 椰茸, 椰子粉	Kelapa[m]
Cornstarch/flour	生粉, 玉米澱粉, 粟粉, 粟米粉, 玉米粉, 玉米澱粉	Makai (white corn flour) [i] Tepung jagung [m]
Cornmeal/polenta	粗玉米豆粉	Makka (coarser) [i] Masa harina [Spanish]
Corn flour, blue		Harinilla [Spanish]
Durum Flour	硬粒小麦面粉
Flaxseed flour	亚麻籽	Also known as linseed Jawas [i]
Garbanzo	鹰嘴豆面粉	Kabuli chana/besan/chana dhal [i]
Green Bean flour, mung bean	綠豆粉	Hoen Kwee: roasted green bean
Glutinous Rice Flour	糯米粉	Shiratamako 白玉粉 [j]
Glutinous Rice Flour, cooked	熟糯米粉, 糕粉	gao fun [Cant.], koh fun
Kamut flour	-
Millet, common, white	粟 (糯小米)
Millet, finger	稗, 䅟子	Ragi [i]
Millet, pearl, black	黍 (糯米黍), 珍珠稷, 珍珠黍	Bajra/kambu/bajri/Bajara [i]
Mugwort flour	艾蒿粉	Yomogiko 蓬粉 [j]
Multi-grain flour	雜糧預拌粉
Oat flour	燕麦粉	Jow/Jai/Jaun [i]
Potato flour/starch	生粉, 太白粉, 地瓜粉	Katakuriko 片栗粉 [j]
Pumpernickel	黑麦粉	Also known as dark rye flour
Polenta	玉米粥	See corn flour.
Quinoa flour	藜麦面粉, 藜籽, 小小米, 奎藜籽
Rice Flour (white rice flour)	粘米粉, 粘米粉, 黏米粉, 在來米粉, 在萊米粉, 再來米粉	Jyoshinko, 上新粉 [j] Idli Rava [i] (raw rice)
Rye Flour	黑麦粉	Medium rye
Sago flour	沙谷粉	Tepung Sagu [m]
Semolina	粗粉	Suji/Sugee/Sooji [i]
Spelt	斯佩尔特小麦面粉	Vartani [i]
Sorghum	高粱面粉	Jowar/Jwar/jowari/juwar [i]
Soy, soya flour	豆粉	Kinako きな粉 [j]
Sweet Potato flour	蕃薯粉, 地瓜粉	Tepung ubi keledek [m]
Sweet Rice Flour	糯米粉	Mochiko [j]
Tapioca Starch	樹薯粉, 木薯粉, 茨粉, 菱粉, 泰國生粉, 太白粉, 地瓜粉	Tepung ubi kayu [m]
Teff flour	画眉草面粉
Triticale flour	小黑麦
Water chestnut flour	荸荠粉	Singhada atta /Singoda [i]
Wheat bran	麦麸
Wheat germ	小麥胚芽, 麥芽粉
Wheat gluten	麵筋粉
Wheat starch	澄麵粉	Tung min
Whole wheat flour	全麥麵粉	Also known as wholemeal flour