By Are you searching for the best Indian food to try? Are you planning to taste the best Indian food items? Then this article is a must read for you. We have listed the top 20 best Indian food dishes you must try in your lifetime.
If you are planning to visit India, then this is the best time to try these dishes from local eateries or restaurants to get the authentic taste of India. Indian cuisines popularity has reached far west from several Indian restaurants and takeaways opening.
Indian foods are full of flavors and textures which will stimulate your tastebuds. As India is a vast country with different regional dishes full of different spices and vegetables from different regions.
From meat items from mountainous regions where fresh produce is not abundant to vegetable dishes in the plains. Here fresh foods are available, you will find many varieties of dishes of your liking in India.
The dry region in the western India where wheat products are mainly grown and eaten to southeastern region coastal plains having abundant of seafood dishes. Ever state you visit in India has different traditional food dishes using local ingredients.
Here are all the best Indian food dishes you must try while in India or while eating at Indian restaurants abroad.
Best Indian Food Dishes You Must Try
Here are the best Indian food dishes you must try once in your lifetime. If you are vegan, then some of dishes you must try as Indians are great in making vegetarian dishes without using animal products.
Aloo Gobi
Starting with the Indian dish that most Indians have probably had at least once in their lifetime, aloo gobi. Indians love their potatoes and tries to add them in as many dishes as possible. They have pair almost all kinds of vegetables that grow in the region with potatoes. This is one such dish that is easy to make and tastes amazing.
Gobi aloo has two main ingredients potatoes and cauliflower. These two vegetables have starch components which binds well together with Indian spices making it one of the best Indian food dishes.
Gobi aloo is a vegetarian dish that originated in Punjab region located in the northeastern region of India. This classic dish is now found in different regions of India and with different variations of the dishes. Aloo gobi dish is also included in menu of Indian restaurants internationally.
Aloo gobi is a flavorful dish loaded with spices like coriander, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and fenugreek. In some variations of this dish onion, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, coconut oil, mustard oil, and other vegetables are used too. This Indian dish is a great dish for vegans as the initial recipe does not contain any animal products.
Pakora
Pakora means deep-fried food. They are one of the best Indian foods that is enjoyed mains as snacks with evening tea or appetizers before dinner. Pakora has several names in different parts of India like bhajia, bhaja, bhonda, etc.
Any vegetables or meat can be turned into a pakora. Pakora are simple to make if you know what preparations you need to make the dish. You will need batter made from chickpea flour or rice flour or flour and water mixed with salt.
Once your batter is ready, slice any vegetables or meat you like, fish or chicken, and dip it into the flour mixture or batter. Then heat up a pan with a good amount of oil to fry the batter-dipped vegetable or meat.
You can use vegetables like spinach, cauliflower, potato, onions, cabbage, capsicum, chilies, etc. to make pakora. All over India different regions have different variations of pakora. Pakoras are commonly found in India restaurants abroad while in India they sell like hot cakes by street venders as evening snacks.
Pakoras go great with rice and lentils too. As per record different parts of the world has their own version of pakoras like Japanese tempura or Portuguese fried dishes.
As Portuguese settled in India during 16th century bringing their regional cuisine to India, thus, marking the beginning of pakoras. No written evidence has been yet found to back this claim.
Rogan Josh
Rogan josh is a non-vegetarian dish from the northern part of India, Kashmir. The Rogan in Persian means clarified butter or ‘ghee.’ In Hindi, ‘rogan’ means read color that perfectly describes the stew as red in color due to red chili powder and aromatic spices.
This dish is a flavorful stew made from goat or lamb meat. The meat gets simmered in a spice-filled gravy full of clarifies butter, ginger, garlic, yogurt, onions, clove, cinnamon, and cardamom. Some regional variations of rogan josh contain tomatoes as well.
The term ‘josh’ means the heat of flavors you experience on your tastebud while having this dish. As the stew is served hot and contains so many aromatic spices it is bound to be spicy and flavorful. Hence why the name ‘Rogan josh.’
This rich stew is great comfort food in cold weather as Kashmir is in the northern part of Indian surrounded by Himalayan range. This warm dish heats you from inside against the bitter cold.
The taste and flavor of the dish made it one of the best Indian food dishes from the norther part of India. Rogan josh goes well with rice or flat bread ‘naan’.
Vindaloo
Vindaloo is a special dish of Goa from the Portuguese settlers who came to India in 15th century to trade spices and settled here henceforth. The Goan dish is one of the spiciest curries in the world made from a blend of chili peppers, black peppers, cinnamon, cardamom, tamarind and garlic-plan wine marinated meat.
Initially this recipe used vinegar instead of palm wine, but vinegar availability was less so the dish incorporated Indian available ingredient palm wine. Pork was the main meat used for making this dish, simmered in a balanced aromatic spices blend that later transformed into a full-on hot curry dish.
Vindaloo is said to be closely tied with ‘British lad culture,’ in the end of 20th century Britain, according to Live History India. Like todays’ hot Korean ramen challenge as to who could eat the spiciest noodles the fastest. Similarly, Vindaloo became spicier at the end of 20th century due to this culture of eating the spiciest food among young Brits.
Palak Paneer
Indians have mastered the art of making greens and vegetables taste amazing. One such leafy green dish that Indians loves is the palak paneer. Palak is the Hindi term for spinach, while panner is like tofu but made from milk instead of soyabean milk.
Spinach is a great source of iron, vitamin C, K, A and potassium. If you are not into leafy vegetables, then is dish is the best way to intake your leafy greens of the day.
Palak paneer has two main components one is to boil the palak or spinach and make it into a paste and the other is paneer or fresh milk cheese. Combine the spinach paste with salt, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, onion and garam masala and simmer it until it boils. Then add the fresh cheese or panner, add fenugreek powder and mix it.
Pair this dish with naan or flat bread to get the best flavor. This dish originated in the Punjab region in the northern India. This dish is also called saag panner as you can use other leafy greens to make this dish the same way.
Biriyani
While originally biriyani is a dish originating from Iran, it meant fried rice in Persian. Birinj means fried rice and the dish consisted of aromatic rice. This Iranian dish is the result of India’s mixed history and has becomes a distinct part of India’s celebration.
Biriyani is a must in every festive occasion in India and has a different variation in different states of India. India being mostly a vegetarian population has also made several varieties of biriyani using vegetarian ingredients.
Be it the famous Lucknow Biriyani from the north or Hyderabadi biriyani from the south or Kolkata Biriyani from the eastern part of India, this dish a made a space for itself in every part of India.
Biriyani is made up of long grain basmati rice, tender meat and has handful of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, saffron, rose water, yogurt, nuts or dried fruits, herbs, fried onions, etc.
Biriyani has complex cooking methodology hence different components need to be successfully completed before going to the next step in the making process. The dish has complex flavors which will satisfy your taste buds and hence, why it takes much time to make.
Masala Dosa
This southern Indian dish has is a fan-following of its own not only in different parts of India but in the West as well. Masala dosa is a vegetarian dish and known as the Indian crepe or pancake. The dosa is filled with savory potato filling and paired with coconut chutney and sambar.
Masala dosa is made of fermented lentils and rice and made paper thin over a flat dish on stove. This is a great dish for vegans to enjoy as well as it does not contain any animal products.
Since masala dosa is made up of fermented rice and lentils this makes it a best indian food dish for your gut. Fermented dishes are filled with gut-friendly bacteria that help your gut as it’s easy to digest. Similarly, masala dosa is also gluten-free and can satiate your appetite for a few hours.
Breads
There are more than 30 different kinds of bread in India. Different breads are made from different flours grown in different regions of India. The cooking methods are also different, resulting from the vastness of the country.
Naan bread is the most popular bread known to the western part of the world and enjoyed immensely. In India rotis and parathas are the most commonly popular breads in the northern, western and eastern parts of India. While southern parts of India enjoy dosa and Akki roti the best.
Be it tandoori roti or plain roti or bun parotta India knows how to make a good bread that will leave you wanting more. You can make Indian bread using rice flour, whole wheat, or refined flour but different ingredients will result in different breads.
Plain breads are best paired with curries or kormas, while dosa is best paired with chutney and sambar made of seasonal vegetables. Again, parathas are best paired with meat or potato curries. Stuffed parathas are filled with potatoes or eggs and paired well with pickles.
Rotis are usually taken with meat or vegetables side dishes and are part of regular meals. Just like rice, rotis are important part of Indian daily meal in different regions.
Korma
You cannot talk about Indian breads without talking about the side dish you need to pair with breads, korma. Korma is another dish from India’s mixed history as it’s a Persian dish. Korma is a rich stew made from meat and spices. But as India is majorly vegetarian so the dish has been incorporated with vegetarian ingredients replacing meat as well.
So, there are different variations of korma from vegetarian to non-vegetarian. Korma mainly uses meats like beef, chicken, or mutton and spices like cumin, coriander, saffron, turmeric, ginger and other aromatic spices.
Vegetarian korma contains milk products like paneer and vegetables. Korma uses thickeners like yogurt, cream, coconut milk, reduced milk, and other dried fruits and nuts to make vegetarian korma.
Korma is best paired with naan, chapati or paratha.
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken is a dish that is made in a special tandoor oven usually made from clay. The chicken is marinated with aromatic spices, tandoori masala and yogurt to infuse the flavor and put in the oven to infuse smoky flavor. Tandoori is the best Indian dish to make during special occasion or when guests visit for dinner.
Conclusion
Now that you know some of the best Indian food dishes out there, which one would you like to try first? Let us know. If you ever tried any Indian dish let us know which dish it was.
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