10 Indian Dishes YOU Must Try
Indian food culture is incredibly diverse, deeply rooted in tradition. It is best known for its variety of spices and the versatile use of the same spice in different cooking styles as per the regions bringing in a cultural experience from one country alone. The spices used in the Indian food is also known for various health benefits.
Overall, exploring Indian cuisine opens up a world of flavors, textures and experiences that are sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more!
10. Paneer Tikka
This is a vegetarian dish made from chunks of paneer also known as the Indian Cottage Cheese. These chunks are mixed with yogurt and spices of your liking then either grilled, baked or shallow fried to get the perfect texture and taste!
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Cut paneer in cubes and slightly poke it with a fork on each side
Marinate it with yogurt, ginger & garlic paste, dry powder spices(black pepper powder, chilli powder, coriander powder), salt and lemon to taste and leave it for an hour to rest
Grab a skewer and poke the marinated paneer cubes along with cube sized bell peppers and onion
Grill it until cooked on each side
OR
If you don’t want to use a skewer you can simply throw it in your pan and bake it or shallow fry it
9. Rogan Josh
Rogan Josh is a flavorful lamb curry cooked with a blend of aromatic whole spices and yogurt. It is a popular dish from Kashmir, India.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Take a pan and add few spoons of ghee and onion and sauté until golden brown
Remove little bit of the golden brown onions in a plate and save it for later
In d same pan and whole spices like green cardamom, cloves cinnamon and Kashmiri red chili or chili powder and sauté them until you smell the aroma of the spices
Add in more ghee in the pan if required and add in the lamb pieces and fry them in it until brown
Add in yogurt and water as required for the meat, mix well stirring it for about a couple of minutes
Close the pan and let it simmer on slow heat until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick
Add the golden brown onions saved earlier and coriander leaves(optional) on top of the dish
Serve it hot with naan or rice.
8. Dhokla
A steamed savory cake made from fermented rice and chickpea flour batter, seasoned with mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies. It is native to the state of Gujrat, India.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
Mix rice flour, chickpea flour, yogurt, ginger and green chili paste, salt to taste to form a batter
Add lemon juice and baking soda to the batter (Batter should have a thick consistency and easily can be transferred with the help of spoon) and steam it in a greased dish until cooked
Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies in oil and pour over the steamed dhokla.
Cut it into squares and serve it with a green mint and coriander chutney
7. Samosa
Samosa is a triangular pastry made from all purpose flour that can be filled in with vegetables or minced meat of your choice and baked or fried until brown. Samosas are considered to be a Punjabi dish which is only filled with spiced potatoes and peas.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
For the dough, mix all purpose flour with carom seeds(Ajwain), salt to taste and water to form a stiff dough. Let it rest for 30 mins while covering it with a damp muslin cloth
For the filling, take a pan add some oil and into it add onions, boiled potatoes and peas, spices like cumin, garam masala and coriander powder and sauté all this until it is mixed well
Roll out portions of the dough into circles, cut it into half, add in the potato mixture at the center of it and fold the right side one over the mixture and then fold the left side overlapping the earlier fold, secure it from the top and the bottom of the triangle shape
Bake it or deep fry it until golden brown
Enjoy it with a green chutney and tamarind chutney
6. Palak Paneer
Palak is Spinach and Paneer is the Indian cottage cheese, a creamy spinach curry cooked with cubes of paneer and flavored with spices like cumin, green chilies, coriander and garam masala.
HOT TO MAKE IT:
Blanch spinach leaves and blend it into a smooth puree
Finely chop onion, garlic and ginger and add them to a pan with butter and sauté them until golden brown
Add cumin, garam masala powder and green chili & coriander paste and sauté them for a minute and add the spinach leaves puree and let it cook for another -3 minutes, until the flavors are combined
In another pan roughly sauté the paneer cubes, once done add them to the puree
Add few spoons o fresh cream
Ready to serve with naan, roti or rice!
5. Aloo Paratha
Aloo paratha is a north Indian staple breakfast. It is a flatbread stuffed with spiced potato filling, cooked on a griddle until golden brown with a topping of ghee or butter.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
For the dough, knead whole wheat flour with water, salt and little oil to form a soft dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes
For the filling, boil the potatoes and peel the skin off and mash it with the help of a masher, add finely chopped onions, green chilies, coriander leaves, dry spices like coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt to taste and squeeze a lemon if you want it to be tangy
Make equal portions of the dough and the filling, then roll out the dough, add the filling in it, seal it and dip it into a dry wheat flour which will help you in rolling them flat and round
Cook it on a hot griddle with ghee/butter/oil until golden brown and serve it hot with a bowl of yogurt, pickle or ketchup
4. Masala Dosa
Masala Dosa is a South Indian dish, It is a crispy and thin pancake made from fermented rice and urad dal(Black Gram) batter had with sambar (vegetable and lentil soup), potato and coconut chutney(sauce). This dish is enjoyed all over India as a breakfast or evening snack.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
For the Dosa batter, you need to take equal parts of rice and urad dal (black gram) in separate containers and let it soak for a couple of hours, add two spoons of cooked rice and grind them together to form a thick paste. Let it rest overnight, for the fermentation process
Following day, add salt to taste to the batter and little bit of water to get a smooth consistency
For the aloo masala, boil the potatoes, take a pan add oil and into them add mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder, finely chopped onion and green chilies, sauté it for a minute and add the boiled and roughly mashed potatoes into it and cook it until combined
For the sambar, take a pressure cooker (or a vessel to boil) and add in lentil and vegetables(carrot, pumpkin, potato, onion and tomatoes) of your choice, once boiled take a pan and add cumin seeds, mustard seed, curry leaves, tamarind puree and sambar masala and cook for a minute, pour in the boiled lentil and vegetables and cook it until its combined and starts boiling
For the Coconut chutney(sauce), grind the coconut, green chilies, tamarind and garlic to a thick past, take a pan and add in mustard seeds followed by curry leaves and a red whole dried chili and pour in the paste and cook until it starts boiling
Finally, take a flat pan and let it sit on the stove until it’s hot, splash some water, pour a part of the Dosa batter with the help of a bouillon spoon and move it on the pan to achieve a round shape, let it cook on one side then flip it and add oil to help it cook
Serve the Dosa hot with sambar, aloo masala and coconut chutney!
3. Pani Puri
Pani puri is also known as golgapppa and puchka in different states of India. It is a famous street food snack consisting of a crispy hollow puri, filled with chickpeas, potato, tamarind chutney and tangy and spicy chutney made from mint, corainder, green chilies and dry spices. It a flavor burst in your mouth.
HO WTO MAKE IT:
For the puri dough, you need to knead all purpose flour with un roasted fine semolina, oil, water and salt to taste, let it rest for 30 mins
Now make equal portions of the flour and roll them flat in small circles and deep fry them until golden brown
For the tamarind cutney, add jaggery and tamarind puree (if tamarind is sour and more jaggery) to a bowl and water to get the consistency you desire(mostly watery). It should taste more sweet then sour
For the green chutney, add mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilies, chat masala powder, lemon juice and salt to taste, grind them well and add water to get the watery consistency
For the filling add the boiled and roughly mashed potatoes and chickpeas in a container, add in finely chopped onion and little mint chutney to it and give it a mix
Now, take the puri and make a hole on the one side of the puri with the help of your thumb, add in the potato and chickpea filling and add in the sweet tamarind chutney followed with the green mint tangy and spicy chutney and enjoy!
Remember, you can always adjust the flavour of the pani puri with the chutney portions in each pani puri.
2. Vada Pav
A popular street food from Mumbai, vada pav consists of a spicy potato fritter(vada) sandwiched between soft bun(pav), served with chutneys.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
For the vada, you need finely chopped onion, coriander leaves, green chilis tempered with mustard seeds, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and curry leaves, add in the mashed boiled potatoes until cooked
For the pav, you need yeast - activate the yeast in a mixing bowl by adding hot water and a spoon of sugar, once activated and in all purpose flour, butter and salt to taste, mix it well to form a stretchy dough, keep it for an hour to rest. Then make small round portions an add it to a baking tray, brush it with milk and let it bake until done (the top of the pav will turn into brown colour)
For the vada batter, add in gram flour salt to taste and water to get a slightly thick yet runny consistency
For the chutney, take an deep pan, add in oil and pour in very small portions of the vada batter with the help of your fingers and fry it until cooked, take this and add in garlic, a spoon of roasted peanuts and grind it well
Now, form small round portions of the vada and flatten it with the help of your hands, dip it in the vada batter and fry until crispy and golden colour
Take the pav, cut it in half but leave one end, add in the chutney along with tamarind and mint chutney and the vada. You can fry some whole green chilis and it’s ready to eat
Biryani
Biryani is a flavorful versatile rice dish, when mixed with vegetables it is known as veg biryani, when mixed with chicken known as chicken biryani and when mixed with mutton it is known as mutton biryani and if mixed with egg it is known as egg biryani. In every state of India biryani will have a different taste and texture due to its making process. I will spell out the most used recipe here or you to try
HOW TO MAKE IT:
For the rice you will need basmati(long grain) rice, you have to add ghee to a deep vessel, in that you need to add green chilis, whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, whole black peppers, one spoon of lemon juice and water and rice and boil it until half cooked
For the marination, add in one lemon juice, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, yogurt and little bit of the onion birista and add in either chicken, mutton, potatoes or vegetables of your choice and leave it for a few hours or until the meat or vegetables are well seasoned in the fridge
take another thick base vessel, you need to add ghee and sauté thinly sliced onions until golden brown, separate half of the onion birista and keep it aside. Add in black and green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin seeds, tomato puree and ginger garlic paste and stir fry it until cooked and add it the meat or vegetables of your choice and stir fry it or a few minutes and then add in water to help the meat or vegetables cook well on a medium flame
Now, in the same vessel you prepared the curry, add the rice on top of it, add ghee and colour on top of it(optional) add in the onion birista and cashenuts, cover it with a tight lid and let it cook on low flame for about 5-7 minutes
Let the biryani rest for an hour before you eat it.
TIP: If you want a smokey flavor, you can add a burnt charcoal piece placed in a bowl, puching it in the vessel and adding ghee on the burnt charcoal piece and quickly cover it with a tight lid.
