When it comes to food, India is a veritable cornucopia. There are so many different local dishes to try, each with its unique flavor and ingredients. And while plenty of international options are available, sometimes nothing hits the spot like a good old-fashioned local dish.
Here are nine local dishes that you can find across the country:
Masala Dosa
Masala Dosa is a popular South Indian dish usually cook from rice and lentil batter, fermented overnight. You can serve it with potato curry on the side and chutney and sambar (a lentil soup with vegetables and tamarind).
Daal Makhani
Dal Makhani is a Punjabi dish consisting of black lentils (urad daal) and red kidney beans (rajma), slow-cooked in butter and cream. It’s often served with basmati rice or naan bread.
Aloo Parantha
Aloo Parantha is a flat bread stuff with potatoes and spices. It originates from the Punjabi region of India but can now be found all over the country. You can serve it with yogurt or pickles on the side.
Vada Pav
Vada Pav is a street food dish from Mumbai consisting of a deep-fried potato patty sandwiched between two slices of pav bread (a type of soft white bun). It’s often served with chutney or green chili pepper on the side.
Dhokla
Dhokla is a Gujarati snack, you can make it from steamed chickpea flour batter. The batter is fermented overnight. You can flavour it with ginger, mustard seeds, and green chili pepper and can be either savory or sweet, depending on your preference.
Pongal
Pongal is a Tamil Nadu dish made from rice boiled in milk with roasted peanuts and cashews thrown in for good measure. There are two types – Khara Pongal, savory, and venpongal, sweetened with jaggery syrup – so again, it comes down to personal preference.
Asamese Papaya Khar
Asamese Papaya Khar is a local dish from the Assam region of India. The recipe states boiling unripe papaya in water with spices like turmeric, chili pepper, and tamarind. Although, you can serve the curry with rice or roti (a type of flatbread).
Himachal Pradesh’s Dham
Dham is a Himachali dish consists of mix vegetables (usually potatoes, peas, carrots, and beans). It is slow-cooker in an earthenware pot over an open fire. However, you can flavour the dish with spices like garam masala, turmeric, and chili pepper and serve it with boiled rice or roti.
Kashmiri Pulao
It is a Rice dish from the Kashmir region of India. You can make the dish by cooking rice with meat (usually chicken or lamb), dry fruits like raisins and almonds. Also add spices like cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. The result is a richly-flavored and aromatic dish that’s perfect for special occasions.
Maharashtra’s Misal Pav
Misal Pav is a popular street food dish from Maharashtra consisting of misal (a spicy curry made with sprouted lentils) served with pav bread (a type of soft white bun). It’s often garnished with onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, and lemon juice.
