India Food: 20 Dishes to Try

Crisp, syrupy spirals of fermented batter, deep-fried and soaked in saffron-infused sugar syrup, a classic Indian sweet often enjoyed with rabri or a savoury breakfast.

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A refreshing yogurt-based drink, typically sweet or salty, often flavored with fruit like mango or spices, perfect to cool down from the heat.

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A warming Tibetan noodle soup, available with vegetables, chicken, or mutton, typically featuring hand-pulled noodles in a clear, flavorful broth perfect for the cooler mountain weather.

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Crispy hollow puris filled with tangy tamarind water and spiced chickpeas – the essential street food test of any Indian city.

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A complete meal with various curries, lentil soup (dal), bread (roti), rice, and dessert served on a single platter; offers a balanced taste of Indian cuisine.

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A deep-fried potato fritter (vada) nestled in a soft bun (pav), served with spicy chutneys; this is Mumbai's iconic, fast-paced vegetarian street sandwich.

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A staple Rajasthani snack, this flaky, deep-fried pastry is filled with a savory and aromatic mixture of spiced onions and sometimes potatoes, served best with sweet tamarind or spicy green chutney.

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A traditional Ladakhi stew featuring thumb-sized, hand-rolled flour dough pieces. It is cooked with turnips, potatoes, and often mutton in a thin, savory broth.

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Savory, crispy-on-the-outside and soft-on-the-inside lentil fritters, shaped like doughnuts, often served with sambar and chutney for breakfast or as a snack.

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This traditional disc-shaped sweet cake is soaked in sugar syrup, often topped with mawa and nuts, and particularly popular during festivals.

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A versatile, pan-fried Indian flatbread, often stuffed with vegetables like potato or paneer, served with pickles and yogurt.

ANKAN (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Dense, creamy Indian frozen dessert made from slowly simmered milk, often flavored with pistachios, saffron, or mango, and denser than ice cream.

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A buttery, spiced mashed vegetable curry (bhaji) served with soft, butter-laden bread rolls (pav); it's a hearty, flavorful Mumbai staple.

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Black lentils (urad dal) slow-cooked overnight with kidney beans, butter, and cream, resulting in a rich, velvety texture, a quintessential Punjabi dish popular across North India.

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A spicy curry of sprouted lentils (misal) topped with farsan (crispy mixture), onions, and served with pav; a quintessential Maharashtrian breakfast.

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A fragrant rice dish packed with berries, nuts, and tender meat or vegetables, a signature of Mumbai's Parsi community.

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Spongy, syrupy cheese balls made from chhena (paneer) and semolina dough, boiled in light sugar syrup, a globally recognized Bengali sweet.

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Spiced chickpea curry (chole) served with large, fluffy deep-fried bread (bhature) — a hearty and satisfying meal often enjoyed for breakfast or lunch.

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This hearty whole wheat flatbread, stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes, is a staple North Indian breakfast often served with yogurt and pickle.

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This crispy, fried bread served with a spicy potato and chickpea curry is a quintessential Varanasi breakfast, offering a burst of local flavors.

Rajeeb Dutta (CC BY-SA 3.0)