Traditional recipes
Time-honoured dishes from every region, with their history and meaning.
Showing 541–600 of 977
- Majjiga pulusu
मज्जिगा पुलुसु
A light curry of sour buttermilk thickened with coconut and chana dal paste, cooked with vegetables like ash gourd or okra.
Andhra Pradesh35 minVegetarian - Masale bhaat
मसाले भात
Rice cooked with vegetables and goda masala, the dark, aromatic spice blend of Maharashtra. A wedding feast favourite.
Maharashtra40 minVegetarian - Matabari peda
माताबाड़ी पेड़ा
A brown milk sweet made from slowly reduced milk and sugar, offered as prasad at the Tripura Sundari temple in Udaipur.
Tripura (Matabari, Udaipur)1½ hoursVegetarian - Meethe chawal
मीठे चावल
Fragrant rice cooked with sugar, ghee, saffron or yellow colour, cardamom and dry fruits, made yellow for Basant Panchami.
Punjab45 minVegetarian - Mizo thingpui (black tea)
मिज़ो थिंगपुई (काली चाय)
Light black tea with sugar and no milk, offered in every Mizo home, office and church gathering.
Mizoram10 minVegan - Papad ki sabzi
पापड़ की सब्ज़ी
Roasted papads broken into a spicy curd gravy, a quick dish from the desert kitchen that needs no fresh vegetables.
Rajasthan (Marwar)20 minVegetarian - Pazham pori (ethakka appam)
पझम पोरी
Slices of ripe nendran banana dipped in a light batter and deep-fried, the favourite teatime snack of Kerala’s tea shops.
Kerala25 minVegan - Poita bhaat (soaked rice)
पोइता भात
Cooked rice soaked overnight in water, eaten in the morning with salt, mustard oil, onion, chilli and pitika.
Assam5 min (plus overnight soaking)Vegan - Ringan no olo
बैंगन का ओळो
Fire-roasted brinjal mashed with green garlic, spring onion and chillies, the Kathiyawadi partner of bajra rotlo.
Saurashtra (Kathiyawad), Gujarat35 minVegan - Roasted brinjal with king chilli
राजा मिर्च के साथ भुना बैंगन
Smoky fire-roasted brinjal mashed with king chilli, garlic and fresh herbs.
Nagaland25 minVegan - Sheermal
शीरमाल
A slightly sweet, saffron-tinted bread made with milk and ghee and baked in a tandoor, a speciality of Lucknow.
Lucknow45 min + 1 hour risingVegetarian - Swala
स्वाला
Deep-fried puris stuffed with spiced ground dal, made in Garhwal for festivals and as food for journeys.
Garhwal, Uttarakhand1 hr + overnight soakingVegan - Tala hua gosht
तला हुआ गोश्त
Mutton cooked tender with spices and then fried until dark and crisp at the edges, a favourite Hyderabadi side dish.
Hyderabad, Telangana1 hourNon-vegetarian - Vatana tonak (white peas curry)
वाटाणा तोणाक
Dried white peas cooked in a roasted coconut and spice masala, eaten in Goa for breakfast with soft poi bread.
Goa50 min + overnight soakingVegetarian - Anarsa
अनरसा
Fried rice-flour and jaggery cakes coated with sesame or poppy seeds, a sweet of Gaya and festive Bihar.
Bihar45 min + 3 days soakingVegetarian - Arisi paruppu sadam
अरिसी परुप्पु सादम (चावल-दाल)
A one-pot dish of rice and toor dal with shallots, garlic and spices, the signature home meal of the Kongu region around Coimbatore.
Kongu Nadu (Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur and nearby districts)35 minVegetarian - Bhang ki chutney (hemp seed chutney)
भांग की चटनी
A tangy chutney of roasted hemp seeds, mint and lemon, a Kumaoni favourite. The seeds are not intoxicating.
Kumaon, Uttarakhand20 minVegan - Bhopali gosht korma
भोपाली गोश्त कोरमा
Mutton slow-cooked with browned onions, curd and whole spices, a festive dish of old Bhopal’s kitchens.
Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal)2 hoursNon-vegetarian - Black sticky rice pudding
काले चिपचिपे चावल की खीर
Purple-black glutinous rice slow-cooked with jaggery into a thick, sweet pudding.
Nagaland1 hour + soakingVegan - Chhatu tarkari
छातु तरकारी
A curry of mushrooms, especially paddy-straw mushrooms, with onion and potato. A monsoon favourite in Odisha.
Odisha30 minVegetarian - Chuak (rice beer)
चुआक (चावल की बीयर)
A traditional rice beer of the Tripuri and other tribal communities, brewed at home with a herbal starter and offered in rituals and celebrations.
Tripura1 hour + 3–5 days fermentingVegan - Garo pork with bamboo shoot
गारो बांस की कोंपल के साथ पोर्क
Pork cooked with fresh or fermented bamboo shoot and chillies, a favourite meat dish of the Garo Hills.
Meghalaya (Garo Hills)1 hourNon-vegetarian - Gutti vankaya kura (stuffed brinjal)
गुत्ति वंकाया कूरा (भरवाँ बैंगन)
Small brinjals stuffed with a roasted peanut, sesame and spice paste and cooked in their own juices.
Andhra Pradesh45 minVegan - Haah aru kumura (duck with ash gourd)
हांह आरु कुमुरा
Duck cooked slowly with ash gourd, ginger and spices, a rich Assamese festive curry.
Assam1 hour 30 minNon-vegetarian - Kabok
कबोक
Sweet balls of popped rice bound with molasses, made for festivals and offerings in Manipur.
Manipur40 minVegan - Katachi amti
कटाची आमटी
A thin, spicy-sour dal made from the stock left after cooking chana dal for puran poli.
Maharashtra30 minVegan - Koraishutir kochuri (green pea kachori)
कोड़ाइशुटिर कचौड़ी
Soft, deep-fried breads stuffed with a spiced paste of fresh green peas, a Bengali winter breakfast.
West Bengal1 hourVegetarian - Lasaniya bataka
लहसुनिया आलू
Baby potatoes in a fiery red garlic masala, a Kathiyawadi side dish and street snack.
Saurashtra (Kathiyawad), Gujarat30 minVegan - Leaf-wrapped rice
पत्तों में लिपटा चावल
Sticky rice wrapped in large leaves and boiled or steamed into firm parcels that keep for a day's journey or work in the fields.
Arunachal Pradesh1 hour + soakingVegan - Lingdi (fiddlehead fern) sabzi
लिंगड़ी की सब्जी
Young curled shoots of a wild fern, gathered from damp forests in the rainy season and stir-fried with spices.
Himachal Pradesh (Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, Shimla and Chamba)30 minVegan - Lukhmi
लुक़्मी
Flat, square pastries filled with spiced minced mutton and fried until crisp; a classic Hyderabadi starter.
Hyderabad, Telangana1 hour 15 minNon-vegetarian - Mahua laddoo
महुआ के लड्डू
Sweet balls of dried mahua flowers roasted and pounded with sesame or roasted grains, a traditional forest food of Jharkhand’s tribal communities.
Jharkhand45 minVegan - Mangaluru buns
मंगलुरु बन्स
Soft, slightly sweet fried puris made from ripe banana and flour, eaten for breakfast or tea in Udupi and Mangaluru.
Coastal Karnataka (Udupi and Dakshina Kannada)30 min + 6 hours restingVegetarian - Nendran banana chips (upperi)
केले के चिप्स
Thin rounds of raw nendran banana fried in coconut oil and salted while frying, Kerala’s best-known snack and a sadya item.
Kerala40 minVegan - Panakam
पानकम
A cooling drink of jaggery water with dry ginger, cardamom and lemon, offered on Rama Navami.
Puducherry and Tamil Nadu10 minVegan - Patal bhaji with pao
पातळ भाजी पाव
A thin, mildly spiced potato and onion curry with coconut, eaten with fresh Goan bread as a popular breakfast.
Goa30 minVegetarian - Rajasthani kadhi
राजस्थानी कढ़ी
A spicy, tangy buttermilk and gram-flour curry, thinner and hotter than the north Indian kind, often with small pakodis.
Rajasthan35 minVegetarian - Ram ladoo
राम लड्डू
Crisp moong and chana dal fritters topped with grated radish, green chutney and lemon; a winter street snack of Delhi.
Delhi45 min + 3 hours soakingVegan - Rau di kheer
रौ दी खीर
Rice slow-cooked in fresh sugarcane juice instead of milk, a seasonal dish of the Lohri and Maghi festivals.
Punjab1½ hoursVegan - Shufta
शुफ़्ता
A rich Kashmiri Pandit sweet of dry fruits and fried paneer cubes coated in a spiced sugar syrup.
Kashmir valley30 minVegetarian - Warqi paratha
वरक़ी पराठा
A flaky, many-layered paratha made with ghee-folded dough, a bread of the Awadhi table.
Lucknow50 minVegetarian - Aloo chaat
आलू चाट
Potato cubes fried or roasted until crisp and tossed with chaat masala, lemon, chutneys and coriander.
Delhi40 minVegan - Aloo potala rasa
आलू पोटल रसा
Pointed gourd (parwal) and potatoes in a rich onion-tomato gravy, cooked for feasts and weddings across Odisha.
Odisha45 minVegetarian - Aloor dom
आलूर दम
Baby potatoes slow-cooked in a thick, mildly spiced tomato and ginger gravy, eaten with luchi and kochuri.
West Bengal40 minVegetarian - Ambur biryani
आम्बूर बिरयानी
A mutton biryani of short-grain seeraga samba rice cooked with meat, mint and a red chilli paste, from the town of Ambur.
Ambur and Vaniyambadi (Tirupathur district) and across Tamil Nadu1 hour 30 minNon-vegetarian - Bharli vangi
भरली वांगी
Small brinjals stuffed with a peanut, coconut and goda masala filling and cooked slowly in their own gravy.
Maharashtra45 minVegan - Bhopali seekh kebab
भोपाली सीख कबाब
Spiced minced meat moulded on skewers and grilled over charcoal, sold in the evening lanes of old Bhopal.
Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal)1 hour + restingNon-vegetarian - Bihari malpua
बिहारी मालपुआ
Soft fried pancakes of flour, milk and mashed banana dipped in syrup, the sweet of Holi in Bihar.
Bihar45 min + 1 hour restingVegetarian - Boiled greens with chilli
मिर्च के साथ उबली सब्ज़ियां
Seasonal greens and vegetables boiled with ginger, chilli and salt, the light everyday side dish of most Arunachali meals.
Arunachal Pradesh20 minVegan - Chamba chukh
चंबा चुख
A fiery chilli relish of Chamba, made from red or green chillies, lemon juice and mustard oil.
Chamba, Himachal Pradesh30 min + 3–4 days maturingVegan - Churi
चूरी
Fresh roti crumbled by hand with ghee and jaggery or sugar, a simple sweet of Punjabi farm homes made famous by the tale of Heer and Ranjha.
Punjab15 minVegetarian - Desi murga curry (country chicken)
देसी मुर्गा करी
Free-range country chicken slow-cooked in mustard oil with onion, garlic and whole spices into a dark, rich curry.
Jharkhand1 hr 45 minNon-vegetarian - Dondakaya vepudu (ivy gourd fry)
दोंडकाया वेपुडु (कुंदरू फ्राई)
Thinly sliced ivy gourd fried until crisp and tossed with a spicy roasted spice powder.
Andhra Pradesh35 minVegan - Elumichai oorugai (lemon pickle)
नींबू का अचार (एलुमिच्चै ऊरुगाय)
Lemon pieces pickled with chilli, fenugreek and gingelly oil, a standard partner for curd rice.
Puducherry and Tamil Nadu30 min + 1 week maturingVegan - Gahori aru bah gaj (pork with bamboo shoot)
गाहोरी आरु बांह गाज
Pork cooked with sour, fermented bamboo shoot, ginger and chilli, a favourite in many communities of Assam.
Assam1 hourNon-vegetarian - Garo sticky rice cooked in bamboo
गारो बांस में पका चिपचिपा चावल
Sticky rice packed into green bamboo tubes and roasted over a fire, a traditional way of cooking rice in the Garo Hills.
Meghalaya (Garo Hills)1 hour + soakingVegan