Traditional recipes
Time-honoured dishes from every region, with their history and meaning.
Showing 901–960 of 977
- Chicken ghee roast
चिकन घी रोस्ट
Chicken coated in a fiery red masala of roasted byadgi chillies and spices, cooked down in plenty of ghee, from Kundapura and Mangaluru.
Coastal Karnataka (Kundapura, Udupi and Mangaluru)1 hourNon-vegetarian - Gatte ka pulao
गट्टे का पुलाव
Rice cooked with fried gram-flour dumplings and whole spices, a festive pulao from Rajasthani kitchens.
Rajasthan1 hourVegetarian - Gulachi poli
गुळाची पोळी
A flaky flatbread stuffed with jaggery, roasted sesame and gram flour, made for Makar Sankranti.
Maharashtra1 hrVegetarian - Kesariya doodh
केसरिया दूध
Hot milk simmered with saffron, cardamom and nuts, poured from a height to froth it, at Indore’s Sarafa night market.
Madhya Pradesh (Indore)30 minVegetarian - Kulfi falooda
कुल्फ़ी फ़ालूदा
Dense, slow-reduced milk kulfi served with cornflour noodles (falooda) and rose syrup, a summer treat of Lucknow.
Lucknow and across Uttar Pradesh1 hour 30 min + 6 hours freezingVegetarian - Mishti doi (sweet curd)
मिष्टि दोई
Thick, caramel-coloured sweet curd set in earthen pots from reduced milk and sugar or jaggery.
West Bengal1 hour + 8–10 hours settingVegetarian - Paneer pakora
पनीर पकौड़ा
Slices of fresh paneer sandwiched with green chutney, dipped in spiced gram-flour batter and fried, a rainy-day and wedding snack.
Punjab30 minVegetarian - Panki
पानकी
Thin rice-flour pancakes cooked between banana leaves, delicate and lightly spiced.
Gujarat30 minVegetarian - Pedakiya
पेड़किया
Half-moon pastries filled with khoya, semolina and dry fruit, fried for Holi and Teej; Bihar’s gujiya.
Bihar1 hour 15 minVegetarian - Pootharekulu
पूतरेकुलु
Paper-thin sheets of rice starch layered with ghee and powdered sugar or jaggery, a sweet made famous by Atreyapuram village in the Godavari delta.
Andhra Pradesh (Atreyapuram, Godavari delta)Skilled preparation; about 1 hour to fill and fold ready sheetsVegetarian - Sulaimani (Malabar lemon tea)
सुलैमानी (मालाबार नींबू चाय)
Black tea brewed with cardamom, cloves or cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon, sweetened lightly and served after a biryani in Malabar.
Kerala, Malabar region10 minVegan - Thoothukudi macaroon
तूतुकुडी मैकरून
Small, cone-shaped cashew and egg-white meringues, crisp outside and chewy inside, from the port town of Thoothukudi.
Thoothukudi (Tuticorin)2 hoursEggetarian - Banarasi thandai
बनारसी ठंडाई
Chilled milk blended with a paste of almonds, fennel, melon seeds, pepper, rose petals and cardamom; the drink of Holi and Mahashivratri.
Varanasi and Braj20 min + 2 hours soakingVegetarian - Bardhaman mihidana
बर्धमान मिहिदाना
Tiny golden pearls of fried rice-and-gram-flour batter soaked in sugar syrup, a GI-tagged sweet of Bardhaman.
West Bengal (Bardhaman)1 hourVegetarian - Chura ka bhuja
चूड़ा का भूजा
Flattened rice fried in mustard oil with peanuts, onion and green chilli, a quick evening snack.
Bihar15 minVegan - Ela ada
इला अडा
Thin rice-dough parcels filled with coconut and jaggery, folded in banana leaf and steamed, a simple sweet for tea and festivals.
Kerala45 minVegan - Gulgule
गुलगुले
Soft, round fritters of wheat flour and jaggery, made as an offering and a festive snack in Bundelkhand and across central India.
Madhya Pradesh (Bundelkhand and central India)40 minVegetarian - Haldi ki sabzi
हल्दी की सब्ज़ी
Fresh turmeric root cooked in ghee with curd, peas and spices, a winter dish of Marwar.
Rajasthan (Jodhpur and Marwar)45 minVegetarian - Kakinada kaja
काकीनाडा काजा
A fried pastry of folded wheat-flour dough soaked in sugar syrup so that it is juicy inside, a famous sweet of Kakinada.
Andhra Pradesh (Kakinada and the Godavari districts)1½ hoursVegetarian - Manapparai murukku
मणप्पारै मुरुक्कु
Crisp spirals of rice flour and urad dal flour with cumin and sesame, the famous savoury snack of Manapparai.
Manapparai, Tiruchirappalli district, and across Tamil Nadu1 hourVegan - Mithi sewiyan
मीठी सेवियां
Thin wheat vermicelli roasted in ghee and cooked with sugar, cardamom and dry fruits into a fragrant dry sweet.
Punjab25 minVegetarian - Narali bhaat
नारळी भात
Sweet rice cooked with fresh coconut, jaggery, cardamom and cloves for Narali Purnima.
Konkan coast and Mumbai, Maharashtra45 minVegetarian - Nati koli saaru (country chicken curry)
नाटी कोली सारु
A thin, spicy curry of free-range country chicken with coconut and roasted spices, eaten with ragi mudde in southern Karnataka.
Old Mysore region (Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan, Bengaluru rural)1 hour 30 minNon-vegetarian - Patra ni machhi
पात्रा नी मच्छी
Pomfret coated in green coconut-coriander chutney, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, a Parsi wedding dish.
Parsi community of south Gujarat (Navsari, Udvada, Surat) and Mumbai45 minNon-vegetarian - Tomato khajuri khatta
टमाटर खजूरी खट्टा
A sweet-sour chutney of tomatoes and dates, tempered with panch phutana, served at the end of Odia feasts.
Odisha25 minVegan - Akuri
अकूरी
Soft, creamy Parsi scrambled eggs with onion, tomato, green chilli and coriander.
Parsi community of Gujarat and Mumbai15 minEggetarian - Banarasi lassi
बनारसी लस्सी
Thick, sweet churned curd served in a clay kulhad and crowned with malai, a symbol of the old lanes of Varanasi.
Varanasi10 minVegetarian - Chane di dal te ghiya
चने दी दाल ते घीया
Split Bengal gram cooked with bottle gourd, tomato and a ghee tempering, a light everyday dal of Punjabi homes.
Punjab45 min + soakingVegetarian - Donne biryani
दोन्ने बिरयानी
A green-masala biryani of short-grain rice and mutton or chicken, served in cups made of areca palm leaves (donne) in Bengaluru’s military hotels.
Karnataka (Bengaluru and Old Mysore region)1 hour 30 minNon-vegetarian - Joynagar moa
जयनगर मोआ
Soft balls of fragrant kanakchur khoi (popped rice) bound with nolen gur and ghee, a GI-tagged winter sweet of Joynagar in South 24 Parganas.
West Bengal (Joynagar, South 24 Parganas)40 minVegetarian - Kokum sarbat
कोकम सरबत
A deep red, sweet-sour summer drink made from the kokum fruit of the Konkan coast.
Konkan coast, Maharashtra15 min + 2 days for the syrupVegan - Kozhukatta
कोझुकट्टा
Steamed rice-flour balls with a sweet coconut and jaggery filling, made by Kerala Christians on the Saturday before Palm Sunday and as a snack at other times.
Kerala45 minVegan - Mandia jau
मंडिया जाउ
A simple porridge of ragi (finger millet) flour cooked in water, a staple of tribal communities in Koraput and southern Odisha.
Odisha (Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri and other tribal districts)20 minVegan - Panchmel dal
पंचमेल दाल
A thick dal of five lentils tempered with ghee and spices, the traditional partner of baati.
Rajasthan45 minVegetarian - Thenum thinaimaavu
तेनुम तिनैमावु (शहद और कंगनी आटा)
Roasted foxtail millet flour mixed with honey, the simple offering linked with Lord Murugan and the hill people of ancient Tamil land.
Tamil Nadu20 minVegetarian - Ugadi pachadi
उगादि पचड़ी
A ritual chutney of six tastes, eaten first on Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, to accept the sweet and bitter of the year ahead.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana15 minVegan - Aam panna
आम पन्ना
A sweet-sour summer drink of roasted or boiled raw mangoes, roasted cumin and black salt, taken to beat the heat.
Across Uttar Pradesh30 minVegan - Bela pana
बेल पना
A cooling drink of ripe bael (wood apple) pulp, curd, jaggery and spices, made for Pana Sankranti, the Odia New Year.
Odisha20 minVegetarian - Gokak karadantu
गोकाक करदंटु
A dense, chewy sweet of edible gum, dry fruits, coconut and jaggery cooked in ghee, a speciality of Gokak in Belagavi district.
Gokak, Belagavi district, Karnataka1 hourVegetarian - Kachri ki chutney
कचरी की चटनी
A tangy chutney of kachri, a small wild desert melon, ground with garlic and red chilli.
Western Rajasthan (Marwar)15 minVegan - Kairiche panhe
कैरीचे पन्हे
A sweet-sour drink of cooked raw mango, jaggery or sugar, cardamom and saffron, drunk to beat the summer heat.
Maharashtra30 minVegan - Kambu koozh
कम्बु कूल (बाजरा घोल)
Fermented pearl millet porridge thinned with buttermilk and eaten with shallots and chilli, the cooling summer drink of rural Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu, especially the dry southern and western districts30 min + overnight fermentingVegetarian - Lachha paratha
लच्छा पराठा
A many-layered whole-wheat paratha made by pleating and coiling ghee-brushed dough, crisp outside and flaky within.
Punjab45 minVegetarian - Nagli no rotlo
नागली का रोटला
A hand-patted flatbread of finger millet (nagli), the staple of the tribal communities of the Dangs.
The Dangs and tribal areas of south Gujarat30 minVegan - Panakam and vadapappu
पानकम और वड़ापप्पु
A cooling jaggery drink with dry ginger and pepper, served with soaked moong dal on Sri Rama Navami.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana15 min + 2 hours soakingVegan - Patishapta
पाटिसाप्टा
Thin crêpes of rice flour, semolina and flour rolled around a filling of coconut and jaggery or kheer, made for Poush Sankranti.
West Bengal1 hourVegetarian - Vattayappam
वट्टयप्पम
A soft, sweet steamed cake of fermented rice and coconut, topped with raisins and cashews, made in Kerala Christian homes for Christmas and Easter.
Kerala45 min + soaking and 6–8 hours fermentingVegan - Banarasi meetha paan
बनारसी मीठा पान
Betel leaf folded around sweet gulkand, fennel and coconut, eaten after meals; Banarasi paan is a GI-tagged speciality.
Varanasi10 minVegan - Belagavi kunda
बेलगावी कुंदा
A rich, grainy brown milk sweet of Belagavi made by slowly cooking milk with curd and caramelised sugar.
Belagavi, Karnataka1 hour 30 minVegetarian - Bhavnagari gathiya
भावनगरी गांठिया
Thick, soft-crunchy sticks of gram flour seasoned with ajwain and pepper, the famous snack of Bhavnagar.
Bhavnagar and Saurashtra, Gujarat40 minVegan - Jodhpuri kabuli
जोधपुरी काबुली
A layered vegetable rice dish from Jodhpur with fried vegetables, milk and whole spices.
Rajasthan (Jodhpur)1 hourVegetarian - Kadumanga achar (Kerala tender mango pickle)
कडुमांगा अचार (केरल आम का अचार)
Small pieces of raw mango in a red chilli, mustard and fenugreek masala with sesame oil, the pickle served with sadya and everyday rice.
Kerala30 min + 2 days restingVegan - Madurai jigarthanda
मदुरै जिगरठंडा
A chilled drink of reduced milk, almond gum, nannari syrup and ice cream, the famous cooler of Madurai.
Madurai20 min + 4 hours soaking and chillingVegetarian - Mirchi thecha
मिरचीचा ठेचा
A coarse, fiery chutney of green chillies, garlic and peanuts pounded in a mortar, eaten with bhakri.
Maharashtra (especially Kolhapur and Satara)15 minVegan - Narkel naru (coconut and jaggery balls)
नारकेल नाड़ू
Small round sweets of fresh coconut cooked with jaggery and cardamom, offered at Lakshmi Puja and shared on Bijoya Dashami.
West Bengal40 minVegan - Appe midi uppinakayi (tender mango pickle)
अप्पे मिडी उप्पिनकायी
A prized pickle of whole baby mangoes cured in brine and mustard-chilli masala, made from fragrant wild mango varieties of the Malnad forests.
Malnad and coastal Karnataka (Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada and nearby)1 hour + 2 weeks curingVegan - Dahi wale aloo
दही वाले आलू
Boiled potatoes in a light curd gravy with cumin and spices, made without onion or garlic.
Rajasthan (Marwar)30 minVegetarian - Filter kaapi
फ़िल्टर कॉफ़ी (काप्पी)
Strong coffee decoction dripped through a brass or steel filter, mixed with frothy hot milk and sugar and poured between a tumbler and dabarah.
Tamil Nadu, with Kumbakonam especially famous20 minVegetarian - Mutta roast (Kerala egg roast)
मुट्टा रोस्ट (अंडा रोस्ट)
Boiled eggs coated in a thick roast of onions, tomatoes and spices cooked in coconut oil, a classic partner for appam and parotta.
Kerala35 minEggetarian - Nolen gurer payesh
नलेन गुड़ेर पायेस
Gobindobhog rice slow-cooked in milk and sweetened with nolen gur, the date-palm jaggery of winter.
West Bengal1 hourVegetarian