Traditional recipes
Time-honoured dishes from every region, with their history and meaning.
Showing 241–300 of 977
- Nethili meen varuval (anchovy fry)
नेत्तिली मीन वरुवल
Small anchovies coated in chilli and rice flour and fried crisp, eaten with rice and rasam.
Puducherry and the Tamil coast30 minNon-vegetarian - Nga thongba
ङा थोंगबा
A Manipuri fish curry in which the fish is lightly fried and simmered with potato, onion and tomato in a thin, spiced gravy.
Manipur45 minNon-vegetarian - Paneer tikka
पनीर टिक्का
Cubes of paneer, onion and capsicum marinated in spiced curd and grilled in a tandoor or oven.
Chandigarh (Punjabi cooking)40 min + 1 hour marinatingVegetarian - Prawn balchão
प्रॉन बालचाओ
A fiery, sweet-sour pickle-like dish of prawns cooked in a red chilli and vinegar masala, which keeps for days.
Goa45 min + restingNon-vegetarian - Pumaloi
पुमालोई
Soft, fluffy powdered rice steamed in a special pot, eaten with meat curries.
Meghalaya (Khasi Hills)40 min + soakingVegan - Qubani ka meetha
क़ुबानी का मीठा
Dried apricots soaked and stewed into a glossy, sweet compote, served with cream or custard at Hyderabadi weddings.
Hyderabad, Telangana40 min + overnight soakingVegetarian - Rasabali
रसाबली
Flattened, fried discs of chhena soaked in thickened, cardamom-scented milk. Offered at the Baladevjew Temple in Kendrapara.
Odisha (Kendrapara)1 hour 15 minVegetarian - Rugra curry (wild mushroom curry)
रुगड़ा की सब्जी
A curry of rugra, the round wild mushrooms that grow under sal trees in the early monsoon, a much-awaited seasonal food of Jharkhand.
Jharkhand1 hrVegan - Sabudana khichdi
साबुदाणा खिचडी
Soaked sago pearls stir-fried with peanuts, cumin and green chilli: the classic Maharashtrian fasting dish.
Maharashtra20 min + soaking overnightVegetarian - Sel roti
सेल रोटी
A ring-shaped, deep-fried sweet bread of ground rice, sugar and ghee, crisp outside and soft inside, made for Tihar and Dasain.
Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills45 min + overnight soakingVegetarian - Tingmo
टिंगमो
Soft, folded steamed bread rolls eaten with meat curries and vegetable dishes.
Ladakh1 hour 30 min including risingVegan - Adai
अडै (दाल-चावल का चीला)
A thick, crisp pancake of soaked and ground rice and mixed lentils, often served with avial or jaggery.
Tamil Nadu30 min + 3 hours soakingVegan - Aloo ke gutke
आलू के गुटके
Boiled potatoes tossed in mustard oil with jakhiya seeds and red chillies, a Kumaoni snack and side dish.
Kumaon, Uttarakhand30 minVegan - Andaman coconut rice
अंडमान नारियल चावल
Rice cooked in coconut milk with whole spices and curry leaves, served with fish and seafood curries.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands35 minVegan - Atte ki pinni
आटे की पिन्नी
Rich winter sweets of whole-wheat flour roasted in ghee with jaggery or sugar, nuts and edible gum.
Chandigarh (Punjabi cooking)45 minVegetarian - Babru
बबरू
A deep-fried bread stuffed with spiced black gram paste, often eaten with tamarind chutney; Himachal Pradesh’s answer to the kachori.
Himachal Pradesh1 hr + overnight soakingVegan - Bajre ki raab
बाजरे की राब
A thin, warm porridge-drink of bajra flour and buttermilk or water, spiced with ajwain or ginger.
Rajasthan20 minVegetarian - Bekang (fermented soybean) with chilli
बेकांग (किण्वित सोयाबीन)
Soybeans boiled and fermented in leaves until sticky and pungent, then cooked with chillies and ginger.
Mizoram30 min + 3–4 days fermentingVegan - Diu dried fish curry
दीव सूखी मछली करी
Sun-dried fish or small dried prawns simmered with onion, tomato, garlic and chilli, a strong-flavoured curry of the Diu fishing households.
Diu and Daman40 minNon-vegetarian - Dry fish chutney
सूखी मछली की चटनी
Roasted dried fish pounded with king chilli, tomato and garlic into a fiery chutney.
Nagaland20 minNon-vegetarian - Dubki kadhi
डुबकी कढ़ी
Soft dumplings of urad dal paste dropped straight into a tangy curd kadhi and cooked until they puff.
Chhattisgarh50 min (plus soaking)Vegetarian - Erissery
एरिस्सेरी
Sweet pumpkin and red cowpeas cooked with ground coconut and topped with coconut roasted until brown, a favourite of the Onam sadya.
Kerala40 min + soakingVegan - Galouti kebab
गलौटी कबाब
Melt-in-the-mouth kebabs of very finely minced meat with many spices, the most famous kebab of Lucknow.
Lucknow (Awadh)1 hour + 4 hours marinatingNon-vegetarian - Gongura pachadi
गोंगुरा पचड़ी
A sour, fiery chutney of roselle (gongura) leaves and red chillies, one of the signature tastes of Andhra food.
Andhra Pradesh30 minVegan - Gujarati dal (khatti meethi dal)
गुजराती खट्टी-मीठी दाल
Toor dal cooked thin with jaggery, kokum or tamarind, peanuts and whole spices, balancing sweet, sour and hot.
Gujarat40 minVegetarian - Gwar phali ki sabzi
ग्वार फली की सब्ज़ी
Tender cluster beans stir-fried with ajwain, garlic and spices, a common summer vegetable on Haryanvi tables.
Haryana30 minVegan - Indori shikanji
इंदौरी शिकंजी
Not the lemonade of North India but a thick, sweet milk drink with saffron, cardamom and nuts, sold in Indore’s markets.
Madhya Pradesh (Indore)40 min + chillingVegetarian - Karaikal meen varuval (fried fish)
कराईकल मीन वरुवल
Thick slices of seer or pomfret marinated in a red masala and pan-fried, a staple of the Karaikal coast.
Karaikal, Puducherry30 min + marinatingNon-vegetarian - Kashmiri dum aloo
कश्मीरी दम आलू
Small potatoes fried and slow-cooked in a red gravy of curd, Kashmiri chilli, fennel and dry ginger, without onion or garlic.
Kashmir valley50 minVegetarian - Khaja
खाजा
Crisp, layered fried pastry glazed with sugar syrup, sold in the lanes around the Jagannath Temple and part of its dry prasad.
Odisha (Puri)1 hourVegetarian - Khambir
खंबीर
A thick, round brown bread of whole wheat flour, baked on a griddle and eaten with butter tea at breakfast.
Ladakh1 hour + overnight risingVegan - Khukhri sabzi (monsoon mushroom fry)
खुखड़ी की सब्जी
A spicy dry stir-fry of khukhri, a wild mushroom gathered in the monsoon, cooked in mustard oil with onion and garlic.
Jharkhand40 minVegan - Kosoi bwtwi
कोसोई बुतुई
Beans simmered with berma, onion and chillies into a thick, soupy dish, cooked without oil.
Tripura35 minNon-vegetarian - Mithila machh (fish curry)
मिथिला माछ
River fish cooked in a pungent mustard and garlic gravy, a pillar of Maithil food and ritual.
Bihar (Mithila region)45 minNon-vegetarian - Monpa butter tea
मोनपा बटर टी
Salted tea churned with butter into a rich, warming drink, served many times a day and offered to every guest in Monpa homes.
Tawang and West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh20 minVegetarian - Muri ghonto (fish-head pulao)
मुड़ी घोंटो
A rich, thick dish of rice cooked with the fried head of a large rohu or katla, potatoes, ghee and warm spices.
West Bengal1 hourNon-vegetarian - Mutton qorma (Old Delhi style)
मटन क़ोरमा (पुरानी दिल्ली)
Mutton braised in curd, browned onions and whole spices into a rich, oily gravy; eaten with khamiri roti in Old Delhi.
Old Delhi1 hour 30 minNon-vegetarian - Neer dosa
नीर डोसा
Soft, lacy ‘water dosas’ made from a thin batter of soaked rice, with no fermenting, from the Tulu coast.
Coastal Karnataka (Dakshina Kannada and Udupi)25 min + 4 hours soakingVegan - Ningro with chhurpi (fiddlehead fern curry)
निंग्रो छुर्पी
Tender fiddlehead ferns gathered from forest streams, cooked with chhurpi, the soft local cottage cheese, and green chillies.
Sikkim30 minVegetarian - Paknam
पाकनाम
A savoury cake of gram flour, fermented fish and herbs, wrapped in leaves, steamed and then roasted.
Manipur1 hour 15 minNon-vegetarian - Pathar ka gosht
पत्थर का गोश्त
Thin slices of marinated mutton cooked on a heated slab of stone, a speciality of old Hyderabad.
Hyderabad, Telangana1 hour + 4 hours marinatingNon-vegetarian - Putharo
पुथारो
Soft steamed rice-flour cakes, a Khasi breakfast eaten with tea or with meat curry.
Meghalaya (Khasi Hills)40 min + soakingVegan - Recheado mackerel
रेशाद बांगडा
Whole mackerel slit and stuffed with a hot, tangy red recheado masala, then shallow-fried, a classic of Goan homes and beach shacks.
Goa40 minNon-vegetarian - Reef fish fry
रीफ़ मछली फ्राई
Whole lagoon or reef fish rubbed with a chilli–garlic paste and pan-fried in coconut oil.
Lakshadweep35 minNon-vegetarian - Saag meat
साग मीट
Goat meat cooked with a purée of mustard greens and spinach, a winter dish that joins two Punjabi favourites in one pot.
Punjab2 hoursNon-vegetarian - Sabudana vada
साबुदाणा वडा
Crisp fritters of sago, potato and peanuts, eaten on fasting days and as a tea-time snack.
Maharashtra30 min + soakingVegan - Tekeli pitha (steamed rice cake)
टेकेली पीठा
A soft rice-flour cake filled with coconut and jaggery, steamed on a cloth tied over the mouth of a water pot (tekeli).
Assam45 min (plus soaking)Vegan - Ambot tik
आंबट तिख
A sour and spicy Goan curry, usually of shark, catfish or ray, made with red chillies and tamarind or kokum and no coconut.
Goa40 minNon-vegetarian - Avakaya (Andhra mango pickle)
आवकाया (आंध्र का आम का अचार)
Raw mango pieces, cut with the hard seed shell, preserved in mustard powder, red chilli and sesame oil: the best-known Andhra pickle.
Andhra Pradesh1 hour + 3 days to matureVegan - Bihari machh fry
बिहारी मछली फ्राई
Fish slices marinated in mustard oil, turmeric and chilli and shallow-fried until crisp.
Bihar30 minNon-vegetarian - Breadfruit curry
ब्रेडफ़्रूट करी
Starchy breadfruit cooked in a mild coconut gravy, a vegetable dish from the trees that grow on the islands.
Lakshadweep40 minVegan - Chane ka saag
चने का साग
The tender leaves of the gram plant cooked down with ghee, garlic and green chillies, a winter green of the Haryana countryside.
Haryana45 minVegetarian - Haak
हाक साग
Kashmiri collard greens cooked simply in mustard oil with hing and green chillies, eaten almost every day with rice.
Kashmir valley25 minVegan - Kakori kebab
काकोरी कबाब
Soft, fragrant minced-meat kebabs cooked on skewers over charcoal, named after the town of Kakori near Lucknow.
Kakori and Lucknow1 hour + 3 hours marinatingNon-vegetarian - Kalan
कालन
A thick, tangy curry of yam and raw banana cooked in sour curd and coconut, which keeps for days and improves with time.
Kerala40 minVegetarian - Karil (bamboo shoot) sabzi
करील की सब्जी
Tender bamboo shoots boiled and cooked with mustard oil, garlic and chilli, a traditional monsoon vegetable of Jharkhand’s tribal kitchens.
Jharkhand1 hrVegan - Khamiri roti
ख़मीरी रोटी
A soft, slightly sour leavened flatbread baked in the tandoor, the usual bread with nihari and qorma in Old Delhi.
Old Delhi45 min + 3 hours risingVegetarian - Khapse
खाप्से
Crisp, twisted fried pastries made in large batches for Losar, the Monpa New Year, and offered at altars and to guests.
Tawang and West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh1 hour 30 minVegetarian - Kinema curry
किनेमा करी
A curry of kinema, sticky fermented soybeans with a strong aroma, cooked with onion, tomato and chilli and eaten with rice.
Sikkim25 minVegan