Traditional recipes
Time-honoured dishes from every region, with their history and meaning.
Showing 301–360 of 977
- Kolkata biryani
कोलकाता बिरयानी
A lightly spiced, fragrant mutton biryani with soft potatoes and boiled eggs, cooked by the dum method.
Kolkata, West Bengal2½ hours + marinatingNon-vegetarian - Kori rotti
कोरी रोटी
Spicy Mangalorean chicken curry in coconut milk poured over crisp, dry rice wafers, a famous dish of the Tulu coast.
Coastal Karnataka (Dakshina Kannada and Udupi)1 hourNon-vegetarian - Kuzhi paniyaram
कुली पणियारम
Round, crisp-shelled dumplings made from idli batter in a dimpled cast-iron pan, a Chettinad favourite.
Chettinad (Sivaganga and Pudukkottai districts), now across Tamil Nadu25 min (with ready batter)Vegan - Maah di dal
माह दी दाल
Whole black urad dal simmered for hours with ginger, garlic and tomatoes and finished with ghee or white butter, the everyday dal of Punjab.
Punjab3 hours + overnight soakingVegetarian - Manipuri bora
मणिपुरी बोरा
Crisp gram-flour fritters of vegetables and herbs, eaten with a chilli chutney as an evening snack.
Manipur30 minVegan - Mutton dalcha
मटन दालचा
Mutton and chana dal cooked together with bottle gourd and tamarind, a sour-spiced stew served with bagara khana.
Hyderabad, Telangana1 hour 15 minNon-vegetarian - Muya awandru (bamboo shoot with rice flour)
मुया अवान्द्रु (बाँस की कोंपल और चावल का आटा)
Tender bamboo shoot cooked with rice flour into a soft, thick dish, flavoured with chillies.
Tripura40 minVegan - Nagli bhakri (finger millet flatbread)
नागली भाकरी
A thick, hand-patted flatbread of finger millet flour baked on a clay or iron griddle, a daily food of the tribal villages of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli30 minVegan - Narikol laru (coconut laddoo)
नारिकल लारु
Balls of fresh coconut cooked with sugar or jaggery, made in every Assamese home for Bihu.
Assam30 minVegan - Nicobarese pandanus paste
निकोबारी केवड़ा फल का गूदा
The fibrous fruit of the screw pine (pandanus) cooked and pressed into a starchy paste, a traditional staple food of the Nicobarese.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Nicobar group)Several hoursVegan - Paba
पाबा
A firm, nourishing dough of roasted barley and pea flours, eaten with tangtur (curd and greens) or curry.
Ladakh30 minVegan - Pork with black sesame
काले तिल के साथ पोर्क
Pork cooked in a dark, nutty sauce of ground roasted black sesame, ginger and chilli.
Nagaland1 hourNon-vegetarian - Pukhlein
पुख्लेइन
Sweet fried cakes of rice flour and jaggery, crisp outside and soft inside, made for festivals and celebrations.
Meghalaya (Khasi and Jaintia Hills)40 min + soakingVegan - Pyaaz kachori
प्याज़ कचौरी
Flaky deep-fried pastries stuffed with a spicy onion filling, a Jodhpur breakfast and tea-time snack.
Rajasthan (Jodhpur)1 hourVegan - Ratlami sev
रतलामी सेव
Crisp gram flour noodles spiced with cloves, black pepper and ajwain. A GI-tagged snack from Ratlam.
Madhya Pradesh (Ratlam and Malwa)40 minVegan - Sanpiau
सनपियाउ
A popular street snack of thin rice porridge topped with fish sauce, crisp fried bits, coriander, spring onion and pepper.
Mizoram45 minNon-vegetarian - Santula
संतुला
Mixed vegetables cooked lightly with very little oil and spice, sometimes finished with milk. A gentle, healthy Odia dish.
Odisha30 minVegetarian - Sev tameta nu shaak
सेव टमाटर की सब्ज़ी
A quick tangy tomato curry topped with crunchy besan sev, a favourite of Kathiyawadi dhabas and homes.
Saurashtra (Kathiyawad), Gujarat20 minVegetarian - Siddu
सिड्डू
A steamed bread of leavened wheat dough stuffed with poppy seed or walnut paste, eaten with ghee in the Kullu and Shimla hills.
Kullu, Mandi and Shimla, Himachal Pradesh1 hr 15 min + 2–3 hours risingVegetarian - Thalipeeth
थालीपीठ
A savoury multigrain flatbread made from bhajani, a flour of roasted grains and pulses, patted out by hand.
Maharashtra30 minVegetarian - Thechwani
थेचवाणी
Hill radish or potatoes crushed with a stone, not cut, and cooked in a spicy gravy; a Garhwali home dish.
Garhwal, Uttarakhand40 minVegan - Unnakaya (Mahe and Malabar)
उन्नकाया
Ripe plantain mashed and stuffed with sweetened egg or coconut, shaped like a pod and fried, a snack of Mahe and Malabar.
Mahe (Puducherry) and the Malabar coast45 minEggetarian - Alu kangmet
आलू कांगमेत
Boiled potatoes mashed with roasted dried chillies, onion and mustard oil. Simple, smoky and very hot.
Manipur25 minVegan - Awan bangwi (leaf-wrapped rice cakes)
अवान बांगुई (पत्तों में लिपटे चावल)
Soaked rice mixed with ginger and onion, wrapped in large leaves and boiled, made for festivals and journeys.
Tripura1½ hours + 2 hours soakingVegan - Bangude pulimunchi (mackerel in tamarind and chilli)
बंगुडे पुलिमुंची
Mackerel cooked in a sour and fiery paste of tamarind and red chillies, a staple fish dish of Mangaluru homes.
Coastal Karnataka40 minNon-vegetarian - Bihari kebab
बिहारी कबाब
Thin strips of mutton marinated in raw papaya, mustard oil and spices and grilled over charcoal.
Bihar40 min + 6 hours marinatingNon-vegetarian - Boiled pork with mustard leaves
सरसों पत्तों के साथ उबला पोर्क
A simple Naga stew of pork, mustard greens, ginger and chilli, light and full of flavour.
Nagaland50 minNon-vegetarian - Breadfruit chips
ब्रेडफ़्रूट चिप्स
Thin slices of breadfruit fried crisp in coconut oil and salted, a tea-time snack.
Lakshadweep30 minVegan - Chhangban
छांगबान
Soft cakes of steamed sticky rice, pounded and shaped by hand, eaten with tea or on festive days.
Mizoram1 hour + soakingVegan - Dosakaya pachadi (yellow cucumber chutney)
दोसकाया पचड़ी (पीले खीरे की चटनी)
A fresh, tangy chutney of raw yellow cucumber with mustard and chillies, eaten with rice.
Andhra Pradesh20 minVegan - Fafda
फाफड़ा
Long, crisp strips of besan dough fried golden and eaten with papaya sambharo, fried green chillies and kadhi-style chutney.
Gujarat40 minVegetarian - Fish caldinho (caldine)
फिश कल्दीन
A mild, yellow coconut-milk curry of fish or prawns, lightly spiced and soured with vinegar or tamarind, a gentle Goan Catholic dish.
Goa40 minNon-vegetarian - Jastem
जास्टेम
Rice cooked with turmeric, ginger and onion until golden, a simple Khasi rice dish.
Meghalaya (Khasi Hills)30 minVegan - Jhangora kheer
झंगोरे की खीर
A creamy pudding of barnyard millet (jhangora) cooked in milk with sugar and cardamom.
Uttarakhand45 minVegetarian - Kallummakaya fry (Mahe mussels)
कल्लुम्मक्काया फ्राई (सीप)
Green mussels from the Malabar coast tossed in a dry masala of chilli, pepper, shallots and coconut oil.
Mahe (Puducherry) and the Malabar coast40 minNon-vegetarian - Karil achar (bamboo shoot pickle)
करील का अचार
A sharp pickle of bamboo shoots in mustard oil and spices, made in the rainy season and kept for months.
Jharkhand1 hr + 3–4 days maturingVegan - Khatti dal
खट्टी दाल
Toor dal soured with tamarind and tomato and tempered with garlic, red chillies and curry leaves; an everyday Hyderabadi dal.
Hyderabad, Telangana35 minVegetarian - Kolkata chilli chicken
कोलकाता चिली चिकन
Fried chicken tossed with garlic, green chillies, onion, capsicum and soy sauce, a signature dish of Kolkata’s Indian-Chinese cooking.
Kolkata, West Bengal (Tangra and Tiretta Bazaar)40 minNon-vegetarian - Kothimbir vadi
कोथिंबीर वडी
Steamed and fried squares of fresh coriander and gram flour, crisp outside and soft inside.
Maharashtra45 minVegan - Langar wali maah chholian di dal
लंगर वाली माह छोलियां दी दाल
A simple dal of whole urad and split chana cooked with ginger, onion and tomato, served with roti in gurdwara langars.
Punjab1 hour 15 min + soakingVegetarian - Machha besara
माछ बेसर
Fish in a sharp mustard paste sauce, often soured with tomato or mango. A classic of coastal Odisha.
Odisha40 minNon-vegetarian - Matra kulcha
मटरा कुलचा
Spiced dried white peas topped with onion, tomato and lemon, eaten with soft, toasted kulchas; a favourite Delhi street meal.
Delhi1 hour + overnight soakingVegetarian - Mawa bati
मावा बाटी
Fried khoya dumplings stuffed with dry fruits and soaked in sugar syrup, a rich sweet of Malwa.
Madhya Pradesh (Malwa: Indore, Ujjain, Ratlam)1 hourVegetarian - Medu vadai
मेदु वडै
Crisp, doughnut-shaped fritters of whipped urad dal, served with sambar and chutney or offered at festivals.
Tamil Nadu and South India30 min + 2 hours soakingVegan - Methi gajar
मेथी गाजर
Red winter carrots cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves and simple spices, a quick dry vegetable dish.
Haryana25 minVegan - Mirchi bada
मिर्ची बड़ा
Large mild green chillies stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in gram-flour batter and fried, a street snack of Jodhpur.
Rajasthan (Jodhpur)40 minVegan - Nadir monje
नदीर मौंजे
Crisp fritters of lotus-stem slices in a spiced rice-flour batter, a street snack of Srinagar.
Kashmir valley30 minVegan - Nicobarese-style pork with coconut
निकोबारी शैली में नारियल वाला पोर्क
Pork boiled with salt and then cooked with grated coconut, a simple home-style preparation in Nicobarese households.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Nicobar group)1 hour 30 minNon-vegetarian - Patande
पटांडे
Thin pancakes of wheat flour and milk, often lightly sweetened, from the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh40 minVegetarian - Pika pila
पिका पिला
A sharp, smoky Apatani pickle of bamboo shoot, pork fat and king chilli, kept for weeks and eaten with rice.
Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh (Apatani community)40 min + a few days maturingNon-vegetarian - Pulissery (moru curry)
पुलिस्सेरी
A light buttermilk curry with coconut, cumin and green chilli, often with ripe mango or cucumber, poured over rice.
Kerala25 minVegetarian - Rice bhakri
चावल की भाकरी
Soft rice-flour flatbread made with hot water and patted by hand, eaten with fish curry, vegetables or chutney in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the Daman coast.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman35 minVegan - Shami kebab
शामी कबाब
Patties of minced meat cooked with chana dal and whole spices, ground and pan-fried, often stuffed with onion and mint.
Lucknow and western Uttar Pradesh1 hour 15 minNon-vegetarian - Shaphaley
शाफले
Half-moon breads stuffed with spiced minced meat and cabbage and deep-fried until golden, a Tibetan and Bhutia snack.
Sikkim1 hourNon-vegetarian - Tangtur
तांगतुर
A cool, tangy mix of curd or buttermilk with chopped greens and vegetables, served with paba.
Ladakh15 minVegetarian - Thethari
ठेठरी
Crunchy, savoury fried snacks of spiced besan dough, made in large batches for Teeja and Pola.
Chhattisgarh1 hourVegan - Til laru (sesame laddoo)
तिल लारु
Small balls of roasted sesame bound with jaggery, a warming winter sweet for Magh Bihu.
Assam25 minVegan - Awadhi (Lucknowi) dum biryani
अवधी दम बिरयानी
Delicately spiced biryani in which part-cooked rice and mutton yakhni are layered and sealed to finish on slow heat (dum).
Lucknow (Awadh)2 hoursNon-vegetarian - Bagara khana (bagara rice)
बघारा खाना
Rice cooked with whole spices, fried onions and mint; the fragrant everyday rice of Hyderabad, served with dalcha or salan.
Hyderabad, Telangana40 minVegetarian - Bal mithai
बाल मिठाई
Almora’s famous fudge of browned khoya, rolled in tiny white sugar-coated balls.
Almora, Kumaon, Uttarakhand1 hr 30 minVegetarian