Local Dishes

1. थाली

   Thālī

   Thali (set meal)

   Usage

   Literally the round metal platter; by extension the set meal of several dishes served on it. Usually the cheapest and safest thing to order at a local eatery

2. बिरयानी

   Biryānī

   Biryani

   Usage

   Rice layered with spices and vegetables or meat. Spelled बिरयानी in Hindi (the variant बिरियानी also circulates). Regional styles differ widely — Hyderabadi, Lucknawi, and so on

3. समोसा

   Samosā

   Samosa

   Usage

   A deep-fried pastry with a spiced filling, usually potato. A street-stall staple, normally served with chutney

4. दाल मखनी

   Dāl makhanī

   Dal makhani

   Usage

   A Punjabi dish of black lentils simmered for hours with butter and cream. Eaten with naan or rice

5. राजमा

   Rājmā

   Rajma (kidney bean curry)

   Usage

   Red kidney beans in a thick spiced gravy, a North Indian home staple. Usually ordered as rajma chawal, with rice

6. छोले भटूरे

   Chole bhaṭūre

   Chole bhature

   Usage

   Spiced chickpea curry (chole) with puffed deep-fried bread (bhature). A Delhi and Punjab breakfast/lunch classic

7. पालक पनीर

   Pālak panīr

   Palak paneer

   Usage

   Indian fresh cheese in a spinach purée. One of the easiest vegetarian dishes to order anywhere in India

8. आलू गोभी

   Ālū gobhī

   Aloo gobi

   Usage

   Potato and cauliflower cooked with turmeric and other spices. A dry, usually mild vegetarian dish

9. कढ़ी

   Kaṛhī

   Kadhi (yoghurt curry)

   Usage

   A tangy dish of yoghurt thickened with gram flour, from Rajasthan. Often served with fritters floating in it

10. खिचड़ी

    Khichaṛī

    Khichdi

    Usage

    Rice and lentils boiled together. The dish Indians recommend when someone is unwell — useful to point at if your stomach is upset

11. नान

    Nān

    Naan

    Usage

    Leavened bread baked in a tandoor oven. Everyday bread at cheap eateries is roti; naan is served at somewhat fancier places

12. परांठा

    Parānṭhā

    Paratha

    Usage

    Layered pan-fried flatbread, often stuffed (aloo paratha with potato is the classic breakfast). Also spelled पराठा

13. पूड़ी

    Pūṛī

    Puri (fried bread)

    Usage

    Small unleavened bread deep-fried until it puffs up. Served at breakfasts and festivals with lentils or potato. Also written पूरी

14. इडली

    Iḍlī

    Idli

    Usage

    Steamed cakes of fermented rice and lentil batter — the South Indian breakfast. Oil-free, a good break from fried food

15. दोसा

    Dosā

    Dosa

    Usage

    A thin crepe of fermented rice-and-lentil batter. Also spelled डोसा. The most common order is masala dosa, filled with spiced potato

16. सांभर

    Sāmbhar

    Sambar

    Usage

    A tangy tamarind-based lentil and vegetable stew from South India, always served alongside idli and dosa. Also written सांबार

17. पकोड़ा

    Pakoṛā

    Pakora (vegetable fritter)

    Usage

    Vegetables fried in gram-flour batter. Eaten with chai, especially in the monsoon. Also spelled पकौड़ा

18. पानी पूरी

    Pānī pūrī

    Pani puri

    Usage

    Hollow fried shells filled with spiced water, eaten in one bite. Called golgappa in North India. ⚠ The water is untreated — skip it if you are wary of stomach trouble

19. वड़ापाव

    Vaṛāpāv

    Vada pav

    Usage

    Mumbai's signature snack: a spiced deep-fried potato ball in a bread roll. Cheap and sold everywhere in the city

20. पाव भाजी

    Pāv bhājī

    Pav bhaji

    Usage

    Mashed mixed-vegetable curry served with butter-toasted bread rolls. Originally from Mumbai

21. ढोकला

    Ḍhoklā

    Dhokla

    Usage

    A traditional Gujarati snack: a yellow, spongy steamed cake of fermented rice and gram batter. Not spicy

22. मोमो

    Momo

    Momo (steamed dumpling)

    Usage

    A Tibetan/Nepali steamed dumpling, now a street-food staple in Delhi and the Himalayan states. Served with fiery chutney

23. तंदूरी चिकन

    Tandūrī chikan

    Tandoori chicken

    Usage

    Punjabi dish of chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, roasted in a tandoor oven. "Chikan" is an English loanword

24. बटर चिकन

    Baṭar chikan

    Butter chicken

    Usage

    Punjabi chicken in a tomato, butter and cream gravy. Mild, and the meat dish most often ordered by foreign visitors

25. जलेबी

    Jalebī

    Jalebi

    Usage

    Batter piped into spirals, deep-fried and soaked in syrup — very sweet. Often sold hot at morning stalls

26. गुलाब जामुन

    Gulāb jāmun

    Gulab jamun

    Usage

    Fried balls of reduced milk solids soaked in rose-scented syrup. A fixture at weddings and celebrations

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