The same old selections just won’t do when you’re in the mood for a meal that’s packed with diverse flavors, textures, and a dash of originality. It’s great to challenge your taste buds by drawing culinary inspiration from different civilizations. India is home to some of the most brilliant flavors and spice-forward preparations you will ever taste, while there are tasty dishes to sample from many other places as well.
1.Rogan Josh
A bowl of rogan josh will do the trick if you’re searching for a hearty stew that will make you feel like you’re being hugged from all sides. Josh is not the origin of the name; rather, it gives a suggestion as to how it is prepared and tastes. Dawn claims that the Persian words for this dish’s two main ingredients, clarified butter (or ghee) and searing heat, are rogan and josh, respectively. Also, in Hindi, rogan translates to the color red, which is a fair description of the bright curry. According to Taste Atlas, rogan josh is now frequently linked to the Kashmiri region of northern India.
2.Vindaloo
Although vindaloo is known for being among the spicier curries, there is more to it than meets the eye. To begin with, the Goan speciality is probably descended from the Portuguese, who brought a meat preparation with vinegar and garlic to India in the 15th century (through Saveur). With the addition of tamarind, palm wine, and spices like black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and chili peppers, the meal quickly adopted Indian flavors (the latter another gift from the Portuguese). When vindaloo arrived in England a few decades later, it had previously been a mildly spiced curry made with pig cooked with a delicate balance of aromatics.
3.Palak Paneer
Palak paneer is the ideal method to get your fill of greens if you’re having trouble eating a lot of them. Palak is spinach, while paneer is a semi-firm, freshly pressed cheese, according to MasterClass. The outcome is a delectable combination that may persuade you to consider combining the two frequently. When heated, paneer doesn’t melt; instead, it keeps its cube-like structure while stewing in the spinach, adding a textural contrast. The flavor and creamy consistency are enhanced by the addition of cream, onion, ginger, garlic, and garam masala in addition to the pureed spinach and fresh cheese. Every palak paneer preparation is unique since every kitchen has a different spice profile.
4.Biryani
Biryani is the way to go if you want a deliciously aromatic rice meal that will pique all of your senses. The BBC reports that the meal originates from Iran; birinj biriyan, which means “fried rice” in Persian, is another allusion to India’s complicated past. Indian biryani evolved into a variety of rice-based cuisines specific to each region, unlike how it changed into a separate dinner in Iran. However, Hyderabad must be the place where the dish is most closely connected, claims Saveur. Extra-tender meat with warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and, most notably, saffron distinguish the famous Hyderabadi rendition.
5.Masala Dosa
Imagine it as the pancake of southern India, but thinner, more like a crêpe, and usually filled with savory ingredients. Dosa batter, which is produced from fermented lentils and rice as opposed to flour pancake batter, produces a dish with a crispy surface and a softer interior, according to Taste Atlas. One origin story describes a Brahmin cook who was experimenting with fermented rice and came up with something entirely different than the alcohol he was trying to make in secret. The word “dosha” means “sin” in Sanskrit (via The Socians). Once you take a piece of this adaptable snack, you’ll be glad you skipped the rice wine.
6.Breads
In India, there are at least 30 different types of bread, each unique to a region and created using a different wheat and preparation technique. We’ll stick to our tried-and-true methods, but don’t be afraid to branch out. Since the fluffy texture and burned top are unrivaled, naan bread is arguably the simplest to find in the United States, which is a significant bonus. The leavened bread is usually prepared using flour and baked in a tandoor oven before being served hot with melted ghee on top. There are plain or packed varieties of naan, both of which are excellent for soaking up a hearty sauce.
7.Korma
Once again we witness an intermingling of civilizations in this Persian Indian meal. Taste Atlas describes a korma as a thick, silky stew, often made with meat although vegetarian variations exist. You can choose from chicken, mutton, beef, paneer, or vegetables. Saffron, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and ginger are some of the standard suspects and give the dish its distinctive flavor. Although yogurt is frequently used to thicken the sauce, Taste Atlas notes that substitutions are used depending on the location, including coconut milk, cream, or reduced milk, as well as different ground nuts, dried fruits, and spices.
8.Tandoori Chicken
Once you taste the flavorful preparation, bright red tandoori chicken is simple to identify and difficult to forget. The yogurt and spice marinade, as well as the preparation technique, all contribute to the flavor. Clay-made tandoor ovens are used to cook chicken (often with the bone in), which infuses the meat with taste and gives off smokey scents. The marinade makes the meat’s interior juicy and tender while the exterior gets nice and crispy. Cayenne, garlic, ginger, onion, garam masala, and red chili powder are frequent ingredients in the spice mixture (tandoori masala), though it can vary.
9.Chicken Tikka Masala
Many more meals that incorporate the smokey tastes, spice mixture, and yogurt marinade were inspired by tandoori chicken. One such dish is chicken tikka masala, which is among the easier to locate menu items in Indian restaurants in the United States. According to Britannica, unlike tandoori chicken, which is typically served dry, grilled chunks of tandoori chicken are finished in a creamy tomato sauce. Food & Wine reports that tomato puree, cream, coconut milk, turmeric, and paprika are frequently used in the sauce, however the exact details depend on who is cooking.
10.Dal Makhani
Both vegetarians and meat eaters will love the dal makhani dish. It turns out the chef who was thought to be responsible for creating the tandoori chicken also created the flavorful lentil dish. The use of dal makhani is regarded to have been a clever strategy to reduce trash from Delhi to Western Punjab and Pakistan. Different Truths claims that Kundan Lal Gujral created tandoori chicken with a creamy tomato sauce first, and that his grandson eventually combined the family dal with the sauce to create dal makhani.
