6 best indian recipes

Indian cuisine is incredibly diverse and has a rich culinary heritage that varies widely from region to region. It is known for its use of aromatic spices and herbs, creating a plethora of flavors and dishes that appeal to a wide range of tastes. Here's a brief overview of some popular Indian regional recipes:

  1. North Indian Cuisine:

    • Biryani: A fragrant and flavorful rice dish cooked with aromatic spices and either chicken, mutton, or vegetables.
    • Butter Chicken: A creamy tomato-based curry with tender pieces of chicken.
    • Aloo Paratha: Stuffed flatbreads filled with spiced mashed potatoes, usually served with yogurt or pickles.
  2. South Indian Cuisine:

    • Dosa: Thin, crispy rice pancakes served with various chutneys and sambar (a tangy lentil soup).
    • Idli: Steamed rice cakes, often accompanied by coconut chutney and sambar.
    • Chicken Chettinad: A spicy and flavorful chicken curry from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu.
  3. East Indian Cuisine:

    • Machher Jhol: A Bengali fish curry made with mustard oil and spices.
    • Rasgulla: A popular Bengali dessert made from cottage cheese balls soaked in sugar syrup.
  4. West Indian Cuisine:

    • Vada Pav: A popular street food snack from Mumbai, consisting of a spicy potato fritter in a bun.
    • Dhokla: A steamed, spongy cake made from fermented rice and chickpea flour, often served as a snack or breakfast.
  5. Central Indian Cuisine:

    • Poha: Flattened rice cooked with turmeric and mustard seeds, a popular breakfast dish.
    • Dal Bafla: A hearty dish from Madhya Pradesh, consisting of steamed and roasted wheat dumplings served with dal (lentil curry).
  6. Indian Sweets:

    • Gulab Jamun: Deep-fried milk dumplings soaked in sugar syrup.
    • Ras Malai: Soft cheese dumplings served in sweet, creamy milk.
  7. Street Food:

    • Chaat: A category of savory snacks often found at street food stalls, including items like pani puri, bhel puri, and aloo tikki chaat.
  8. Vegetarian and Vegan Options:

    • Paneer Tikka: Grilled marinated cottage cheese cubes, often served as an appetizer.
    • Baingan Bharta: Smoky mashed eggplant curry, popular in North India.
    • Vegan Curry: Many Indian dishes can be made vegan by substituting dairy with plant-based ingredients like coconut milk or cashew cream.

Indian cuisine's diversity extends beyond these examples, with each region offering its own unique dishes and flavor profiles. Whether you're a fan of spicy curries, tandoori dishes, or sweet desserts, there's something in Indian cuisine to satisfy every palate.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best indian recipes on the market
  

Recipes from an Indian Kitchen Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from Across the Kitchens of India with over 100 Indian Recipes

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Sample Recipe: Coconut Sambal

1. If you are using a whole coconut, use a hammer and nail to punch a hole into the "eye" of the coconut, then pour out the water from the inside and reserve. Use the hammer to break the coconut in half, then peel and chop one half.

2. Put the chopped coconut and the chilies into a food processor and process for about 30 seconds, until finely chopped. Add the ginger, cilantro, and lemon juice and process again.

3. If the mixture seems too dry, stir in about 1 tablespoon of coconut water or water. Stir in the shallots and serve immediately or cover and chill until required.

Beautiful Photos of Every Recipe

Recipes for every mood captured in gorgeous photos will motivate foodie enthusiasts to try these delicious recipes!

Fresh Ingredients

Using the freshest ingredients and flavorful spices, the Recipes from an Indian Kitchen cookbook has authentic and mouthwatering recipes.

Easy-To-Follow Recipes

From all around the region, these easy-to-follow recipes make special appetizers, satisfying entrees, great side dishes, and luscious desserts.

Tips & Tricks

Tons of helpful tips to guide you while you are prepping and cooking.

Explore Regional Cuisines: North

The north is the home of the tandoor and tandoori cooking, where food is cooked in a clay oven at extremely high temperatures.

Explore Regional Cuisines: South

Because of its geographical location, seafood is high on the menu.

Explore Regional Cuisines: East

The heaviest rainfall is in the east of the country, so rice grown in the vast paddy fields is a staple of the cuisine.

Explore Regional Cuisines: West

The diets of people in the west of India are largely based on Hinduism and are predominantly vegetarian.

Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen

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The Indian Cooking Course: Techniques - Masterclasses - Ingredients - 300 Recipes

Kyle Books

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Meet Monisha Bharadwaj - qualified chef and award-winning author.

Monisha has contributed to many television and radio programmes, most recently the BBC’s Food and Drink show and Radio 4’s ‘The Food Programme’ talking about bitterness in Indian foods. She runs a successful Indian cookery school in London called Cooking With Monisha and teaches at some of the UK’s top cookery schools. @monibharadwaj (Twitter)

Monisha shares her insights into ingredients, techniques and masterclasses.

This comprehensive guide to Indian cooking explores the myriad regional varieties of authentic, healthy and lesser known Indian recipes. With chapters broken down into: Rice, Breads, Meat, Fish & Seafood, Poultry, Eggs, Dairy, Lentils & Beans, Vegetables, Snack & Sides, Grills, Salads & Raitas, Chutneys & Relishes, Desserts and Drinks, Monisha covers a varied range of dishes as well as providing insights into ingredients, techniques and step-by-step masterclasses to help you recreate classic and popular recipes.

Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Tomato Rice with Crispy Cheddar from Indian-ish

I could use all sorts of fancy words to explain this dish, but the best description is this: pizza in rice form. The inspiration for the recipe, though, is oddly enough not Italian—it’s a hybrid of a classic South Indian tomato rice with onions and a shockingly fantastic Spanish rice recipe my mom and I photocopied out of my seventh-grade Spanish textbook for a school project. The crispy, bubbly, broiled cheddar topping (use the sharpest white cheddar you can find!) adds a little somethin’ somethin’, making it a worthy dinner party dish. The lovely photographer of this very book, Mackenzie Kelley, called it “even better than pizza”.

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the highest position and preheat the oven to 500˚F.

2. In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and chile, spread them out in an even layer in the pan, and cook until the onion becomes translucent and starts to lightly char, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes, using the back of a spoon to lightly crush them. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down into a chunky sauce, 5 to 6 minutes, then add the salt.

4. Put the cooked rice in an 8-inch square (or similar size) baking dish, then fold in the tomato sauce.

(You can also do the folding in a separate bowl and then transfer the rice to the baking dish, if you doubt your ability to not spill rice and sauce everywhere.) Evenly distribute the grated cheese over the top.

5. Switch the oven to broil and place the baking dish on the top oven rack. Broil for about 3 minutes, until the top bubbles and turns golden brown. Serve immediately.

Veganbell's Indian Vegan Cookbook: 90 Easy, Plant-Based Recipes from India

Neelam Pokhrel

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Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook

Vegan Heritage Press, LLC

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Mom’s Okra and Onion Stir-Fry (Pyaaz Waali Bhindi)

Either you like okra or you hate it. This recipe might help you like it. Okra is cooked with onions until crisp and no hint of slime remains. This is another one of Mom’s simple recipes. She cooks the okra, spiced with just cayenne and turmeric, on low heat for an hour so it is perfectly crisped. Serve this easy and delicious stir-fry with any of the spicy dals or spicy curries. (Shown in thali photo, page 19, at top right.)

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green chile and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
  2. Add the okra and turmeric, mix well, and cook uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring twice while cooking.
  3. Once the okra is cooked to your preference, add salt and cayenne. Mix well and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Variations:

  • Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or fennel seeds with the green chile at Step 1.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon dry mango powder or 1/4 teaspoon Indian black salt at the end and mix well.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala along with the salt.

Street-Style Tempeh Wrap
Butternut Coconut Red Lentil Curry
Sweet and Spicy Baked Cauliflower

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