India is an exhilarating whirlwind of sights, traditions and chaotic cities; a smorgasbord of Indian food dishes with so many different blends of spices to get stuck in to. One of the things I was most looking forward to when I went to India was the food, so I was so excited at the prospect of wandering around street food markets and devouring every dish I could get my hands on.
Unfortunately food poisoning hit me on the third day (no one can escape Delhi belly) and lasted the rest of my trip, so I didn't get to be as adventurous as I wanted. But here are the 7 dishes I was obsessed with when I was over there.
Tikka Paneer
This was definitely my fave dish - paneer cheese marinated in red and green tikka sauce, then grilled on a skewer with veg til it's got a bit of charcoal on it. Then served with some dips on the side.
Pretty much everything is served with sauces and dips in India, and I'm such a fan of a condiment so this was great news to me.
Masala Chai Tea
This is a staple Indian tea that you can find literally everywhere, for next to nothing. The tea is made with loads of yummy spices, like cinammon, cardamom, ginger and cloves, and boiled with milk. Disclaimer: This is also what made me sick, so just make sure you're getting it somewhere that looks clean.
Raj Kachori
This is a sweet dish, but apparently you can get various types of Kachori. Kachori's are basically these puffed up pastries, which they smash a hole in and stuffed with various types of fillings. I can't remember exactly what was in this - I want to say there were lentils, beans and other savoury things - but it was served with yoghurt and sweet tamarind, and was like an explosion of different tastes.
Thali
This was my second favourite dish in India, mainly because I'm the type of eater that loves having a little bit of everything. This is like India's version of tapas - you get salad, a couple of curries, dips, dessert, rice and bread. I ate this dish pretty much everywhere I went, and there were a lot of variations.
Masala Dosa
This is a super popular and cheap dish that's literally eaten at all times of the day - it's like a type of pancake made from rice, then filled with lentils, potato, methi and spices, served with different types of dips and chutneys. I'm telling you - it's all about the condiments in India.
Momos
I am a sucker for dumplings - every type. So, of course as soon as I saw momos on a menu, I was in there. Steamed and filled dumplings with veg and/or chicken... so yum!
Any Masala Curry
Indian's call curry sauce 'gravy', so I was a bit confused when I first got there and kept hearing them say things were served with gravy. But yeah, literally every masala curry I had was divine, so I recommend any and all!
So yeah, hopefully this little checklist of Indian food dishes to try while you're out there will start you off on a gastronomical journey of epic proportions - I'll definitely be taking (or attempting to take) full advantage of it all the next time I'm out there. Might avoid street tea this time though. Have a read of all my India travel tips and things to know before you go, and go check out my dedicated India travel page.
I also just wanted to give a shout out to Raju at Hidden Jaipur who took us on an evening street food tour around Jaipur. He took us around to his fave spots, talked to us about the different dishes and how they were made, and gave us the low-down about some aspects of Indian culture. I'd totally recommend it if you're headed to Jaipur.
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