This Indian food guide is a cheat sheet for Indian restaurant menus. It covers the most popular Indian dishes — what they are, how they’re served & more!
WHY WE CREATED THIS GUIDE TO POPULAR INDIAN FOOD
I love Indian food. All Indian food. However, when I ask people what their favorite Indian dish is, the answer more often than not is “chicken tikka masala.”
This has always bothered me a bit. Now, don’t get me wrong, chicken tikka masala is AMAZING!
In fact, if I had to pick one Indian dish with which to introduce someone to the cuisine, it would probably be chicken tikka masala. But there is so much more to Indian food!
The more I questioned people, the more I found out that it wasn’t that they didn’t like other Indian dishes. They simply felt intimidated by the names and did not understand them. The irony here is that Indian food names are quite simple. The dishes are usually named after the main components or where they come from. But given that fact, if I did not understand the language, I’d be confused too.
Consider this my effort to make things right. Here’s a rundown of what you commonly find on a typical Indian restaurant menu. Now next time when you go to your favorite Indian restaurant to enjoy a meal, use this guide to the most popular Indian dishes and order something outside of your comfort zone. There’s a good chance you’ll be surprised to learn how much goodness you were missing out on!
If you would like to enjoy Indian food at home, take a look at our variety of products, such as our curry sauces — a delicious shortcut way to make amazing curries in just 15 minutes! Purchase online, or find our products in a store near you.
Indian Appetizers
Being the foodie country that India is, there’s a meal planned around every time of the day and food available on every corner. Appetizers served in Indian restaurants are typically popular Indian street foods.
Bhaji: Bhaji (or pakoras) are crispy deep-fried dollops of spicy chickpea batter served with spicy condiments called chutney. Onion bhaji features thinly sliced onions that have been added to the chickpea batter and then deep fried to crispy perfection. Think of it as our version of onion rings! Other popular bhajis are cauliflower, potato, and paneer.
Samosa: Another popular Indian street food is samosa. Samosas contain a small amount of spicy potato or meat filling that is then wrapped in dough and deep-fried until crispy and flaky.
Vada Pav: Vadas are deep-fried fritters or flattened patties of potato, and a pav is just a dinner roll. Vada pav is essentially a spicier vegetarian version of sliders where the fritter or patty is sandwiched between two halves of a dinner roll. Often, condiments are added to the sliders, like onions, green chilies, garlic chutney, and mint and cilantro chutney.
Indian Breads
Naan: Naan is one of the most popular Indian flatbreads. To make naan, wheat flour dough is prepared either by allowing it to rise using yeast or by the addition of yogurt to the dough. That dough is then rolled into flatbreads and cooked in an Indian oven called a tandoor.
Roti: Naan is popular on Indian restaurant menus, but roti is a staple in Indian homes. Roti is a no-fuss Indian bread, typically made with whole wheat flour that’s kneaded into a soft dough, then rolled into thin circles, and cooked on a tava (Indian skillet) on the stovetop.
Paratha: Paratha is a flatbread that is layered and pan-fried. They are made with wheat flour, and ghee or oil is smeared between layers of dough while rolling them. But there are many ways in which you can make a paratha, especially stuffed paratha. In a stuffed paratha, the filling is stuffed into a ball of dough and then rolled into a flatbread.
- Aloo Paratha: With spicy potato filling
- Gobi Paratha: With spicy cauliflower filling
- Vegetable Paratha: With a variety of vegetables stuffed
Poori: Poori is flat circles of dough that have been deep fried in ghee or oil until they puff and become slightly crispy on the outside. Typically served with aloo ki sabzi (curried potatoes) or chana masala (curried chickpeas), this is a beloved comfort food in northern India.