India GOIndia GO · 50
Indian food
What each dish is made of, how it is eaten, whether it is vegetarian and where to try it.
Aloo paranthaAloo parantha is wheat flatbread stuffed with spiced potato and cooked in ghee. Parantha or paratha, what's in it, and Paranthe Wali Gali in Old…
Aloo TikkiAloo tikki is a spiced potato patty fried on a griddle and served under yogurt and chutneys. What is in it, how it is eaten, and where Delhi does it.
Alsande tonakAlsande tonak is black-eyed peas (cowpeas) in a dark roasted-coconut masala, eaten with poi bread. What it is, why it is vegan, and how to find it in…
BebincaBebinca is Goa’s layered cake of coconut milk, egg yolk, sugar and ghee, baked one layer at a time. What is in it, why it costs more, and where to…
BedaiBedai is a thick puri stuffed with spiced urad dal, served with a thin peppery potato sabzi. Is it bedmi puri? Where to eat it in Agra and Mathura.
Benne Masala DosaBenne masala dosa is Karnataka’s butter dosa: rice batter cooked in butter around spiced potato. How it differs from a plain dosa, and where to eat…
Bisi bele bathBisi bele bath: Karnataka's hot lentil rice of rice, toor dal and vegetables with tamarind and roasted masala. What is in it, how it differs from…
BolinhasBolinhas are Goan coconut-semolina biscuits with a cracked top, part of the Christmas kuswar. What's in them (they contain egg) and where to buy.
Chappan bhogChappan bhog is 56 dishes offered to Krishna and then shared as prasad. Why 56, what is in it, Annakut at Govardhan and where to see it in Braj.
Chole BhatureSpiced chickpeas with puffed fried bread: what goes into chole bhature, how it reached Delhi in 1947, and where to eat it in Delhi, Agra, Chandigarh.
Dal MakhaniDal makhani is black urad and kidney beans slow-cooked with butter and cream, born at Moti Mahal in Delhi after 1947. What's in it, where to eat it.
Daulat ki ChaatDaulat ki chaat is milk left out under winter dew and churned into foam, sold in Old Delhi on cold mornings only. What it is, when to go, where to…
Dharwad PedaDharwad peda is a browned, grainy milk sweet from north Karnataka with its own GI tag. What goes into it, where it came from, where to buy it in…
DodolGoan dodol is a dark, chewy sweet of coconut milk, palm jaggery and rice flour, made for Christmas and weddings. What is in it and where to buy it in…
Filter coffeeSouth Indian filter coffee is dark-roast coffee with chicory, dripped through a steel filter, mixed with hot milk and sugar and frothed between two…
Ghee Podi IdliGhee podi idli is steamed idli coated in podi, a roasted lentil and chilli powder, and soaked in ghee. What is in it, and where Bangalore serves it.
IdliIdli: South India's steamed cake of fermented rice and lentil batter. What it is made of, its long history, the kinds and where to eat it.
JalebiJalebi: batter spirals fried and soaked in syrup, eaten hot at breakfast. What it is made of, its history, where to try it in Delhi, Mathura,…
Kachori SabziKachori sabzi is a fried stuffed pastry with thin spicy potato curry, the morning meal of Varanasi and Braj. What it is, how it varies, where to eat…
Kadhi chawalKadhi chawal: thin, sour curry of yogurt and gram flour over plain rice. What is in it, how it varies by state, where pilgrims eat it free.
KalakandKalakand is milk curdled and cooked down until it sets grainy. What it is made of, how it differs from barfi, and where to buy it in Mathura and…
Karachi halwaKarachi halwa (Bombay halwa): chewy, translucent sweet of cornflour, sugar and ghee. What it is, its 1947 story, where to buy it in Delhi.
Kesari BathKesari bath is semolina cooked with ghee, sugar and saffron, eaten for breakfast in Karnataka. How it differs from sooji halwa and where to order it.
KharabathKharabath is Karnataka's spiced semolina upma with vegetables, eaten for breakfast in Bangalore darshinis and paired with kesari bath as chow-chow…
KhatkhateKhatkhate: a vegan Goan stew of five or more vegetables with coconut, kokum and tirphal, made for festivals. What is in it, where to find it.
KhurchanKhurchan: layers of cream scraped off simmering milk and lightly sweetened, a Braj and Old Delhi sweet. What it is, how to eat it, where to find it.
Kulfi faloodaKulfi falooda pairs kulfi, an unchurned frozen milk dessert, with rose-scented vermicelli and basil seeds. What is in it and where to eat it in Old…
Kulhad lassiKulhad lassi: thick sweet lassi under malai in a disposable clay cup. What it is, sweet or salted, and where to drink it in Mathura and Vrindavan.
Makhan mishriMakhan mishri is fresh white butter with sugar crystals, the food the child Krishna is said to have stolen. What it means and where it is given in…
MalpuaMalpua is a thick pancake fried in ghee and soaked in syrup, made for Holi, Ramadan and temple offerings. Regional styles and where to eat it.
Masala PuriMasala puri: Karnataka chaat of crushed puris in hot spiced pea gravy. What is in it, how it differs from pani puri and where to eat it in Bengaluru.
MomosMomos are Tibetan and Nepali dumplings, steamed or fried, now street food across India. Fillings, veg or chicken, and where to eat them from Delhi to…
Mysore bondaMysore bonda is a hollow fritter of sour-curd batter with pepper and coconut, eaten with filter coffee. What it is made of and how it differs from…
Mysore masala dosaMysore masala dosa: a crisp dosa with red chilli-garlic paste spread inside before the potato. How it differs and where to eat it in Mysuru.
Mysore PakMysore pak: gram flour, sugar and lots of ghee, from the Mysore palace kitchen. Soft vs hard, Mysurpa, and where to buy it in Mysore and Bangalore.
Nagori HalwaNagori halwa is an Old Delhi breakfast: tiny semolina puris, sweet semolina halwa and potato curry. What it is and where to find it in Chandni Chowk.
ObbattuObbattu, or holige, is a thin flatbread stuffed with jaggery and chana dal, an Ugadi sweet of Karnataka. How it differs from puran poli, where to eat…
Papdi ChaatPapdi chaat: fried wafers, potato, chickpeas, yogurt and chutneys. What is in it, is it vegetarian, and where to eat it in Delhi.
PatoleoPatoleo: Goan rice-paste parcels of coconut and palm jaggery steamed in turmeric leaves, made mainly in August. What they are and when to find them.
PedaPeda: dense milk fudge of khoya, sugar and cardamom, offered to Krishna and sold by weight. Why Mathura's is the benchmark and where to buy it.
PoiPoi is Goa's hollow wheat-and-bran bread, once leavened with palm toddy and still brought round by the poder, the bicycle baker. How to eat it.
RabriRabri is milk reduced for hours until thick, with layers of cream folded back in. How it differs from basundi, how it is eaten, and where to find it.
Ragi muddeRagi mudde: a ball of cooked finger-millet dough from Karnataka, swallowed with saaru. What it is made of, what it comes with, where to eat it.
Ragi RottiRagi rotti: a Karnataka flatbread of finger-millet flour with onion and chilli, shaped on the griddle. What is in it, how it differs, where to eat it.
Ram ladooRam ladoo is not a sweet: fried moong dal fritters under grated white radish and green chutney, a Delhi street chaat. What is in it and how to eat it.
Rava IdliRava idli is a steamed cake of semolina, invented at MTR in Bengaluru when rice ran short in wartime. What it is made of, how it differs, where to…
SannasSannas are spongy Goan rice cakes leavened with toddy or coconut. What they are made of, how they differ from idli, what to eat them with and where…
Sol KadhiSol kadhi: coconut milk soured with kokum, drunk with or after a Konkan meal. What it is made of, why it is pink and where to try it in Goa.
South Indian ThaliA South Indian thali, written “meals” on menus: rice with sambar, rasam, vegetables, curd and payasam, refilled until you stop. Where to try it in…
ThandaiThandai: cold milk ground with almonds, melon seeds, fennel, pepper and rose, the drink of Holi. What is in it, how it differs from bhang, where to…