India GOWhat to eat in Rishikesh
Sattvic thali
The town is vegetarian and dry by law; the ashram plate is not a lifestyle choice here, it is the default.
Aloo ke gutke
Garhwal starts here: jakhiya seed instead of cumin is the tell.
Mandua roti
Dark, almost chocolate-brown flatbread of finger millet, heavy and faintly sweet. Grown on terraces too high for wheat, it is what the Garhwal hills actually ate before rice came up the road.
Kachori Sabzi
Varanasi eats this for breakfast: a fried kachori with a thin, fiery potato curry, served on a leaf plate at six in the morning.
Bun Maska
A soft bun split and loaded with cold butter, served at Irani cafés with tea. Nothing more than that, and it does not need to be.
Jalebi
Spirals of batter fried and then soaked in saffron syrup. Eaten hot, when the outside still cracks and the inside is molten sugar.
Samosa
The triangle everybody knows: spiced potato and peas in a fried pastry shell. It arrived from Central Asia along the medieval trade routes and became so Indian that the origin comes as a surprise.
Bhel Puri
Puffed rice tossed to order with onion, tomato, coriander, tamarind and green chutney, with a handful of crisp sev over the top. It is put together in front of you in seconds and meant to be eaten within the minute, while the rice is still crisp.
Masala Chai
Black tea boiled with milk, ginger, cardamom and whatever else the stall believes in. Not tea with spices added, but tea cooked with them.
Maggi
Instant noodles that India took over and made its own: boiled with onion, green chilli and whatever else the kitchen has, served in a steel bowl. In the Himalayan towns it is the standing order after a walk: hot, cheap and ready in two minutes.
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