The northern part of India includes the provinces of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and many more. With so many states, the taste is bound to vary and the spices, cooking techniques, recipes can differ as well. Therefore, we have curated a list of most popular north Indian dishes that are common in restaurants as well as homes.
So, try the list of the amazing and flavourful north Indian cuisines. Every nook and corner of northern India has an amazing dish to offer.
So, here is a list of Top 13 North Indian dishes you must try-
1. Cholle Bhature
Cholle Bhature is definitely the most famous and the most eaten dish that is loved by every Indian. A Punjabi delicacy that is an amalgamation of spicy and mouth-watering cholle with soft and puffy bhature. The cholle are loaded with aromatic spices and the boiled chickpeas are prepared in a gravy of tomato and onions. Bhature are an Indian flatbread which are soft and are prepared using All-purpose flour then deep fried until golden and fluffy.
This dish can be eaten as breakfast, brunch or lunch as well. So, pair the delicious cholle bhature with a glass of meethi lassi and you are all set!
2. Paneer Butter Masala
Paneer is probably the dish without which any Indian meal is incomplete. This recipe is always a winner for its amazing taste and easy to make recipe. Be it kadhai paneer, tawa paneer, shahi paneer or any other paneer dish, the soft and creamy paneer dunked in spicy and delicious gravy will surely win anyone’s heart. The paneer gravy is made using tomato, onions, spices and lots of cream, all of which is easily available in your pantry.
You can also pair this dish with butter naan, rumali roti, laccha paratha and even simple plain rotis.
Other variants of paneer dishes that are most popular in north India are-
- Tawa paneer masala
- Palak paneer
- Kadhai paneer
- Shahi Paneer
- Matar Paneer
3. Rajma
Rajma is a delicious Indian curry made using a gravy of onions, tomatoes, spices and kidney beans. This dish is prepared almost in every household and is also a common in dish in North-Indian restaurants menu. To prepare this dish, first rajma beans are soaked and then boiled to make them soft. Then in a pan a gravy of onions and tomatoes is prepared along with other spices. To this gravy, rajma is added to prepare the delicious rajma curry. Cream can also be added to this dish to make it in restaurant style.
You do not need anything else with this dish. Only these delicious mouth-watering rajma and steaming jeera rice are enough for a wholesome meal. Although you can also serve Indian flatbreads, along with raita and a fresh salad with this rajma dish.
4. Pav Bhaji
From street side stalls to five-star restaurants, this dish can be found almost anywhere in India. Pav means bread rolls and bhaji is a thick vegetable curry. The vegetables in the vegetable curry include- carrots, potato, onion, ginger & garlic, capsicum, peas, tomato and chilli. Although, the origin of this dish is in Maharashtra but it has become an essential part of North Indian cuisine.
The bhaji is loaded with butter and sliced onion and the pav is lightly toasted. The dish can be prepared in less than 30 minutes and is a delight for all the spicy food lovers out there.
5. Dahi Bhalla
Dahi Bhalle is a popular snack of North India. They are deep fried lentil fritters, dipped in curd and topped with tamarind chutney and green chutney. It is then garnished with spices like chaat masala, red chilli powder and coriander leaves. The dahi bhalle are soft and will just melt in your mouth. They taste best when chilled and can be served as a snack or with a North Indian meal.
Whether it is Diwali, Raksha Bandhan or Holi, no festival is complete without them.
6. Bhindi do pyaaza
Bhindi, also known as okra or lady finger is one of the mostly consumed vegetable in India. It can be made in a variety of ways, one of which is bhindi do pyaaza. This recipe only requires okra, onions and some spices.
While cutting this vegetable it can be a bit sticky but turns out fine if it is cooked properly. The dish is super easy to make and is also very healthy. This vegetable is loved by adults and kids as well. Bhindi can be prepared dry, semi dry or with gravy and is mostly served with rotis.
Other variety of bhindi that is loved by Indians are-
- Bhindi Masala
- Kurkuri Bhindi
- Bharwa Bhindi
7. Dum Aloo
Dum means steam cooked and aloo means potato, so the dish is prepared by steaming cooking the potatoes. The dish is prepared by cooking baby potatoes in onion, tomato and yoghurt gravy. This dish is served in special occasions like a wedding, Diwali or a family dinner.
This dish can be served with jeera rice or with the bread of your choice like poori or lachha paratha. Variants of dum aloo that one can also try are-
- Kashmiri dum aloo
- Mughlai dum aloo
- Bengali dum aloo
- Shahi dum aloo
- Niramish dum aloo
8. Daal Baati churma
Daal baati churma is traditionally a Rajasthani recipe served during lunch or dinner. The dish consists of three components- spicy dal, deep-fried baati and semi-sweet churma combined together and topped with ghee. Baatis are wheat rolls made using whole-wheat flour, semolina and ghee which are then deep-fried or baked. Churma is semi-sweet and coarse ground wheat cooked with ghee and sugar.
It can be confusing how to eat this dish as people usually struggle with a spoon while eating daal baati churma. The correct way to eat this dish is to break the baati into small pieces using your hands. Pour a generous amount of daal on the baati pieces until they are dipped completely. Then sprinkle some choorma and a spoonful of ghee on your daal baati. Mix everything with your hands and don’t be shy to eat this finger licking dish with your hands.
The sweet yet savoury dish will surely steal your heart and warm you up on a cold day!
Image source- vaya.in
9. Dal Makhani
Dal makhani is made using black lentils (whole urad dal), kidney beans (rajma), butter and spices. It is probably the most famous lentil dish in Northern India. Dal means lentils and makhana means buttery so dal makhani translates to buttery dal. Cream is also added to dish to give it a restaurant style, buttery and creamy flavour. This dal is cooked slowly on low heat, making it viscous, creamy and finger licking delicious.
Dal makhani can also be served with butter naan, rumaali roti, lachha paratha or jeera rice.
10. Samosa
Be it an office party, a get-together or a tea-break, samosa will always be there. This crispy and flaky delights do not even need any introduction! Samosas are filled with spicy potato filling and are popular not only India but several other countries as well. Samosas can be found at almost every street food stall and restaurants.
They are served with sweet tamarind chutney and green chutney and also make the best combo with a hot cup of tea.
11. Kadhi
Kadhi is a dish of deep-fried onion fritters which are dipped in a yellowish yoghurt gravy. The fritters are made with chilli and onions and the yellow gravy is made using yoghurt, gram flour or besan and spices. The mixture of gram flour and yoghurt gives the kadhi its flavour.
Kadhi is a staple food in Punjabi homes and is loved by all of us. The combination of kadhi with chawal is a combination worth dying for!
There are many varieties of kadhi, all with their unique texture and flavour. Some of these kadhis you can also try are-
- Gujarati kadhi
- Sindhi kadhi
- Aamras kadhi
- Tamatar kadhi
- Boondi kadhi
12. Malai kofta
Originally kofta means meat balls but in India koftas are prepared using paneer and potatoes. Malai means cream and kofta means fried balls so malai kofta literally means fried balls dunked in creamy sauce. The sauce or gravy for malai kofta is prepared using a paste of onions, cashews and tomatoes. The paste is then mixed with spices and makes a delicious and creamy gravy which is similar to the gravy of paneer butter masala. The koftas are deep fried but to make the dish healthy you can also air fry them.
The dish is best served with Indian breads and jeera or basmati rice.
13. Soya Chaap
Soya chaap is a healthy vegetarian recipe which is full of protein and is super delicious. It is prepared using soya chunks and soya beans which are grinded and mixed with maida. The mixture is then wrapped on ice cream sticks or skewers. The sticks are then boiled until the chaps are cooked. The chaap has gained a lot of popularity and can also be eaten as a snack or as a meal with rotis.
The dry version of chaap can be eaten as a snack while the gravy version could be eaten as a meal.
Other Indian recipes that you can try with soya chaap are-
- Malai chaap
- Achaari chaap
- Tawa chaap
- Hariyali chaap
- Soya chaap butter masala
Image source- zomato
Try these 13 north Indian dishes that will definitely change your life forever. These dishes are vegetarian, vibrant and colourful. So, stop wasting your time and quickly try these delectable dishes that north India has to offer. But beware as these dishes will definitely blow you away!
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