INDIAN FOOD: YOUR GUIDE TO AN INDIAN RESTAURANT MENU
This Indian food guide is a cheat sheet for Indian restaurant menus. It covers the most popular Indian dishes - what they are, how they are served and more!
Why did we create this guide to popular Indian food?
I love Indian food. All Indian food. However, when I ask people which is their favorite Indian dish, often the answer is "chicken tikka masala". This has always bothered me a little. Now, don't get me wrong, Chicken Tikka Masala is amazing! In fact, if I had to choose one Indian dish to offer to a non-converted person, it would probably be chicken tikka masala. But there is more to Indian food!
The more I inquired with people, the more I came to know that it was not that they did not 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. Dishes are usually named after the main components or where they come from. But given this fact, if I didn't understand the language, I would get confused too.
So consider it my attempt to fix things. Here's a rundown on what you'd find on a typical Indian restaurant menu. Now the next time you head to your favorite Indian restaurant to enjoy a meal, use this guide to the most popular Indian dishes and order something out of your comfort zone. There's a good chance you'll be surprised to find out just how much goodness you were missing out on!
If you want to enjoy Indian food at home, you can buy our products. They're at a store near you, or you can cook the most popular dishes at home with our Home Chef Collection products.
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Indian appetizer
Bhajji: Bhajji (or pakoras) are crispy deep fried dollops of spicy chickpea batter served with spicy condiments called chutneys. Onion ke bhajji consists of thinly sliced onions mixed with chickpea batter and then deep fried to crispy perfection.
Samosa: Another popular Indian street food is Samosa. Samosas consist of a small amount of spiced potato or meat filling which is then wrapped in flour and deep fried until crisp and flaky.
Vada Pav: Vada are fried dumplings or potato flat patties, and Pav is a plain old dinner roll. Vada Pav is essentially a spicy vegetarian version of the slider where dumplings or patties are sandwiched between two halves of a dinner roll. Often, spices are added to the mix (often a green mint and cilantro chutney).
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INDIAN BREADS
Breads in India are mostly flatbreads. The way they are cooked or the type of flour used to make them determines what they are called.
Naan: Naan is one of the most popular Indian flatbreads. For making naan, wheat flour is prepared by stirring it with the help of yeast or by adding curd to the dough. That dough is then rolled into flat bread and baked in an Indian oven, called a tandoor.
Roti: Naan is popular on menus of Indian restaurants, but roti is a staple in Indian homes. Roti is a no-hassle Indian bread, usually made from whole wheat flour kneaded into a soft dough, then rolled into thin circles and cooked on a tawa (Indian skillet) on the stove.
Paratha: Paratha is a flat roti which is layered and pan fried. These are made from wheat flour, and while rolling them, ghee or oil is applied between the layers of dough. But there are many ways in which you can make parathas, especially stuffed parathas. A stuffed paratha is when the filling is stuffed into a ball of dough and then rolled into a flatbread.
- Aloo Paratha: With Spicy Potato Stuffing
- Gobi Paratha: With Spicy Cauliflower Stuffing
- Vegetable Paratha: Stuffed with a variety of vegetables
Poori: Puris are flat rounds of dough that are deep fried in ghee or oil until they puff up and become slightly crispy on the outside. Usually served with aloo ki sazi (stir-fried potatoes), it is a beloved comfort food in North India.
INDIAN MEALS
Tikka Masala: Tikka is the Hindi word for "small pieces" and masala means a spice mix. So when small pieces of anything, such as chicken, are cooked in a sauce with a special spice blend, it is called chicken tikka masala. Similarly, when paneer comes in play, it is called Paneer Tikka Masala. The world famous chutney used in tikka masala is mainly tomato based, with cream or thick curd adding some richness.
Chana (Chole) Masala: Chana or Chole is the Hindi name for Chole. Chana masala is simply chickpeas cooked with garam masala in an onion, ginger, and garlic-based sauce. It is a popular North Indian curry; It is spicy and packs a punch. It is usually served with soft and flaky bread called bhature, or with a baked, pillowy bread called kulcha.
Saag Paneer: Saag is the Hindi name for leafy green vegetables. But this particular dish refers to a delicious curry where spinach is cooked with spices and then paneer is added to the dish. In some Indian restaurants, you can also find this dish called Palak Paneer, where Palak is the Hindi name for Palak.
Korma: Korma is a preparation in which proteins are cooked with a yogurt based sauce flavored with ginger and garlic. Fried onions are added to thicken the sauce and this also gives it a hint of sweetness.
- Navratan Korma (made with an array of vegetables and cheese)
- Chicken Korma
- Vegetable Korma (Vegetarian)
Rogan Josh: This dish comes from the beautiful northern state of Kashmir in India. Due to its roots in Persian cuisine, this dish is traditionally cooked with lamb or goat. Rogan josh consists of chunks of lamb or mutton with a gravy flavored with garlic, ginger, and aromatic spices (cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon), and some versions include onions or yogurt.
- chicken disease
- Mutton Rognosh or Goat Rognosho
Vindaloo: When the Portuguese came to India and established their colony in Goa, they also brought their cuisine with them. And when that Portuguese food married with Indian flavor, many good things happened. Vindaloo is one of his products. Fast and flavorful, vindaloo is traditionally made with pork, which is marinated in wine vinegar and garlic.
- Pork Vindaloo
- Chicken Vindaloo
- Lamb Vindaloo
Dal: Dal is the Hindi name for lentils, and it broadly refers to the soup of all lentils in Indian cuisine. Typically, lentils are mixed with water, turmeric and salt, then cooked to perfection.
- Dal Makhani: 2-3 types of lentils/beans cooked with spices and cream or butter added for richness. Makhani refers to the use of butter or cream.
- Tadka: A mild tempering of whole spices like cumin, mustard seeds etc. is added to the dal.
- Chana Dal: Split Bengal Lentil Soup
- Dhaba Style Dal: Dhabas are roadside dining spots by the freeway in India. The food served there is very popular and the pulses served in those dhabas somehow made their way into Indian restaurants.
Biryani: A very popular Indian rice dish with its roots in the Mughal Empire in India, Biryani is a rice dish prepared with several layers of rice, some sort of marinated meat or protein and some extra richness with ghee or yogurt and then slowed down. Cooked at speed. to perfection. this is one of the recipes
- Chicken Biryani
- Hyderabadi Dum Biryani (This is one of the spicy varieties and usually uses chicken)
- Goat Biryani
- Biryani
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INDIAN DRINKS
Chai/Tea: The Indian name for tea is Chai. You make tea by cooking a certain amount of water in milk, then adding sugar as a sweetener and black tea together. And yes, when you order a "Chai Tea Latte" at Starbucks you are ordering a "Tea Tea Latte."
Masala Chai: This is when you add some kind of masala (spice) to the above mixture, and this makes Masala Chai. A typical masala chai consists of cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and ginger cooked into the tea.
Lassi: A sweet yogurt drink traditionally made by diluting yogurt with milk or water and then sweetening it for added flavor. Cream is also added to make the drink rich. Lassi can be made in different tastes by adding different fruits, additional flavours, etc. For example, mango lassi is made by mixing mango and curd, while strawberry lassi contains fresh strawberries etc.
Chas: A savory buttermilk drink that just has a kick (because most Indian cuisine has a kick!). This drink is usually taken after meals, as the use of cumin, mint and rock salt is helpful for good digestion.
INDIAN DESSERTS
Gulab Jamun: If chicken tikka masala (or some might say butter chicken) is the king of Indian curries, then gulab jamun is definitely the king of the desert. Milk solids are crushed to a powder and then mixed with milk to form a smooth dough. The dough is then rolled into small balls, deep fried, and dipped in sugar syrup until the balls absorb the syrup and become soft and juicy.
Halwa: Halwa is a pudding made from any kind of flour – such as chickpea flour, wheat flour, semolina or root vegetables – that is cooked with sugar, ghee and water/milk.
- Gajar ka halwa: Gajar ka halwa is made by cooking fresh grated carrots with sugar, milk and ghee.
- Besan Halwa: Besan is the Hindi name of Besan. This pudding is made by cooking chickpea flour in a rich sugar syrup.
- Moong Halwa: Made from moong flour.
Barfi: Barfi is essentially a more solid form of milk based pudding. In this dish a sweet batter is thickened and then set to cool and cut into small pieces.
- Kaju Ki Barfi: Kaju is the Hindi name for cashew. So this cashew barfi is made from sweet cashew paste.
- Almond Barfi: Barfi made from almonds.
- Pista Burfi: Made from Pistachios
Doodh Peda: Milk is milk, and Peda is a circular barfi. To make doodh peda, the sweet mik is thickened and flavored with spices such as cardamom or saffron, and then small portions are rolled into small discs.
OTHER INDIAN FOOD TERMS TO KNOW
Curry: Often confused with the term "curry powder", the word curry simply means gravy. There's no flavor associated with "curry," but traditional Indian curries have little to do with the curry chicken salad at your local grocery store.
Tikka: Small pieces or cutlets of chicken/meat.
Masala: Any combination of spices. One of the most common is "garam masala", which translates to hot or hot. These are the spices that keep the body warm.
Saag: Greens. Mostly spinach but may contain mustard or other greens. "Palak" is specifically spinach.
Paneer: Indian cheese. The only cheese used in Indian cooking.
Chana: Chickpeas.
Dal: Lentils and footy beans.
Gobi: Cauliflower.
Aloo: Potatoes
Matar: Peas.
Tandoor: Earthen stove. Whatever comes out of the clay oven usually precedes the tandoori. (Tandoori Naan, Tandoori Fish, Tandoori Chicken, etc.)
Chaat: The all-inclusive term for Indian street food.
Dosa: A South Indian crepe made from a batter of fermented rice and lentils.
Idli: Steamed lentil cake made from fermented rice and lentil batter.
Sambar: South Indian dal, served with idli and dosa.
Chutney: Spices. Most people are familiar with fruit chutneys like mango, but some of the best chutneys are herbs like cilantro and mint.
Murgh: Chicken
Sabzi: Vegetables
Matar: Peas
Roasted: Fried
Thali: literally means thali, but in the context of Indian cuisine it mainly refers to the way food is served. Multiple dishes are served on the same plate, and you essentially start with an appetizer and end with a desert or a cold drink.
Tadka: tempering
Cream: Cream
Jeera: cumin seed
Papad: Lentil crackers
Keema: Ground Meat
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