North Indian food is a diverse and vast blend of spices, flavors, and ingredients used. With every 100 km, you find a different dialect, food, culture, and lifestyle. North India is a food lover's ultimate paradise with its strong flavors, spices, and rich food. From Kashmir to Madhya Pradesh, from Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh, the cuisines are extravagant and the dishes are rich and tasteful.
People in the Northern part are very hospitable and love to eat and feat others. They have big fat weddings with a splendid three-course meal and food from across the country. Northern India festivals are all about food preparations and some dishes are very specific to certain festivals and occasions.
Let's have a look at some unique and famous North Indian dishes that are a must-try!
Stuffed Bati
A Rajasthani delight filled with a spicy blend of potato and peas on the inside with whole wheat and dal coating on the outside. Dal batti or Stuffed batti is accompanied by lentil curry( Arhar Dal) or eggplant dish( baingan ka bharta) and churma.
Stuffed Batti is scrumptious and a traditional dish of Rajasthani people now widely consumed and relished in other states as well. These are cooked on a special tandoor and dipped in Ghee which manifolds the taste before eating.
Pherni
A summer delight and an Indian version of ice cream, Pherni is a creamy pudding-like cold sweet dish made of rice and milk. The milk is thickened and immensely flavored with cardamom and topped with dry fruits.
During summers Pherni is made and stored in a refrigerator in clay pot ( mitti ) bowls (kulad) that depart an earthly flavor and aroma to the dish. Pherni is a low-fat and low-sugar recipe and gives instant relief from the summer heat.
Nihari Gosht
Originating in the Awadhi Kitchen during the time of Mughal rule, Nihari Gosht is one of the most scrumptious and flavorful dishes of all time. Nihari Gosht is an authentic cooked dish of mutton that is slow-cooked and has a lip-smacking blend of spices and herbs. It is a popular dish in the Awadhi region and is a specialty feast during Eid. Taste best with Rumali roti, naan, or rice.
Rajasthani Laal Maas
An authentic Rajasthani recipe of meat with Kashmiri Red Chili is an extremely spicy meat curry that is certainly not for the fainthearted. This Royal dish is very popular and no tourist can pass by without trying Laal Maas once.
Laal Maas is fiery hot and gets this intense red color from the Kashmiri chilies. If you have not had this dish being a nonvegetarian, you are missing out on something really serious in life.
Raj Kachori
King of chaats, as the name correctly depicts, Raj Kachori is an all-in-one chaat experience that is extremely filling and flavorful. The stuffing is immense and it just burst out in your mouth and your stomach is overloaded with just one plate of Raj Kachori.
It has curd, chana, potatoes, green and tamarind chutney, sev, onions, chaat masala, coriander, pomegranate seeds, papri, beetroot, radish, and everything you can imagine in chaat inside a bowl-like structure made of gram flour dough.
Khandvi
A palatable snack in Gujarati Cuisine that is a tangy combination of sweet and spicy with desi tadka on the top. Khandvi was also known by other names like Patuli, suralichi, etc are rolled gram flour and curd bites which are common breakfast items in Gujarati households and are served with yellow chutney and green chilies.
They are often accompanied by Dhokla, another loved snack in the central part of Northern India. Khandvi is a light and savory snack which serves as a great appetizer.
Gatte ki sabzi
A popular gravy dish of Rajasthan with gram flour roundels dipped in an oil-rich curry with yogurt, spices, and herbs. Gatte ki Sabzi is one of those vegetable curries which does not have any vegetables indeed.
An easy and healthy recipe that is full of flavor and tastes great with Tawa roti or rice. It is one of the most consumed and traditional dishes of Rajasthani households and is now quite common in parts of Uttar Pradesh as well.
Ghevar
Disc-shaped desi cake which is specially made around certain festivals or special occasions. Ghevar originally from Rajasthan is a very popular sweet dish in the central part of Northern India.
It has a crunchy base and a creamy topping which is quite rich and flavourful. Ghevar is a dessert that is specifically made during auspicious occasions of Teej and Raksha Bandhan and is often presented as Sargi.
Sindhi Kadhi
A special dish of the Sindhi Community that has found numerous variations across Northern India. Sindhi Kadhi is traditionally made of vegetables dipped in a gram flour soup with spices and herbs.
Sindhi kadhi has a mild flavor and is often prepared in Sindhi households as their main dish. In parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat Gujarat, and U.P, kadhi gravy has pakora instead of vegetables and the curry is slightly thickened using curd.
Galauti kebab and Roti
U.P is famous for its Mughlai and Awadhi food. The capital city of U.P houses some of the best non-vegetarian recipes and a taste that is exceptional. Coming from the "City of Nawabs" Lucknow is a scrumptious and tender soft minced mutton kebabs known as Galaouti Kebabs.
A Royal recipe now relished by tourists and locals with Rumali Roti and chutney. Galouti kebabs are so soft that they melt in the mouth and that is what makes them unique and exotic.
Kashmiri Dum Aloo
Kashmiri food is all about meat but Dum Aloo is one of their very few authentic veg recipes. Baby potatoes are dum or low simmered and immersed in a yogurt gravy that is rich in spices and herbs especially Kashmiri Chilies that impart a beautiful red texture. Slow cooking helps the potatoes absorb the flavors and taste scrumptious with rice or naan.
Ker Sangri
The tang of the Dessert is made with sangri beans and dried ker berry, Ker Sangri is a traditional dish of Rajasthan and is quite popular. Ker Sangri is a spicy and fully loaded vegetable dish that leaves your tongue full of flavor for a long time. It is made of locally sourced ingredients and is a blend of five plant products.
Keema Paratha
A mix of minced mutton in a strong blend of spices and herbs, keema paratha is a tempting and mouth-watering stuffed paratha. It is a classic Mughlai recipe that is enjoyed with salan, chutney, or pudina curd and achar.
India is rich in flavors and food, every region has something great to offer. North India is full of multiple cuisines and dishes to please your palette. One thing you may find common in all the states of Northern India is the rich use of spices, butter, and thick gravies for making traditional dishes.
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