By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
Indian regional cuisine is a reflection of its climate, agricultural practices and local customs resulting in an array of tastes and traditions.
In Northern cuisine you can expect creamy gravies, bold spices and popular bread varieties, like naan and paratha. Influenced by Mughal and Persian cooking styles these dishes are often prepared with ghee and feature a mix of meats and dairy products. Top picks include butter chicken, where tender chicken is cooked in a tomato butter sauce; paneer tikka, grilled cubes of paneer cheese marinated with spices; and dal makhani cooked black lentils in a creamy sauce usually served with naan or rice.
On the contrary South Indian cuisine stands out for its use of coconut milk, curry leaves and an assortment of spices that enhance the flavours of vegetarian and seafood dishes. Rice plays a key role here. Popular breakfast choices include dosa (pancakes) and idli (steamed rice cakes).
Must-try dishes encompass masala dosa - crispy crêpes filled with potatoes served with coconut chutney and sambar lentil soup); Hyderabadi biryani - a rice dish cooked with meat, saffron and aromatic spices; tangy fish curry prepared with fresh carp, in coconut milk infused with South Indian spices is also particularly popular.
The culinary traditions of Western India are greatly influenced by its proximity to the coast and the lively street food scene. The flavours of seafood, coconut and various types of chilli take centre stage offering a mix of tangy and sweet tastes.
Some must-try dishes include Goan fish curry, where fish fillets are gently simmered in a coconut curry infused with vinegar and traditional Goan spices; pav bhaji, a beloved street food from Mumbai consisting of spiced mashed vegetables served with buttered bread rolls (pav); and dhokla, steamed fermented cakes crafted from rice and chickpea flour that make for a delightful snack or breakfast option.
Across the country, East Indian cuisine showcases the influences from neighbouring nations such as Bangladesh and Myanmar along with the bounty of ingredients from the fertile Gangetic plains; noteworthy dishes include Bengali fish curry cooked in a mustard seed paste gravy.
Other hallmark dishes representing the region’s heritage include pakhala bhata, Odisha’s traditional dish of fermented rice served with sides like fried or boiled vegetables and momos, Tibetan dumplings popular in the Northeastern states, often served with spicy chutneys.
Finally, Central Indian cuisine is distinguished by its flavours derived from locally sourced grains, legumes and spices. Some must-try dishes include dal bafla, a hearty dish from Madhya Pradesh consisting of wheat cakes (bafla) served with spiced lentils; Bhopali gosht korma, a rich and creamy meat curry from Bhopal flavoured with yoghurt, nuts and aromatic spices; and chaat, tangy and spicy street snacks like pani puri, bhel puri and sev puri, popular across the region.
