Indian cuisine, wow, where do I begin? It's an assault on the senses in every possible aspect, more like a sensory explosion with its dazzling colours, tempting aromas, and scrumptious flavours. It's a result of centuries of culinary innovation, mixing ancient kitchen recipes with diverse influences from colonisation and globalisation.
And it's no surprise why Indian cuisine is loved and admired worldwide. But there's so much more to it than just the usual ones, like butter chicken, biryani, and naan. There are countless Indian dishes that are not even known to Indians but are equally droolworthy and fascinating and deserve a fair chance to please your palate.
These dishes reveal the hidden aspects of India's culinary culture and offer a rare opportunity for adventurous food connoisseurs.
So, we've curated a list of some of the lesser-known Indian dishes you should try before you die to experience the true essence of Indian cuisine.
1. Undhiyu:
A festive dish that will delight you with its variety and texture. It’s a dish from Gujarat, a state in western India. Undhiyu is a mixed vegetable dish that includes potatoes, yams, eggplants, bananas, beans, and fenugreek dumplings. It’s cooked in an earthen pot that is inverted and buried in a pit of hot coals. Undhiyu is a winter delicacy that is eaten with puri, a deep-fried bread.
2. Khar:
A unique dish that will surprise you with its unusual ingredients and taste. It’s a dish from Assam, a state in northeastern India. Khar is made from banana peel, papaya, lentils, and spices. It’s cooked with alkali water, which gives it a distinctive flavour and aroma. Khar is usually eaten with rice and fish curry.
3. Bebinca:
A divine cake that will make you fall in love with its delicate layers and rich flavour. It’s a traditional dessert from Goa, a former Portuguese colony in India. Bebinca has 16 layers, each representing a phase of the moon. It’s made from coconut milk, eggs, flour, sugar, and ghee. It’s baked one layer at a time, and served with ice cream or whipped cream.
4. Siddu/Sidu
A type of stuffed toasted bread, called siddu, is a favourite dish of Himachal Pradesh. It is made with wheat flour and filled with paneer, green peas, peanuts, and walnuts. It is usually served with dal and coriander chutney.
5. Patishapta
A divine Bengali sweet, patishapatas are moist pancakes stuffed with a coconut mixture. They are made by frying a batter of milk and refined flour in a little oil. Then, they are filled with jaggery and coconut. They look so tempting that one can’t resist them!
6. Gunda nu Shaak
Gunda nu Shaak is a scrumptious dish made with Gunda berry, a seasonal summer fruit that is popular in Gujarat. It also has red chillies, raw mangoes, gram flour, oil and spices. Gunda berry is a type of wild berry that is used to make various dishes in Gujarat.
7. Achappam
Achappam or Rose Cookies are a festive treat from Tamil Nadu that are enjoyed on Christmas and other special occasions. They are crunchy cookies made from rice flour, eggs, coconut milk, sesame seeds, sugar and salt. They are fried in oil and shaped like beautiful roses. They are a delight to look at and to eat!
8. Lyodur Tschaman
Don’t be fooled by the foreign-sounding name of this dish, it’s a Kashmiri delicacy that will make you drool. Contrary to the popular belief that Kashmiris only eat meat, this dish is made of paneer. It’s a luscious paneer recipe that has a creamy gravy with a generous amount of turmeric. It’s a dish that will brighten up your plate and your mood.
9. Benami Kheer
Benami Kheer was a dessert that the Royal families of the Mughal era cherished. The name means “nameless kheer” because its main ingredient was a secret. If you are curious about what this kheer was made of, you might be surprised to know that it was garlic or lehsun.
10. Awan Bangwi
Lairu is a traditional rice cake from Tripura that is made with guria rice (also known as sticky rice), cashews, raisins and ghee. The rice mixture is wrapped in a special type of leaf called lairu, which gives it a unique flavour. Some people also use banana leaves instead of lairu leaves for convenience. The rice cake is then steamed and served as a delicacy.
11. Paddu
A popular breakfast option in southern India, Paddu or Guliappa or Paniyaram is a dish made from leftover dosa/idli batter with some onion, green chillies, and coriander leaves. The batter is shaped into balls and steamed to perfection. They are served with coconut chutney and enjoyed as a delicious snack.
12. Chapda Chutney
A chutney for the brave-hearted, this is a delicacy for food lovers in Chhattisgarh. The main ingredients of this fiery chutney are red ants and their eggs, which are ground using mortar and pestle. This paste is then mixed with tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, coriander, red chillies, salt, and a pinch of sugar.
So, which of these hidden gems of Indian cuisine are you going to try first? Let us know in the comments. We would love to hear about your culinary adventures!
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