Food Specialities Of different States Of India

India is a large country with different religions, states, cultures.Today I will share the different food specialities of different states.

1. Kashmir –

Tabak Maaz

This dish is typical of the region and is commonly enjoyed at wedding banquets and major celebrations. Featuring typically Persian spices, the ribs are marinated overnight to allow the meat to soften and are then cooked until tender. A last-minute dip in the frying pan guarantees all the flavours are sealed in.

KALAADI CHEESE

Kalaadi is a traditional local hill cheese, indigenous to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is very dense, usually made from cow’s milk. You cannot afford to miss this divine taste if you are in J&K streets.

2. Punjab – Makki ki Roti, Sarson ka Saag

Sarson da saag (in Hindi, Urdu) is a popular vegetable dish in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan made from mustard leaves (sarson) and spices. It is regarded as the traditional way of making saag, and is traditionally served with makki di roti, which literally means (unraised) corn bread. It can be topped with either butter (unprocessed white or processed yellow butter) or more traditionally with ghee.

3. Haryana –

Kadhi Pakoda (Snack)

Kadhi, a blend of yogurt and besan (gram flour) with besan pakoras, is served with plain white rice. This dish is popular throughout India.

BAJRA KHICHDI

This is a porridge (khichdi) made of coarsely crushed pearl millet and is eaten with pure ghee or sesame oil. Side dishes like lassi, papad, pickles, gur or curd takes this dish to a whole new level.

4. Rajasthan –

Ker- Sangri

Dried berries and beans cooked with yogurt and Indian spices – specialty from Rajasthan. Lots of spices, oil and yogurt is used in Rajasthani cuisine. Use of little extra oil helps to keep the food fresh for a long time as Rajasthan is a hot and humid area. This ker sangri ki subzi is also made with generous amount of oil and spices and is very good to carry for traveling as it stays fresh for 2-3 days without refrigeration.

MALAAI GHEWAR

Malai Ghewar is a round shaped Rajasthani festive dessert. It is made from milk, flour and pure ghee. You may find this dish in other parts of India, but the ones from Rajasthan are incomparable and divine.

5. Himachal Pradesh – Sidu

Famous sidu is a kind of bread made from wheat flour. It is kneaded with yeast and the dough is allowed to rise for 4-5 hours. Sidu dough is yeast-based, it has to be prepared a couple of hours before you need it. It is normally eaten with ghee (clarified butter), dal (lentil broth) or with hari chutney

MADRA

Madra is a traditional Pahadi gravy dish made from an unique combination of chick peas, yogurt, coconut, almonds and raisins. It has a wonderful aromatic flavour and tastes delicious.

6. Uttarakhand –

Kaapa

Kaapa is a very nutritious dish as its main ingredient “boiled and grinded spinach” retains all its nutrients. Palak (spinach) is a rich source of iron.

BAL MITHAI

It is a chocolaty coloured fudge, made by roasting evaporated milk cream with cane sugar and is coated with white sugar balls. This exquisite dessert is a delicacy of the state of Uttarakhand.

7. Uttar Pradesh –

Shami Kebab

The kebabs – silky smooth and stuffed with just a little finely chopped onion, mint and green chilli.

BAINGAN KI LONJE

Baingan ki lonje is a mouth-watering dish from Uttar Pradesh that consists of stuffed aubergines. The spicy and tangy filling gives out a fabulous taste and flavour.

8. Madhya Pradesh – Bhutte (corn) Kheer

Known for high nutritional value, purity and longer shelf life, the offered lapsi is widely demanded to make different kinds of dishes. Processed as per the set food standards, lapsi is a rich source of vitamins and proteins.

9. Chhattisgarh –

Red Ant Chutney

The favorite chutney of the tribe in Chhattisgarh is called chaprah which is made from red ants along with their eggs. The chutney has a pungent and spicy taste that gives you an out-of-the-world experience. These red ants are also used as a garnish for the dishes to make it spicier and hot.

DEHRORI

Dehrori is a delicious festive dessert from the state of Chhattisgarh, usually prepared on Diwali eve. It consists of fried rice dumplings dipped in sugar syrup and garnished with nuts.

10. Gujarat –

Rice panki

Panki is made by cooking a batter between banana leaves. While pankis made with rice flour batter are the most common, other varieties are prevalent, and you’re welcome to try your own! It is worth noting that the presentation of the panki with the banana leaf adds a great deal of aroma as well as visual appeal as it is the conventional way of cooking it right.

KHANDVI

It is a delicious savoury snack made from gram flour and yoghurt, tempered with sesame, mustard seeds and flavoured with green chillies, sprinkled coconut and coriander.

11. Maharashtra – Thalipeeth

It is a special Maharashtrian dish. Also known as the Indian version of ‘multi grain pancakes’. The dough is prepared from a special flour made from roasted chana daal, urad daal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, wheat, and rice.

It is usually served with white water buffalo milk butter and is very popular amongst Maharashtrians. Otherwise it is served with thick ghee or ‘toop‘ (Marathi) or sometimes even with thick curd.

12. Goa – Bibinca

The Goan ethos is one of living the good life. Food plays a big part. Goan cuisine is rich with the flavour of produce found in abundance locally, like kokum (sour fruit), coconut and spices. Any celebratory Goan meal or for that matter, a reference to Goan cuisine is incomplete without lingering awhile over Goa’s best known dessert, Bebinca.

Bebinca is essentially a layered dessert that tastes of the tropics. There’s a hint of coconut and a suggestion of ground nutmeg in the wholesome sweet layers, not to forget some caramelization and finally, rich clarified butter that harnesses all other flavors. The texture is firm enough to retain the layers and soft enough to melt in the mouth.

BEBINCA

Along with its dominant seafood cuisine, Goa is famous for this authentic and exquisite pudding dessert. The traditional Bebinca is made of 16 layers and is served warm with cold ice cream. Try this out the next time you are in Goa.

13. Karnataka – Chiroti.

Chiroti in itself is just a pastry, it is not sweet but extremely rich. So once the chiroti is placed on a plate, powdered sugar is generously sprinkled followed by warm badam milk. Even as I write these line, my mouth starts to water.

PANDI CURRY

This is a rich, dark and spicy pork curry generally served with a flat bread called ‘Akki roti’. An ethnic delicacy of the Coorgi cuisine, Pandi curry takes you to the hills of the Western Ghats.

14. Kerela –

Aviyal

Aviyal (avial) is a delicious preparation made with mixed vegetables, curd, coconut and seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. It occupies an important place in Kerala cuisine and is a must for Onam Sadya, the Keralite vegetarian feast.

IRACHI ISHTU

Irachi ishtu is an authentic Keralean stew made with chicken, beef or lamb. This lip-smacking dish is served best with appam or plain bread.

15. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana –

Kodi Kura

Kodi kura (Chicken curry) is one of the most popular dishes in Andhra. Garelu (A snack made with urad dal) and kodi kura is considered to be a great combination in Andhra. This is a curry which is prepared with cubes of chicken cooked with onions and home-made masala

The origin of the kodi kura is from a small village in Andhra Pradesh called Guntur, which is known for very spicy food. The most important spices used in Andhra region are ginger, garlic, cumin, fenugreek, cinanmom, cloves, cardamom, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, star anise seed and bay leaves.

GONGURA PACHADI

It is an authentic Andhra pickle made from sorrel leaves and tastes delicious with a plate of hot steamed rice and onion.

16. Tamil Nadu –

Kadungu Yerra

Kadugu means mustard in Tamil and yerra is shrimp/prawn. So, this dish has originated from Puducherry and has the blend of Tamil and French flavor in it. Shrimp is cooked with potatoes, tomatoes and coconut milk with mustard and fenugreek paste. It had a thick rich texture like the french sauces.

KAMBU KOOZH

You will find this cool, refreshing and healthy dish in the streets of Tamil Nadu. It is a porridge made from millet and stored in earthen pots.

17. Bihar –

Khubi ka Lai

Bihar has a dessert associated with each of its city and ‘Khubi ka Lai’ is a specialty of the city of Barh made from khobi seeds, sugar and mawa. Offered in shape of a ball or in a cake shape, khubi ka lai is lightly sweet by taste and similar to the laddo but does not contain solidified milk.

LITTI CHOKHA

This lip-smacking, crunchy dish from Bihar consists of Litti (wheat balls stuffed with Pitthi – roasted and spiced gram flour) and Chokha (char-grilled aubergines or mashed potatoes). It tastes delicious with pure desi ghee on the side.

18. Jharkhand – Marua (Raagi Flour) Roti

Raagi is well known as marua in Jharkhand region. The flour is of black color and mainly eaten by labouring farmers in the villages due to its higher nutritional contents and slow digestive qualities. It has high levels of dietary fibres and is considered perfect for cleansing the digestive system. This is mandatory to prepare marua rotis on “Jeetiya” day in Mithila region and almost all the parts in Jharkhand.

RUGDA

Rugda is a variety of mushroom indigenous to the forests of Jharkhand. It is very healthy and tastes great with rice or poori. If you visit Jharkhand during the monsoon season, give it a try.

19. Sikkim – Phagshapa

Phanghapa is a Nepali pork dish from Sikkim. Compared to other curries, it is not very spicy as the only spice used is chillies. This dish was perfect for those days, when we don’t want to have spicy hot curries especially during hot summers. It is lightly flavored, the radish and the pork made a wonderful combination and goes really well with just plain rice.

20. Arunanchal Pradesh –

Apong

The Mishing tribe belonging to the Mongoloid race, residing in Assam of Northeast India, has certain unique customs. Some of these are very intresting and perhaps very little known to the people of the rest of the parts of the country and abroad. One such custom is drinking of rice beer (country liquor) which is popularly known among the Mishing tribe as ‘apong‘. During Ali-Aye Ligang, apong, along with chickens and pigs, is offered to the spirits to placate them.

SMOKED PORK IN SENGMORA XAAK

You will love this pork dish cooked with sengmora leaves. Generally served with rice, be sure to try this out with some traditional Arunachali Apong (rice beer).

21. Assam – Masor Tenga

Masor tenga (tangy fish curry) is a light and tangy dish, and is one of Assam’s signature preparations. The key ingredient in a tenga is the use of a souring agent which lends the dish a tart tangy taste. There are wide variety of souring agents that can be used to prepare this dish, ranging from the commonly available lemon, tomatoes, sour spinach to more exotic elephant apple, roselle leaves and garcinia.

22. Nagaland –

NAGALAND PORK W/ DRY BAMBOO SHOOT

Naga signature dry bamboo shoots with pork, a dish that you will love to the very core if you are a meat maniac. Cooked with dry bamboo shoots, loads of chillies and herbs, this dish tastes heavenly with boiled rice.

23. Manipur –

Yongchak Iromba

U-Morok – the hottest chilly in the world grow and is consumed in abundance in Manipur. Iromba is a dish made of boiled vegetables mashed together in a sauce of chilli paste and ngari (fermented fish). It is then served with a combination of herbs as garnish – onion, spring onion, chameleon leaves, coriander, vietnamese coriander, etc. The best garnish for the yongchak irombais with a herb locally known as lomba.

KHAMAN ASINBA KANGSHOI

Chamthong or Kangshoi is a soupy stew of seasonal vegetables, coarsely chopped onions or spring onion, dried or fried fish pieces and water. It tastes delicious with rice. Make sure to taste this exotic Manipuri dish if you are there.

24. Meghalaya –

Tungtap (Fish Chutney) & Jadoh (Flavored Rice)

Tungtap is dry fish paste or chutney and jadoh is a rice and meat delicacy. Fish is charred and mixed with onion, green chili and red chilies to make this fish chutney. Jadoh is similar to pulao where rice and meat is cooked together. Garam masala spices are not used and only spice used is black pepper. The speciality of this dish is that it does not taste that good individually, but the combination together is what really changes your mind set and your taste buds start loving it.

25. Tripura –

Berma

Traditional Tripuri cuisine is known as Mui Borok. Tripuri food has a key ingredient called berma, which is dried and fermented fish. The food is considered to be healthy as it is prepared without oil. Flavor wise, berma is more on the sour side. Tripuri food such as bangui rice and fish stews, bamboo shoots, fermented fish, local herbs, and meat roasts are extremely popular within and outside the state.

AWAN BANGWI W/ WAHAN MOSDENG AND KHUNDRUPUI LEAF

Awan Bangwi is an ethnic Tripuri cake made from guria rice, onion, ginger, cashew-nuts, raisins, ghee, pork pieces and lard and garnished with various herbs. The cake is wrapped in a special leaf called ‘Lairu’. If you ever happen to visit Tripura, give this delicacy a try.

26. Mizoram –

SAWHCHIAR

This is an ethnic Mizo delicacy prepared by boiling meat and rice together. It is a kind of stew made from pork, lamb or chicken. Absolutely delicious, it is surely a must have.

27. West Bengal –

Bhapa Ilish

The signature Bengali Ilish dish which has to be on all important menus when Ilish is in season. Hilsa steeped in a pungent mustard sauce steamed to perfection with a liberal dousing of mustard oil is a sensuous experience.

DAAB CHINGRI

It is a traditional Bengali preparation of mild and soupy mustard prawn curry, filled inside a green coconut. The divine aroma of the tender coconut water and kernel gets infused in the prawns, giving them a fabulous flavour. Daab chingri tastes best with a plate of steaming boiled rice.

28. Odisha – Chena Poda (Cheese Cake from Odisha)

Chhena poda is a cheese dessert from the state of Odisha in eastern India. Chhena poda literally means burnt cheese in Oriya.It is made of well-kneaded homemade cottage cheese or chhena, sugar, cashew nuts and raisins, and is baked for several hours until it browns. Chhena poda is the only well-known Indian dessert whose flavor is predominantly derived from the caramelization of sugar. Not only the taste but also the history behind this dish is fascinating.

29. Delhi (UT) – Makhani Chicken

Not many know that the state which is very famous for its paranthas and chaat items is the originator of Makhani Chicken (Butter Chicken) and Tandoori Chicken by Moti Mahal in Delhi.