Despite being the very home of the dreaded Delhi belly, India is still something of a magnet for foodie travellers. People flock here to delve into the steamy street food markets of Chandni Chowk and Mumbai Fort, to sample bubbling pots of paneer masalas and gram flour bhajis, spicy samosas and cumin-infused curries; to eat thali platters from banana leaves and sip mango lassis on the beaches of Goa. So, Imodium and Ciprofloxacin at the ready folks, come and taste your way through this smorgasbord of the most mouth-watering dishes to found on the sub-continent. Enjoy…
Pav bhaji
Cooked up by the countless bhaji wallahs and roadside chefs of Mumbai (and the best meals in this sprawling city are typically on the street!), the pav bhaji is arguably the most iconic dish in the so-called Gateway to India. Drawing influence from the centuries of Portuguese colonialism on the east cost here, the dish fuses a buttery bread roll with the spice-heavy aromas of Maharashtra and the Punjab, served up in the form of a gloopy vegetable curry that’s packed with cumin, garlic, ginger, capsicum and coriander. Diners can dip their adjoining bun in the curry sauce, douse it with the gravy using their fingers, or treat the curry like a soup. The effect is always the same: a hot and flavoursome hit of real Mumbai street food!
Pani puri
Pani puri is ubiquitous throughout India. In Maharashtra, between the throbbing streets of erstwhile Bombay and the sands of Juhu Beach, it’s served packed full of moong sprouts and sweetened water. Further north, where the dish is commonly known as Golgappe, it’s stuffed with potato chaat and laden with more chilies than you can shake a bloom of coriander at. In the south, where the jungles of Kerala give way to the hills of Tamil Nadu, the crispy balls – the puri itself – are doused with tamarind juice and given a garnish of chickpeas. Delicious.
Paratha
Although the uber-tasty paratha flatbread originated in the states of northern India, the much-loved side or main has since spread to the four (or three, if we’re being technical) corners of the subcontinent. Made by mixing thick whole wheat dough and baking in a heavy iron griddle or tava pan, the breads are finished off by being shallow fried in ghee before serving with a garnish of coriander and a selection of chutneys. There are now countless variations of the bread on the menus of India, while the aloo cheese paratha is a real favorite, packed with potato and spices.
Chaat
Another north Indian speciality that’s spread to please the palates of people right across South Asia (it’s available from Pakistan to Sri Lanka), chaat is a truly versatile dish. Legend has it that the food was born in the court of the revered Mughal Shah Jahan (he of Taj Mahal fame), prized by the ancient doctors for its power to strengthen the immune system with spices whilst still being easy on the digestive tract. Today, the word chaat refers to a whole host of different dishes, going from the crispy potato pieces and chilli garnishes of aloo chaat to the more filling likes of paneer (a sort of Indian cottage cheese) chaat with coriander chutney – perhaps not quite so easy on the digestive system!
Samosa
From the dusty streets of Jaipur to the fort-topped town of Jodhpur, the desert-shrouded temples of Pushkar to the lakes of Udaipur, the bustling downtown of Delhi to the foothills of the mighty Himalaya, samosas are available right across the hot and half-baked reaches of northern India. These vegetable-packed parcels of dough are deep fried and often served with a sweet mango or tamarind sauce to counteract the spiciness inside. And what an inside it is! A medley of sautéed cumin potatoes, garam masala spices, peas, carrots, ginger, coriander and – of course – fresh chili that’s worked into a mixture and folded in neat packets straight into the dough. Yep, this one’s a real Indian must-try!