Known for its vibrant traditions and incredible historical and architectural sites, the South Asian country of India also stands out because of its rich cuisine. Indian cuisine features bold, layered flavors and has lots of regional variety. Common ingredients include lentils, chickpeas, yogurt, ghee, rice and meats like chicken, goat, lamb, and fish. Spices such as garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander and cardamom are what make Indian cuisine really shine.
Indian meals are traditionally eaten all at once without a notion of courses or plating the meal, but in the United States restaurants have adapted to the Western style of courses. Common starters are samosas which are deep-fried pastries filled with potatoes, peas and sometimes meat; pakoras which are vegetables dipped in chickpea batter and then fried; and pani puri, which are crispy shells filled with potatoes, raw onions, and chickpeas that comes with a tangy water for dipping.
If you’re looking to try a delicious Indian appetizer, you can stop by Lime and Lemon Indian Bar and Grill, which has locations in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Durham. They serve both vegetable and chicken samosas as well as pani puri. Lime and Lemon has a very large menu of many diverse dishes. One five-star Yelp review of the restaurant reads, “Literally one of the best restaurants of mine in Raleigh and the best Indian food in the area! I absolutely love this place. The menu is extremely accommodating, offering all types of gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and really any other kind of diet you might need. Everything is fresh, and the servings are huge.”
Main courses are very diverse throughout India as regional differences heavily influence the cuisine. Each region offers unique dishes that showcase local ingredients and cooking techniques. Main dishes are often paired with sides like pickles, chutney, and naan or roti.
Northern India is known for its butter chicken, rogan josh and dal makhani, which are all hearty dishes often paired with naan or rice. In Southern India you’ll find dosa, chettinad chicken curry, and Hyderabadi biryani, which blend regional ingredients like curry leaves, coconut, and tamarind. Western India offers dishes like Goan fish curry, vada pav, and puran poli, which incorporate coastal flavors and ingredients like chickpeas and cardamom. Eastern Indian cuisine is lighter than other regions and often incorporates mustard oil and seeds, and common main course dishes are macher jhol, momos, and shorshe ilish.
Classic Indian dishes you can find all over the country no matter the region include chicken tikka masala, a creamy tomato-based curry with grilled marinated chicken, biryani, a fragrant spiced rice dish layered with meat or vegetables, and paneer tikka, cubes of Indian cottage cheese marinated in spices and that are grilled or roasted. Millbrook junior Sydney Cutler shared, “This year for my birthday, I chose to celebrate at Azitra, the Indian restaurant my family and I have been going to for several years now. Every time, I always get their mild chicken tikka masala and it’s fantastic!”
India also boasts many unique desserts. At Masala House located in North Raleigh, you can find gulab jamun, which is a dish of fried milk balls dipped in syrup and rose water. Kabab and Curry, which has both Raleigh and Durham locations, serves badami kheer which is rice pudding flavored with cardamom and almonds. They also serve mango ice cream as well as pistachio kulfi (another type of ice cream).
Indian cuisine offers an incredible variety of flavors, ingredients, and cooking styles. For an authentic taste, you can start with restaurants like Lime and Lemon, Azitra, Masala House, or Kabab and Curry.
