India's cuisine is a reflection of its diverse culture, as it has been acknowledged time and again. A plethora of traditions and customs have contributed to the wide range of dishes available in the country. While many of us are familiar with popular foods like thukpa from the east, dhokla from the west, and idli or dosa from the south, there are several heavenly dishes that are relatively unknown to the rest of the world, despite their delectable taste. Just like its languages, India boasts a rich and diverse culinary heritage. Below is a list of 14 lesser-known Indian dishes that are sure to tantalise your taste buds.
In the era of the Mughals, the royal families relished a dessert called benami kheer, which originated from the Awadhi kitchens. While the dish's primary component was kept under wraps, its name alone makes it an enigma. It's believed that the khansamas guarded their culinary methods closely and would conceal something to prevent replication, even if they divulged the ingredients. The clandestine ingredient in this kheer is none other than garlic, also known as lehsun.
Awan Bangwi
Awan Bangwi is a traditional rice cake from Tripura that is made from guria rice, commonly referred to as sticky rice, cashews, raisins, and ghee. This rice mixture is steam-cooked in a unique kind of leaf called a lairu. But a lot of people also steam cook this dish using banana leaves because it's more convenient. You can also use mimi rice to make these cakes if guria rice is not available. This cake is shaped like a cone and looks similar to a kulfi.
Siddu
Siddu is a type of fermented steam bun that hails from Himachal Pradesh. It is typically served with dal and coriander chutney. This wheat-flour bread has paneer, walnuts, peanuts, and green peas inside of it. It is often consumed in the state throughout the winter months with pure ghee to keep the body warm and provide energy. Siddu is a great alternative for vegans, as they may substitute ghee with dal or organic jaggery. Although it has superb flavour, it is less well-known than other Indian dishes.
Gojjavalakki
Gojjavalakki is a well-known breakfast dish from Karnataka. In Kannada, the words "gojju" translate to "curry," and "avalakki" means "beaten rice or poha." This dish is made using thick beaten rice and poha powder. It has different flavours like sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy notes. Other ingredients in this dish include jaggery, pulses, groundnuts, rasam powder, etc. You will get a burst of different flavours with each bite you take.
Paddu
Paddu is one of the well-liked breakfast options served in southern India and is also known as Guliappa or Paniyaram. Paddu is cooked in a special pan that has several little indentations on it. This dish is made from the leftover dosa and idli batter, which is mixed with onions, green chillies, and coriander leaves. This batter is then poured into the heated hollows of a paddu pan, which is cooked and eaten with coconut chutney. You can make this dish sweet or spicy by adding jaggery and chillies.
Pyaz ka halwa
Originating from no specific place, this dish is extremely popular in many states but is still relatively well-known among the many Indian foods. Pyaz Ka Halwa is another odd but delectable combination that not many people are aware of. This sweet is created with milk, sugar, and cashews, along with chopped white onions that have been fried in ghee. No one can ever predict the main component of this dessert from a single glance. This dish has a strong and sweet flavour from caramelised onions that doesn't taste weird.
Gunda nu shaak
A famous ingredient in Gujarat, gunda is a seasonal berry that grows in the summer and is used to prepare a variety of meals. A delectable dish called gunda nu shaak is prepared using gunda berries, red chillies, unripe mangoes, gram flour, oil, and spices. It is a summer dish in Gujarat because gunda is a seasonal summer fruit. It has a pleasant mouthfeel and a strong smell that brims with spices. The gunda nu shaak is best served with a bowl of aamras and puri.
Chapda/ Chaprah
This chutney is a treat for food enthusiasts in Chhattisgarh who enjoy non-vegetarian cuisine. This chutney is made with red ants and their eggs, which are crushed using a mortar and pestle. Afterwards, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, coriander, red chillies, salt, and a little bit of sugar are added to this paste. The ingredients are blended into a smooth paste, which is usually fried in hot oil with chopped onions. The chutney is customarily wrapped in sal leaves and sold in neighbourhood markets after being prepared. This chutney has extremely hot and spicy flavours.
Mandige/ Mande
Mande is an authentic and traditional Maharashtrian dish that is not commonly found in stores. Traditionally, it is made using wheat flour, sugar, ghee, and cardamom. The sugar and ghee are layered on the dough and rolled out thin. Later, it is cooked until crisp on an inverted kadai. This well-known and incredibly difficult dish was traditionally made for important events and holidays. It is made of wheat flour, powdered sugar, grated coconut, and cardamom powder, but is still widely consumed today. This dish has a taco-like appearance and tastes amazing. Mandige has a sweet flavour that is very well balanced with coconut and cardamom powder.
Achappam
This delicacy, also known as rose cookies, is a traditional Tamil Nadu snack consumed on holidays like Christmas. The word 'Achu' means "mould" while 'Appam' is a flour-based dish. These perfectly fried cookies are made from rice flour, eggs, coconut milk, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt. Patterned irons or moulds are used to create the desired size, shape, and surface appearance of the achappam. This dish can be eaten simply and plainly because it is commonly spiced with sesame, cumin, and cardamom.
Bidiya
Bidiya is a dessert from Chhatisgarh. The distinctive flavour and earthiness of this sweet delicacy distinguish it from other similar meals. This is made by making a dough out of wheat flour and rice water, which is then formed into rectangles and deep-fried. These rectangle-shaped pieces are then soaked in the sugar syrup. It is a sweet fried snack that melts in the mouth like a marshmallow.
Gushtaba
Gushtaba, a traditional Kashmiri dish, is the final meat course eaten at a Wazwan feast before moving on to desserts. This dish is made by cooking tender mutton meatballs in a flavorful gravy made with yoghurt. The dish starts with a spicy, thick gravy, and as the meatballs cook, it transforms into a delicious meal. The meatballs are soft and have a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Golichina Mamsam
Golichina is a Telugu word that means "fried". This dish is made with local ingredients. It is a fiery Telangana mutton dish that is typically eaten with chapati and dosa. The mutton is cooked for hours over a low flame in a thick, spicy gravy, which gives it a luscious flavour. This dish has an earthy aroma, and the flavours of the local spices are intermingled perfectly with the meat chunks.
Khorisa Maas
Khorisa Maas is an authentic Assamese dish cooked with fish and bamboo shoots and goes best with steaming rice. Fish pieces are first fried in mustard oil with seasonings and are then cooked with fermented bamboo shoots. In Khorisa Maas, bamboo shoots are often grated in raw, fermented or pickled form. It gives the food a bitter flavour that makes it special.