The Indian Palette Loves Experimenting with Different Foods, but There are Some which are Undoubtedly the National Favorites: Here is a list of 10 Indian Favorite Foods.

You might find a restaurant serving Indian cuisine in every country in the world. The popularity of Indian cuisine is directly proportional to its diverse cultures. Indian food is spicy, aromatic and flavorful. Also, the wide array of choices offered in Indian cuisine makes it a favourite cuisine over the world. People usually find something or the other that caters to their taste buds in Indian cuisine. Indians travelling abroad generally do not have any difficulty in finding their own land’s food elsewhere. There are various reasons why this cuisine is so famous all over the world.

The Indian favorite food list can go on and on as every state in India has around 10 to 15 items which are delicious and quite popular. Picking out a few from every state is a tough job but given below, we have a list of the most famous Indian dishes loved by everyone.

Undoubtedly, the unanimously chosen dish from the Indian food list is the Butter Chicken. A thick and creamy gravy made from onions, tomatoes and cream and flavoured with a lot of spices goes very well with tenderly cooked chicken pieces. Every dhaba, hotel, restaurant and the home cook has a unique style of cooking their butter chicken and this dish is voted as the best one in India.

Vegetarians easily replace the chicken with paneer and the dish – butter paneer tastes equally delectable. What pairs perfectly with Butter Chicken is butter naan. Naan is an oven-baked leavened flatbread normally served with all Indian dishes. It is often flavoured with garlic and herbs and brushed with ghee or butter. It is usually considered as a spoon to soup up gravies and vegetables. The Indian cuisine generally comes in pairs and naan is always served with a vegetable or a curry.

Aloo Gobi is a typical household dish prepared for lunch or dinner in most homes in India. It is a combination of thinly diced potatoes and cauliflower cooked together with spices, onion, ginger and garlic paste and tomatoes. This semi-dry vegetable tastes best with boiled rice or chapatis. It is often ordered in restaurants and hotels by Indians as a side dish with naans and rice.

One of the most common street food in India is this deep-fried potato savoury. It tastes best when served with sweet and tangy tamarind chutney or green spicy coriander chutney. Samosas have a spicy filling of potato wrapped inside a thin pastry of dough and deep-fried until crisp. The filling can also be of ground mutton or chicken. This dish is commonly served along with tea in the evenings and is the perfect food for small gatherings.

A staple of Kashmiris, Rogan Josh was first introduced in India by the Mughals. The name itself means "Red Lamb", referring to the use of Kashmiri chillies which have a distinctive red colour. It is a dish made from braised lamb chunks cooked in a gravy of browned onions or shallots. It also has yogurt, spices, ginger, garlic and dried chillies. For all those who love lamb, this dish is a must-try. You can pair this with either rice or rotis.

The list of Indian favourite food is incomplete without the mention of our South-Indian specialty Idli and sambhar. Common to all the four South-Indian states, Idlis are made from ground batter of lentils and rice. The batter is fermented first. Idlis are steamed mounds of this batter which taste heavenly when dipped in spicy hot sambhar. Sambhar is a lentil curry prepared with lentils, tamarind and lot of typical spices to give it its unique flavour. As the idlis are steamed, this dish is considered very healthy.

A staple of north India, this dish is prepared using cottage cheese and green peas cooked in a tomato-based gravy topped with a lot of fresh cream. The gravy differs from restaurant to restaurant and is quite luscious and palatable. This is often one of the most frequently ordered dishes by Indians in restaurants and hotels. It tastes best with naan, chapattis or rice.

Another South-Indian staple dosa is made like a flat crepe on a non-stick pan with a batter of lentils and rice. The batter is left to ferment overnight. A delicious filling of mashed potatoes is added to the dosa which is then folded and served along with coconut chutney and sambhar. This is a very delicious and healthy south-Indian meal as it has a perfect balance of proteins and carbs.

Popular street food in the west, Pav Bhaji was first introduced in the financial capital of India – Mumbai. The bhaji is a mixed and mashed vegetable prepared using mashed potatoes, peas, garlic, tomatoes and onions. It is topped with a generous amount of butter and served with pav bread. It is common street food in Mumbai and you can find a lot of roadside hawkers selling pav bhaji.

More popular up north, chole bhature is a dish which is wholesome and very tasty. A chickpeas curry is served with deep fried bhature and often gulped down with a glass of sweet and tangy curd lassi. The chole or chickpeas gravy is prepared using some unique spices, ginger, garlic and onions. The bhatura is deep-fried and crispy and made from flour dough.

The first thing that Indians gulp down in the mornings as soon as they open their eyes is a cup of steaming hot masala tea. This favourite masala chai is nothing but flavoured milk tea prepared with ginger, cloves, pudina, cardamom and black pepper. Masala chai is often the only drink ordered in small gatherings and casual meets. There are many roadside vendors in various cities in India serving hot and delicious masala chai.

Common street food in India, pani puri has now become a universal favourite. It consists of a ball-shaped deep-fried dough crepe which has a deep hollow in the middle. The hole is filled with a spicy and tangy mint and coriander flavoured water, tamarind chutney, chilli, chaat masala and some potato filling. It is fun to usher in the whole ball in the mouth at once and get a burst of myriad flavours all at once.

Biryani is one of the most famous Indian foods. Every state has a distinct way of preparing their biryanis. The Lucknow and Hyderabadi biryanis are quite famous the world over. This is a type of rice dish prepared using a lot of spices, curd, saffron, caramelized onions and mutton or chicken pieces.

When it comes to naming Indian favourite foods, the list is incomplete without listing some of the famous Indian desserts. Indians take their desserts as a very important part of their cuisine and just like their typical dishes, each state also has its own list of famous desserts. Rava Kesari, Ras Malai, Gulab Jamun, Rasagulla, Boondi Laddu, Lassi, Kheer and many such other desserts have become so famous all over India and the world that they have actually lost the significance of which state they come from and have been termed as Indian desserts. They all taste divine and are made from different ingredients.

There are lot many other Indian desserts which also have an important place in Indian favourite food. Indian food is incomplete without the mention of desserts as Indians take their desserts too seriously!

To name just a few from the wide range of delicious Indian foods would be very unfair. The country is famous for its cuisine and very rightly so. Each and every dish in India is unique and differs from the other even if the ingredients are similar. The method of preparation and the spices used to impart a unique flavour and taste to each dish. One should visit India to go on a delightful gastronomical feast and taste the diverse flavours and aromas every Indian dish has to offer.