Your Guide to Indian Food
Just a heads-up: the prices I'm about to mention are ballpark figures. The actual costs might vary depending on the state, taxes, location, and restaurant preferences. As for flavor, I'm giving you an average range from mild to spicy. Keep in mind, taste is personal. What's mild for one person might be seriously hot for another. These rankings are based on general opinions, but your taste buds could have a different take.
All Time Eats
1. Idli Sambhar / Mendu Vada – Some sambhar’s can be spicy, but the coconut chutney isn’t. It’s a very healthy and affordable food option available all across the country. Made up of Skinned black gram and rice batter.
Price – INR 80-200
2. Dosa / Uttapa – Another famous South Indian delicacy. It’s also served with Sambhar and Chutney. There are many varieties, but I would suggest Plain (Sada) Dosa or Set Dosa. You can choose Tomato or Onion Uttapa. No spice, only good health.
Price – INR 70-150
3. Upma – Made of Semolina, some veggies and spices, a great breakfast dish but can be eaten at any hour. That’s the beauty of South Indian foods, they serve as Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Price – INR 60-90
4. Poha – Made of Flattened rice, potatoes, onions and some other veggies depending on the region you eat it! Most of the times it’s not spicy, but best to ask. It’s one of my favorite dishes, and I love to add some Bhujia sev to make it a little spicy.
Price – INR 30-70
5. Parathas – There’s a huge variety of these and the most commonly available ones are Aloo ( Potato), Gobi (Cauliflower), Mooli ( Radish) etc. The parathas itself are rarely spicy, the sides ; pickle, dal etc are spicier. They’re also served with curd, so if the paratha feels a little spicy, the curd will balance it out. Please note : Pickle above doesn’t mean fermented cucumbers, its a tangy spicy mix of dried mangoes usually.
Price – INR 150-250
6. Sabudana Khichadi : Made of sago, this makes for a great breakfast or mid – meal. It is usually consumed while fasting, but is available on other days too. You could also try Sabudana Vadas, which is made of the same stuff, just fried.
Price – INR 50-130
7. Thalipeeth - Thalipeeth is a tasty Indian flatbread, made with mixed flours, spices, and veggies, cooked until crispy. It's usually served with chutney or yogurt. You'll be fine if you skip the chutney.
Price - INR 100-175
Lunch / Dinner
1. Roti- Sabzi: This is the most common Lunch and Dinner across India, especially in the Northern and Western States. Roti is what you would call a Wheat Toritlla, and sabzi is vegetable. It could be dry, gravy, curry etc. You can always ask for a less/non spicy sabzi and relish it with roti. Common non spicy sabzis:
- Sookhi Aloo Sabzi(Dry Potato)
- Moong(Sprouts)/Chowli(Black eyed beans)Ki Sabzi
- Aloo Mutter(Potato peas)
- Paneer Mutter( Cottage cheese and peas, this ones an orangish gravy)
- Dum Aloo Kashmiri( Potato with white gravy, this ones sweet)
- Karkari Bhindi( Lady’s Finger / Okra )
- Aloo Methi ( Potato w/ Fenugreek)
There’s many more options depending on the restaurant and you can always ask them if they have specific non spicy ones.
Price : Rotis – INR 10-100, Sabzi – INR 170-350
2. Dal- Rice – By far the most fulfilling and satisfying food ever. It’s my comfort food and is easily available all cross India. There’s a huge variety in Dals :
- Gujrati Dal– Sweet & Sour
- Marwari / Rajasthani Dal– Mildly Spicy
- Dal Makhni– Non Spicy blackish dal
- Dal Tadka– Spicy
- Dal Fry– Medium Spicy
- Moong Dal– Medium Spicy
And there’s many many more, but these few are the common ones.
Price – Rice – INR 100-250, Dal INR 150-250
3. Gujrati/Rajasthani Thali – This is a great option for someone who wants to try an authentic Indian meal. A thali literally means plate, and all Indians traditionally eat in a steel thali, now we’ve china and crockery but thali is original. Every restaurant differs but usually a Thali consists – 4 -5 Sabzis, 2 Dals, 1 Kadhi, 2 types of rice / Khichadi, 2-3 sweets, 2-3 Farsan (Savoury items), Drinks like Buttermilk and Jaljeera, Rotis, Bhakris, and Puris. Some are limited while some are unlimited, so you can eat as much as you like for a fixed price.
Price – INR 250-700
4. Khichadi: There are many types of khichadi, it’s a mix of rice and different dals in a paste like form usually.
- Tur Dal Khichadi
- Moongdal Khichadi
- Bajra Khichadi
- Kali Dal Khichadi
- Kadhi Khichadi
-Dal Khichadi
They’re very healthy, filling and usually less spicy.
- Curd Rice – This isn’t khichadi but just plain old rice with curd and some spices. Some people add pomegranate seeds and Cashews too. It’s not spicy, very cooling in the summers and very tasty.
Price – INR 150-400
5. Chole Bhature – Another mouth – watering delicacy from the North. I won’t lie, this one is spicy, but some places make it non spicy. Surely give this one a shot ! It’s made of Garbanzo beans and onion/spices gravy.
Price – INR 80-200
6. Biryani - Biryani is a rice dish made with spiced rice, meat, veggies, and some gravy cooked together for a flavorful and fragrant meal. You can even opt for a veg biryani that excludes meat.
Street Food
My absolute favorite <3
1. Chaat : This includes Pani puri, Sev Puri, Bhel, Sev puri Dahi puri and so much more. All of these are spicy and strong in flavors, but ask for non spicy and at least try it. I promise you’ll love it. You can ask for Pani puri with little or no Spicy ( teekha pani) water at all, just stuffing and sweet water. Same with the other chaat items! I guarantee you wouldn’t have eaten something so piquant and flavorful before! Note – Pani puri has many different names across the country like Puchka, Patashe, Gol Gappe etc, different areas use different names.
Price – INR 25-100 each
2. Vadapav – It’s the cheapest, simplest and quickest food of all. You could call it a desi burger 😛 It’s a pav (bread) with a vada in it. The vada is made up of potato, onion and other spices stuffing. Don’t take the chutney, as it’s spicy. The vada by itself isn’t very spicy and the pav balances it. It’s a Maharashtrian delicacy but you can find it in other states too.
Price – INR 15-50
3. Missal Pav – Another Maharashtrian dish. Spicy curry, with Farsan ( some fried stuff, there isn’t an English equivalent I guess), onions and Pav. It’s not very hard to find non-spicy one though. The Kolhapuri and Nasik Rassa ( curry) are spicy, but they also make non-spicy rassa.
Price – INR 80-150
4. Dhokla – A very light, safe and non-spicy Gujarati Delicacy. There’s two types, Yellow and White. The yellow ones are more fluffy, and could be a little spicy sometimes because of the sauté! The White ones on the other hand are not at all spicy, unless they have red chilly powder on them, so ask for plain ones. They are mainly common to the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan but you will find it in other states too 😛
Price – INR 50-100 for a plate. Usually has 6-8 pieces.
5. Thepla – This is another Gujarati dish. It’s like Rotis, but flavorful and can be eaten by itself , dipped in chai, or with curd, or pickle, or anyway you like it. They are not very spicy, and some are completely bland, last for 4-7 days w/o refrigerator and packs of 4-6 theplas are easily available in Sweet-shops or local Grocery Stores. It’s made of wheat flour with fenugreek and other spices.
Price – INR 20-60 for a pack of 4-6 theplas.
6. Samosa – Filled with spicy tangy potato stuffing and fried until golden, these will fill you up and leave you wanting more. Goes great with Chai.
Price – INR 15-30 each.
7. Pav Bhaji – Oh boy! Flavorful and tasty, this food is an absolute must try. Its red vegetable gravy served with crisp buttered pav. It will leave all your taste buds awake and dancing. :P
Price – INR 100-250
8. Pakodas / Bhajiyas: Fritters as one would say in English, is another yum street food and not spicy. There’s Potato, Onion, Chilly, Bread and Cottage cheese options to choose from! The most common one’s are Onion and Potato fritters. Steer clear of the chilly ones obviously if you don't prefer spicy food.
Price – INR 40-80 per plate.
Desserts
Other than cakes, pastries, donuts and the likes; there’s a lot of traditional Indian desserts that you must try on your visit. Here’s a few.
1. Kulfi : It’s like ice-cream but creamier cuz its not whipped. There’s many flavors and many ways of serving – On a stick, in a pot, on a plate etc.
Price – INR 50-300
2. Mastani – Mastani is a thick mango milkshake topped with pieces of cut fruit, dry fruits and whipped cream. This name finds its roots to the famous Peshwa ruler Bajirao's lover, the gorgeous Mastani. This is local to Maharashtra, mainly Pune.
Price – INR 70-120
3. Falooda – A cold dessert. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, vermicelli, Chia (sabza/takmaria) seeds with milk, often served with ice cream. There are other flavors available.
Price – INR 100-200
4. Mango / Strawberry with Cream – As the name suggests, its cold cut fruits, with whipped cream and syrup, Super delish! It’s one of my faves!
Price – INR 150-200
5. Traditional Indian Sweets – The list is endless. Jalebis, Laddos, Barfi, Rasgulla, Gulab Jamun, Kheer, Ghewar, Halwa etc. Do try some of these and you’re sure to crave more. While all of these are easily available across India, every state has its specialty. Eg: Rasgullas hail from West Bengal, Ghewars from Rajasthan, Jalebis in Gujarat etc.
Price - INR 60 - 400, varies on quantity, dish and area.
6. Paan – It’s eaten as a mouth freshener at the end of a meal. A lot of people have it at other times too for flavor or refreshment. Its made of betel leaf with stuffings like fennel seeds, cherries, tutti-frutti, desiccated coconut etc. Some have betel nut, but please avoid those as if you aren’t used to it, it can cause dizziness or headache. Always ask for a meetha paan bina supari. ( Sweet paan without betel nut). Magai Meetha paan is a good one to start with. There’s new flavors like chocolate, flaming, shot etc, but I would recommend trying the original before any others.
Price – INR 20-60
There’s so many more foods and options but I would never finish writing if I went further deep! I hope this gives you an insight and helps you plan your meals well and feel good after eating.
You can use this app and it’s filters to find restaurants around you based on distance, cuisine, ratings etc. Always look up a restaurant on Zomato and check it’s ratings and reviews before you eat there. The reviews are authentic and it’s widely used by many Indians. I use it too You can find me under @gourmetschoice for reviews and suggestions on the app.
I hope this article is helpful to each of you reading. If you have any questions or need any suggestions please feel free to leave a comment
While there isn't a precise match for "bon appétit" in Hindi, I've got my own phrase: Khaao aur Khilaao! It translates to "Eat and also Feed!" – because we Indians have a real soft spot for both enjoying food and sharing it with others. If you ever step into a traditional event or have dinner at an Indian household, you'll witness something called "manvaar" – which is all about doling out more food or lovingly offering a morsel by hand.
Now, I get that this might seem a bit odd in other cultures, but for us, it's a warm gesture that screams love. Personally, I adore it when my family and buddies swing by and feed me themselves. It's like a cozy taste of affection!
If you still need help curating your meals or finding the right places to eat that will suit your dietary preferences, reach out to us -
Below are some restaurants and eateries in my city - Pune; that I recommend and fully endorse :
We love coffee and are obsessed with cafe's so here are some of our top faves, great for coffee, reading and remote work.
And lastly here are a few date night/ bar eateries to chill at -
Thank you for reading! Happy travels ! Khaao aur Khilaao !
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