Top Dishes to Try in India - Best of the Indian Culinary Masterpieces

Butter chicken is the most famous dish to be ordered in Indian restaurants in the West. It is one of those dishes that combine the flavoursome nature of Indian cuisine with just the right amount of spice that can be handled by the unaccustomed palate. It is an easy dish to make and is great paired with naan bread and a black lentil curry. There is nothing that can beat a well-made dish of butter chicken, rich in tomato puree and curry powder.

Often served in many a Goa resort, Aloo Paratha is popular among the northern Indians. It is a flatbread of sorts that has potato mixed into the making of the bread itself. This means that there is no need to have a separate curry to eat the paratha with. However, the best way to pair it up with some sides so as to maximize the flavour would be to dip the paratha in a bit of chutney or in yoghurt. The contrasting flavours work well to create an explosion of flavour in the mouth. The spice of the potato is well srt off with the tanginess of the yoghurt or the chutney.

Paneer is so sought after in Indian cuisine that some hotels that cater specifically to tourists like Alila Diwa Goa have several variations of paneer on their Indian cuisine menu. The key element of paneer is cottage cheese and is mildly flavoured with mint leaves and other ingredients. Depending on these other ingredients, the type of paneer would change. For example, palak paneer is a dish of spinach and cottage cheese. It is greenish in colour and has a distinct taste due to the fenugreek leaves that are included in the dish.

A favourite snack among the North Indians, chaat vendors are a common sight on the roads of India. It is easy to consume on the go and is best when served hot. While chaat is the key element of the dish, there are many variations to it. It is not uncommon to have chaat parties instead of normal dinners. Papdi, in papdi chaat, refers to a wafer that is deep-fried and is served with the sauce that is sweet, spicy, and tangy all at the same time.

Naan is, without a doubt, the favourite flatbread of all the flatbreads in Indian cuisine. It is usually served cut in two and has variations such as butter naan and garlic naan. The best way to eat naan is to pair it with a good butter chicken or a black lentil curry. The best naan is slightly charred on one side, while soft and golden on the other. They are usually cooked in an earthen oven, so there is a distinct flavour that comes through in the bread that can't be achieved in a conventional stove or an oven.