The Indian subcontinent is vast and home to a diverse range of cuisine. North Indian cuisines are far different from Northeastern Indian food or South Indian cuisines. And if you get even more specific, each region is famous for individual dishes.
After visiting a few of the major cities in the north of India and dining on lots of local food, I'll try to cover a few of the general things that I noticed distinctly about North Indian cuisine.
Northern Indian cuisines are often what many people would think of as just Indian food. It's the North Indian curries that are usually found outside of India in Western restaurants (but don't forget about South Indian food either - it's equally as delicious, but different).
Within North India, you'll find everything from street stalls to high-end Indian restaurants like Bukhara, all serving classic North Indian fare, just as you would find it in Indian households.
Conventional cooking methods include deep-frying snacks, grilling or roasting meat, and slow-simmering for all sorts of curries. As soon as you arrive in India and start eating, you'll notice that there are many vegetarian restaurants available.
If you are a vegetarian, you'll enjoy the variety of tasty pure-veg dishes; if you're a meat-eater, you'll never be far from outstanding meat either!
While rice is the ultimate staple food in much of South India, rice is often available in the North, and a meal is never complete without Indian bread.
Tandoori roti, chapati, naan bread, and many other flatbreads, like aloo paratha, are extremely popular and vital for all North Indian meals, both as snacks and as main courses. Bread is the main filler and a great way to scoop up sauces.
Dal, or lentils, is an essential food in India. North Indian styles of dal curry are usually a little thicker and richer than South Indian variations. It's not uncommon for someone to eat dal and bread for a meal.
Diverse curries and barbecue meats are always available for more substantial main dishes.
Chicken, beef, mutton, and eggs are stewed in black pepper, aromatic spices, such as coriander leaves, and ghee (clarified butter). The thick, rich sauces are genuinely marvelous. A particularly rich favorite is butter chicken.
North Indian regions like Uttar Pradesh are also highly famous for barbecued meats.
One of the most famous is tandoori chicken, which is chicken marinated in spices and yogurt and then roasted in a clay oven known as a tandoor. Common vegetables include potatoes, peas, okra, onions, carrots, and beans.
Green leafy vegetables are not all that common, but some vegetables go well in curries. Dairy products play a massive role in North Indian food.
Paneer, a hearty cheese, is one of the most popular main ingredients, especially for vegetarians and those who need protein.
To sample this part of the country's cuisine at its finest, try a rich dish like paneer makhani, palak paneer, paneer tikka, or mutter paneer.
If you live in Europe and want to cook these meals, online Indian grocery stores in Germany can help. They sell real ingredients like paneer, ghee, and garam masala.
Thick full-fat yogurt is heavily used in snacks known as chaats and is often served along with any typical thali (a fixed meal including various dishes and starch).
Milk and milk products, like fresh cream, form the foundation of many North Indian desserts, dry fruits, and coconut milk.
Related: Top 9 Malaysian Foods
One comfort food I especially enjoyed eating in Delhi is a dish known as chole bhature.
Chickpeas are curried in plenty of spices, dished up with chilies and onions, and garnished with cilantro. They can be found in Indian dishes like dal makhani, urad dal, dal baati, and moong dal.
It's also available in fast food all over the streets of Delhi and eastern India. It's usually eaten along with a few freshly grilled chapatis.
North Indian food is a joy to eat. It's rich, extremely satisfying, and packed full of spicy flavor!
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