20 Irresistible North Indian Recipes

North Indian food is famous for its rich flavors, aromas, various ingredients, and colors. From numberless curries to delicious bread and desserts, North Indian food offers its temptation to everyone who loves food, whether you are seeking low-calorie Indian food, high-protein Indian food, or want to discover the cuisine taste of the region. Here, we are exploring the 20 best North Indian recipes with the required ingredients and descriptions. You can also experiment and try it in your kitchen and surprise your family. In my upcoming articles, I will share all the recipes, Instructions, and guides on how to do it.

20 North Indian Recipes That Will Spice Up Your Flavor

1. Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Butter chicken is a very much-loved North Indian non-vegetarian dish. It is famous for its tender chicken pieces in creaminess, tomato, and onion gravy with clarified butter.  This dish is so popular that most North Indian food near me is offered on their menu.

Ingredients: Chicken, tomatoes, clarified butter, cream, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric, salt, sugar, and fresh cilantro

Description: Marinate the chicken pieces in yogurt with spices for half an hour. Then, cook the gravy by mixing tomato puree and onion paste with traditional Indian spices and cream. The Butter Chicken recipe is very flavourful and mouthwatering, making itself on the list among Indian food images and Indian food pictures enthusiasts.

2. Palak Paneer

Palak paneer or cottage cheese in creamy spinach curry is one of the best North Indian Recipe. This recipe is an excellent source of vitamin B12 foods vegetarian Indian and calcium-rich Indian food. You can serve palak paneer with roti (Bread), prantha, or simple plain steamed rice.

Ingredients: Spinach, paneer, onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chilies, garam masala, cumin, and cream.

Description: First, blanch the spinach with a bit of salt and make a puree, then cook this palak puree with clarified butter and ginger-garlic paste, and put diced pieces of paneer or cottage cheese in it. This dish is consistently featured in Indian food calorie charts due to its rich nutritional facts; it’s rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins.

3. Chole Bhature

Chole Bhature is a combination of two dishes. It’s trendy in north India recipes list. Chole is made up of white chickpeas with traditional spices and served with deep-fried bread (bhature). Bhature is made up of all-purpose flour. And served with fresh pickles. It is a prominent item in most Indian fast-food items in the vegetarian recipe category.

Description: Chickpeas are soaked and then cooked in a thick gravy made up of traditional Indian chole masala. While bhature is made up of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and yogurt, after resting for 15-20 minutes of dough, it is fried until golden and puffed.

4. Rajma Masala

Rajma is also known as red kidney beans in Western countries. This dish is also trendy in North Indian regions. It soaks before cooking and is cooked in rich tomato-onion gravy with traditional Indian masala. It is a protein-rich Indian food that is best served with plain steamed rice. North Indian says “Rajma chawal” is my favorite.

Ingredients: Red kidney beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and garam masala.

Description: It’s a slow-cooking recipe with a blend of tomatoes, onion, ginger-garlic paste, and spices, creating a flavourful dish that is both nutritious and delicious. One of the very popular and everyday meal in North Indian Recipes list.

5. Aloo Gobi

Aloo gobi, or Cauliflower with diced potato, is a ubiquitous veg dish; mostly, it’s an everyday dish for North Indian regions. It’s an excellent option for low-calorie Indian food.

Ingredients: Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and green chilies.

Description: There are numerous ways to cook aloo gobi dish, but mostly the vegetables are sautéed with spices and tomatoes until tender. It can be served with rice and roti or bread.

6. Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is one of the most favorite nonveg north Indian recipes for most people. It cooks after marinating chicken pieces with yogurt and spices, then roasted in a tandoor (Clay oven) with butter. It’s a prominent item in many Indian fast-food lists and has a high protein content. One of the best North Indian Recipes in non-veg list menu.

Ingredients: Chicken, yogurt, garlic, ginger, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and lemon juice.

Description: First, the chicken is marinated in yogurt with a mixture of Traditional Indian tandoori masala or spices, then cooked at a high temperature in a clay oven to give a smoky flavor and tender texture. Mostly it is served with spicy green mint chutney and salads.

7. Paneer Tikka

Paneer tikka, which means cottage cheese patty, is a vegetarian North Indian recipes, and it is an appetizer where paneer is marinated with spices and grilled. It’s a rich source of protein-rich Indian food. Paneer is even used in various various fast food items like paneer patty in Burger.

Ingredients: Paneer, yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and lemon juice.

Description: The paneer or cottage cheese cubes are marinated with special paneer tikka masala and then grilled until it looks char. This dish is often featured in Indian food pictures. This dish is also trendy among vegetarians

8. Dal Makhani

Dal makhani is a Punjabi dish of black lentils and kidney beans. After soaking, it’s cooked with fresh tomato-onion puree and butter sauce. Mainly, it pairs with nan (a kind of layered bread with butter, cooked in a clay oven) or steamed rice. It is one of the basic item in any north indian recipes menu list.

Ingredients: Black lentils, kidney beans, butter, cream, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and a blend of spices.

Description: Dal makhani is a slow-cooked recipe that develops deep flavors. It’s a protein and fiber-rich dish. Making its position on the list of fiber-rich Indian food options.

9. Kadai Paneer

Kadai paneer comprises cottage cheese with capsicum, onion, and bell pepper. It’s a spicy dish cooked in tomato sauce and onion gravy. Kadai is the name of a utensil in which it is cooked. It is an everyday dish for North Indians.

Ingredients: Paneer, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and garam masala.

Description: The cottage cheese or paneer is sautéed with bell pepper and capsicum with different spices. Then cooked in a tomato-onion gravy. It’s a very tasty dish and can be served with nan or steamed rice. This dish is also included in Indian food images search.

10. Bhindi Masala

Bhindi, Okra, or ladies’ finger for old-school students, is a delicious dish. Bindi masala is a low-calorie Indian food. There are a lot of types of Bindhi masala. Some people use tomatoes, some use onion, and some use mustard seeds powder with dry mango powder.

Ingredients: Okra, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and green chilies.

Description: Bhindi or Okra is rinsed before being cut and then sautéed with spices until tender and a little crisp. The dish is delicious and rich in vitamins and fiber. It’s also an everyday dish for North Indians.

11. Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha is my favorite. It is mainly cooked in winter, but there is no fast and hard rule to cook in winter. The reason to cook in winter is the new potatoes that give a different level of flavor. It’s a stuffed flatbread filled with a spicy potato mixture and cooked on a flat pan. It is easily found in any north indian recipes cart or restaurant.

Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, potatoes, green chilies, cumin, coriander, salt, and ghee.

Description: The wheat flour is stuffed with spicy mashed potatoes, then rolled and made into flatbread with the help of a rolling pin and cooked on a flat pan with clarified butter. It’s served with yogurt and pickles.

12. Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta comprises mixed vegetables or paneer balls deep fried, then served in a rich, creamy, spicy gravy. It’s a kind of luxurious dish.

Ingredients: Paneer, potatoes, cream, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cashews, and a blend of spices.

Description: Kofta can be made of different vegetables like mixed vegetable kofta, raw banana kofta, paneer kofta, bottled ground kofta, jack fruit kofta, etc.  First, kofta is made, then deep fried and soaked into the spiced gravy. This dish is delicious and flavourful. It can be paired with nan or steamed rice.

13. Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh is a Kashmiri dish made up of Lamb meat in an aromatic sauce.

Ingredients: Lamb, yogurt, onions, garlic, ginger, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and fennel.

Description: The lamb meat is marinated in yogurt with special spices and then slow-cooked until tender. The sauce is very colorful, using saffron and red chili powder.

14. Baingan Bharta

Typically, Indians say like “Baingan Ka bharta” It is made up of round big brinjal or eggplant, smoked on a wood fire and mashed with smoked tomatoes green chili, and coriander leaves with other spices.

Ingredients: Eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and green chilies.

Description: The eggplant is roasted in the wood flame until charred, then mashed with smoked tomatoes and cooked with spices. This dish is mainly from Bihar, India. It is paired with litti (wheat flour balls stuffed with gram flour mixture)

15. Kadhi Pakora

Kadhi pakora is an old traditional dish from India.  The pakora is a kind of dumpling made with yogurt-based gram flour curry. It’s an everyday dish in many North Indian households.

Ingredients: Gram flour, yogurt, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek seeds.

Description: The Kadhi is made with gram flour and yogurt curry and cooked with a few spices. Then, deep-fried dumplings are added to this yogurt-based curry. The taste of Kadhi is tangy, and it is often served with steamed rice.

16. Pindi Chole

Pindi chole is a Punjabi dish. Pindi means village, and chole means chickpeas. It’s a dry chickpea seasoned with blended spices.

Ingredients: Chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and pomegranate seeds.

Description: The chickpeas are soaked and cooked with a mix of species until all the water evaporates and makes it dry. This dish is an excellent source of protein and fiber.

17. Naan

Naan is made of all-purpose flour and wheat flour, a soft and fluffy flatbread. It can be made differently, like plain naan or various stuff naan.

Ingredients: All-purpose flour, yeast, yogurt, milk, sugar, and salt.

Description: Naan is made from dough that is kneaded and rests for rise. The dough is then rolled out and cooked in a tandoor. Naan is very popular in North Indian Food, and it has its own space in Indian food list items

18. Lassi

Lassi is a drink recipe from sweet yogurt mixed with fruits and sweeteners. It’s a refreshing beverage.

Ingredients: Yogurt, water, sugar, salt, and optional flavorings like mango, rose water, or cardamom.

Description: The creamy yogurt is blended with water and sugar to taste. Lassi has various tastes, as different sweeteners and flavors are added, and it comes in the probiotic Indian foods list.

19. Matar Paneer

Matar panner means Peas and Cottage cheese cooked in a tomato-based gravy with spice. It is a typical vegetarian dish in North Indian cuisine.

Ingredients: Paneer, green peas, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and garam masala.

Description: The peas and paneer dish is a spicy tomato-based gravy that is first made, then peas and paneer are cooked in this gravy. This dish is delicious. It is served with steamed rice, naan, or bread.  

20. Gajar Ka Halwa

Gajar ka halwa is a sweet dish made from grated carrot, milk sugar, clarified butter, and nuts. It’s a desert in North India during the winter season.

Ingredients: Carrots, milk, sugar, ghee, cardamom, and nuts.

Description: The carrots are finely grated and cooked with thick milk until soft, and the sugar is added with nuts and naturally flavored spices like cardamom and saffron. This dessert is vibrant and satisfying.

Key Points on North Indian Recipes

1. Diverse and Flavorful Appetizers

North Indian cuisine has wide range of appetizers from spicy samosas to tangi chaats.  These starters are known for their bold flavors and perfect balance of spices, prepare the stage for delicious meal.

2. Rich and Creamy Main Courses

Main course of North Indian cuisine is rich in cream, clarified butter and spices, like Butter Chicken and Paneer Butter Masala.  Most of the dishes are complete by dairy products like yogurt, clarified butter, cream along with rich aromatic spices.  

3. Delightful Desserts

North Indian dishes are always end up with sweet or dessert. The most popular are Gulab Jamun and Rasgulla.

List of Best Indian Spices

1. Coriander
2. Red Chili
3. Turmeric
4. Garlic
5. Ginger
6. Cinnamon
7. Cardamon
8. Cloves
9. Bay leaves
10. Nutmegs
11. Star
12. Saffron
13. Curry leaves
14. Pomegranate seeds
15. Mustard
16. Fenugreek
17. Mace

Conclusion

North Indian cuisine is full of flavors, texture, and nutrients. North Indian dishes contain energy, vitamins, nutrients, and fibers.  Whether you are seeking low-calorie Indian food or high-protein Indian food or want to discover and explore a new cuisine and taste, these recipes offer you more than your expectations in the region’s culinary landscape. Enjoy these dishes with your families and loved ones at home, or seek out North Indian food near me to find the North Indian restaurants around you.

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