Indian Side Dishes – Indian food is one of the most famous food for its aroma and is considered to be the most colorful dish! They use various spices like turmeric, coriander, ginger and cardamom, etc., Indian food and dishes have many flavours.
In fact, Indian food is getting a little too rich for some of us who love food. So, it is important to serve this food with a companion.
Here’s what we’ve been preparing lately, some Indian side dishes that can complete your meal.
Try serving the extraordinary side of tandoori, marsala and makhani. This is really a lot of fun and an unforgettable dish for you.
Table of Contents
The Best Indian Side Dishes
1. Basmati Rice
Basmati is a basic food that has become a big part of Indian cuisine, this is basmati rice which is steamed in such a way.
The grain is long and slender, this rice is famous for its distinctive and fragrant aroma. If you want to bring more flavor to the basmati rice, you can add some turmeric and golden onion, this will give it a spicy variation.
You can also toss your basmati with tomatoes, spinach, lentils, for added tenderness.
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2. Pulao
This is an Indian side dish that is very well known even in the Middle East. This dish is made with couscous or with cracked oats, and it is often made with rice.
Rice is cooked in broth, with meat, vegetables, fruits, and various spices. It will give a deep feeling.
There is a much coveted part in pulao food, this is the tahdig or golden collar that is crunchy and forms at the bottom of the pan.
Pulao can be made as a main dish, or eaten with salad, yogurt and as a side dish.
3. Chapati
If you prefer bread, try Chapati food or roti. It is bread with curry, paneer or with masala.
Chapati is the name of the Indian ingredient, chapat whose sickle is slapped. Previously, the dough was kneaded to form it, this is a flour mixture that is patted between the palms.
Now different, flatbread is made by baking a mixture of flour, water, and salt in a pan. Chapati is divided into several types, you can choose paneer, or cheese chapati, vegetable stuffed chapati, radish stuffed chapati and many more types.
Chapati is the perfect accompaniment to thick stews and you can use it for scooping and meats and sauces.
4. Naan Bread
Next up, a great Indian side dish is Naan Bread. This is a very good flatbread, tastes great, topped with tandoori chicken, kebabs and curries. It provides a delicious and rich taste.
Some can’t tell the difference between chapati and roti. So, let us explain it a bit so that there is no misunderstanding between us.
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Chapati (roti) is flatbread and it doesn’t contain yeast, so it’s thinner than naan. Meanwhile, naan contains yeast and becomes a soft and tender food. In addition to regular naan, you can also eat it with butter or stuffed with garlic, potatoes and mutton.
5. Puri
Puri is a crispy bread made by frying in vegetable oil or with ghee. When ripe it becomes puffy, golden in color and looks stunning.
This makes for a very fantasy side and it’s okay to indulge in creamy stews and spicy curries.
You can also have puri stuffed with mashed potatoes and other vegetables. This is a very suitable food for breakfast.
If you want, it’s also great as a dessert, you can top it with ripe mango or with semolina halwa.
6. Rasam
This is a soup based on tamarind juice that has been seasoned with cumin, lemon chili, pepper, and tomatoes. It has a tangy taste and is great as an appetizer.
In the past, this rasam was made with tamarind and black pepper, it is tangy and makes a great and appetizing appetizer.
Today, there are several types of rasam, including nellikkai (gooseberry) rasam, inji rasam (rasam with ginger), and vepam poo rasam (rasam with neem flowers).
7. Pakora
Another Indian side dish is pakora. Pakora is a fried food made with potatoes and other vegetables, sometimes purple eggplant or cauliflower is used or you can use meat as an accompaniment.
Pakora is seasoned with salt, chili, turmeric, and other spices. It’s considered more of a street food, but it’s still a great appetizer.
For a more delicious treat, serve the pakoras with chutney for dipping, and it will make for an extra addictive dish.
8. Papadum
These are crispy crackers and are made from chickpea flour, gram, lentils, and rice. There are variations, including the papadum masala, which is infused with spices like cumin, black pepper, chili and garlic.
Also there is jackfruit papadum, it is a mixture of flour, chickpeas and jackfruit. There is also papadum rice, this is boiled rice that is soaked in the sun.
This is a food that is very used as a snack. At the top, add chutney sauce, or raita sauce. It is considered very practical to be a curry accompaniment.
In fact, you can use it as a container to take the meat sauce.
9. Dhal
Dhal also known as dal or daal, this is a soup made with lentils, chickpeas, peas. There are many kinds of dhal and all of them include delicious dishes.
Some types of shal include:
Chana dhal is made with chickpeas, toor dal is made from split peas. While makhani dhal is made of black lentils and red beans.
Makhani dhal is seasoned with ginger, garlic, chili, pasta and tomato sauce. Makhani in Indian is butter. So, in making makhani there is a lot of butter used so that the taste is rich.
Dhal has a good taste, is considered as yogurt or cream. It is delicious eaten with naan or chapati. Served it with curry and butter chicken was great too.
10. Keema
Keema is a beef stew that is packed with potatoes, green beans, and seasoned with onions, ghee, chili, garlic, ginger, garam masala.
The keema is a main dish and is not considered a side dish. It is eaten with naan and chapati. You can also use keema for stuffing samosas.
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11. Papri Chat
Papri Chat is a popular street food in North India. It is made with fried wafers (chapri) and topped with chickpeas, potatoes, yogurt and sour chutney. This dish is seasoned with coriander, mint, spices, so the taste is sweet, sour and tangy.
This food also has a crunchy, soft texture, and this is what makes it even more irresistible. Try adding this to your menu and your friends who enjoy this dish will be amazed and grateful to you.
12. Bombay Potato
Bombay potatoes are a delicious side dish to enjoy and they are packed with lots of flavour.
The potatoes are initially diced and fried and the potatoes are boiled and seasoned with pepper, salt, garam masala, turmeric, mustard seeds, chili powder, curry, and garlic.
All into one delicious and delicious dish.
13. Chutney
Who doesn’t like sweet and spicy, tangy chutneys, this is a classic Indian sauce that many fans love.
Sweet mango chutney, rich sour chutney or refreshing tomato chutney. You can’t go wrong, it’s a must-have at any Indian-inspired party.
14. Chole
Chole is a curry made with chikpeas, it is usually served with puri, roti and naan.
Chickpeas are mixed with tomatoes, onions, ginger paste, garlic, and curry. This is an Indian side dish that is loved by many.
15. Upma
Upma is an Indian food or porridge made from rice flour or from dried semolina. This will give a nice side to Indian dishes and dishes.
You can consume it as is or by adding nuts, beans, and spices. Even in some areas in India, they add grated coconut, add corn and milk and of course the taste is creamier.
16. Palak Paneer
This is a nutrient-dense, creamy and delightful vegetarian dish.
Palak paneer is a delicious dish and I often order it from Indian restaurants, even though I am not a vegetarian.
Palak paneer is a mix of cottage cheese, spinach, and seasoned with lots of Indian spices. It looks simple but very tasty.
Serve with flatbread for a side dish that suits you.
17. Malai Kofta
Malai Kofta is a vegetable based meatball and is perfect for vegetarians.
This Indian dish is made with mashed potatoes, carrots, beans, corn, peas, and infused with herbs, paneer and cheese.
Serve malai kofta with naan alongside rice to increase your appetite.
18. Samosas
This is one of the best indian sides we like, it’s like Mexican empanadas, samosas are deep fried or baked dumplings filled with meat or vegetable filling.
There are several kinds of samosas such as triangles, cones or half moons.
This cake is crunchy on the outside, savory and juicy on the inside. Traditionally, this pastry is made with maida flour and ghee. But you can also make filo pastry.
The stuffing ingredients are minced meat, spinach, and sprinkled with garam masala and other spices.
This savory dish can be eaten alone or with added chutney and yogurt. Samosas are also available in sweet variations, this variant uses fruit fillings such as mango, raisins and pomegranate.
19. Modak
Modak is a dessert in India, it is a steamed, boiled or fried dumpling with a sweet filling.
Dumplings are made from rice and wheat flour and maida flour. While the inside or the filling is made from grated coconut, brown sugar and cane sugar.
Modak there are many varieties, some are made from bananas, saffron and nutmegs as the filling. According to Hindu belief, modak is the favorite food of Lord Ganesha. They use this food for offerings to gods in Hindu religious traditions.
20. Rasgulla
Rasgulla are dumplings but round in shape, made with chena and semolina dough.
This food is cooked with sugar-based syrup, there is a sweet taste of this food.
21. Barfi
The last dish on the list of best indian side dishes is Barfi. Indian dessert made from milk. Its name is taken from the Persian city, barf, which means snow.
This dish is made by combining condensed milk, sugar, and ghee. This food is like ice snow. You can serve it as is or by adding seasonings such as using nuts, fruit, saffron or rose water.
