Indian cuisine is full of flavorous taste, from the appetizer to the dessert. You can choose what flavor you would like to taste before your main course, sweet, spicy, and even salty.
Here are our top 10 recommendation for your meal starter.
10. Katori Chaat
Katori chaat or tokri chaat is a traditional Indian dish. It consists of small or medium-sized baskets that are made from grated fried potatoes. Once shaped and prepared, the baskets are filled with various chaat (Indian snacks) ingredients such as curd, potatoes, chickpeas, or chutneys.
There are many variations on katori chaat so it can also be filled with sprouts, onions, or tomatoes. Although most baskests for katori chaat are fried, they can also be baked, and the dish is sometimes garnished with coriander leaves before serving.
These baskets can be found throughout the country at street food stalls.
9. Sarson Da Saag
Sarson da saag (also sarson ka saag or mustard greens) is a popular Punjabi vegetarian dish consisting of leaves of the mustard plant, spinach, green chilli, fenugreek, ginger and salt. The dish is slowly simmered in its own juices over low heat until it develops the typical, buttery creaminess.
In Punjab, it is topped with fried onions and fresh homemade butter. In Uttar Pradesh, however, the dish is topped with yogurt and tomatoes to slightly reduce its bitter and peppery taste. Due to the pungency of mustard leaves, broccoli, radish and turnip are sometimes added to enhance the flavors.
Originally, sarson da saag was a staple of rural, hardworking people of Punjab. It is also often fed to children by their mothers due to its nutritious qualities. Attractive and vibrant, mustard greens provide an ideal accompaniment to makkai ki roti, a type of Indian corn-flour flatbread with a uniquely sturdy texture.
8. Kosambari
Kosambari is the most popular salad from the Indian state of Karnataka. The salad is made with split legumes such as bengal gram and green gram, and it is additionally seasoned with mustard seeds. The dish is well known for being easy to prepare and for having a high protein count.
It is popular as an appetizer at most feasts, celebrations, and festivals, while in most temples it is offered as prasada - a religious offering. Kosambari is often additionally flavored with cucumber slices or rice, and although it is usually served as an appetizer, it is also a healthy main meal or a snack.
7. Shami Kebab
Shami kebab is a variety of kebab made by combining minced lamb, mutton, or beef with split chickpeas, onions, chilis, ginger, garlic, and various herbs and spices such as cumin, red chili flakes, garam masala, and mint leaves. The meat mixture is then seasoned with salt and pepper and shaped into round patties, which are then coated with beaten eggs and pan-fried until their exterior becomes crispy, but the patties remain silky and tender on the inside.
These kebabs are commonly enjoyed in India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and make for an excellent snack, appetizer, or an accompaniment to the main course. Believed to have originated in Lucknow, shami kebabs pair well with onions, lime or lemon wedges, roti or naan, and various chutneys on the side.
6. Khandvi
Khandvi is a popular Gujarati snack made from a batter consisting of gram flour, yogurt, turmeric, and ginger paste. The batter is cooked and rolled in small, bite-sized pieces. It is usually consumed as a snack or an appetizer, served either hot or cold.
These flavorful snacks are often seasoned with other ingredients such as chutneys or grated cheese. It is recommended to garnish khandvi with coriander or coconut.
5. Boti Kebab
Boti kebab is a variety of Indian kebab consisting of chunks of meat (lamb, mutton, chicken, or beef) that are soaked in a mixture of yogurt, garlic, ginger, chilis, papaya, and spices such as garam masala, chili powder, and cumin. After the marinating process, the meat chunks are skewered and grilled to perfection, then brushed with ghee.
These kebabs are typically enjoyed as a snack or an appetizer and are usually accompanied by raw onions, lemon wedges, various chutneys, or Indian bread on the side. The marinated meat chunks can alternatively be simmered in boiling water before they are grilled, especially in the case of lamb or mutton kebabs.
4. Dahi Vada
Dahi vada is a popular Indian snack that can also be served either as a main dish or as an accompaniment to vegetable or meat dishes. The dish originates from North India and consists of savory lentil-based fried balls (vadas) that are soaked in a thick yogurt (dahi).
This popular street food is often topped with spices such as chili, cumin, coriander, and various chutneys. The dish is also popular at festive occasions such as weddings, and provides an ideal refreshment on a hot summer day.
3. Bikaneri Bhujia
The city of Bikaner in the Indian state of Rajasthan is most famous for its bhujia, a popular, crispy snack made with flour and a variety of spices. It is characterized by its intense yellow color. Although the snack is commonly consumed throughout India, the authentic Bikaneri bhujia is not made with besan gram flour, but with ground moth lentils, an unusual crop growing only in the deserts of Bikaner and Jodhpur, giving the snack its unique crispness.
It is said that the first bhujia was made in Bikaner around 1877, during the time of Maharaja Dungar Singh Ji. With its long shelf life and unique ingredients, the snack was granted a Geographical Indication protection (GI) in September 2010, ensuring that only registered and authorized producers can make and sell this flavorful snack under the branded name.
2. Paneer Tikka
This North Indian tikka variety consists of a combination of marinated paneer cheese and vegetables that are cooked in a tandoor - a traditional Indian oven. This vegetarian version of tikka is based on paneer, a crumbly cheese with a soft texture.
Pieces of paneer, tomatoes, onions, and peppers are skewered, grilled, and then seasoned with lemon juice and chaat masala - a spicy powder. Sometimes the dish is served with various salads or mint chutney on the side. Variations on the dish include paneer tikka masala, which is served with spicy gravy, and paneer tikka rolls, which are wrapped in Indian bread.
1. Papadum
Papadum is an Indian snack made with either lentil, gram, rice, or chickpea flour that is baked into a thin, crispy cracker bread. It can be consumed on its own, with pickles, or served with other dishes such as curries, when it's used as a utensil for scooping the dish up.
Papadum can also be topped with chutneys or raita sauce and accompanied by hot tea. With its popularity, there are some variations on the dish, such as rice papadum which is boiled in water and dried in the sun, masala papadum with spices such as black pepper, chili, cumin, and garlic, or jackfruit papadum from Karnataka, which combines jackfruit with chickpea flour.
Papadums are also quite popular in the United Kingdom and Australia, where the bread is served as an appetizer, usually accompanied by mango chutney and lime pickle dips.
Source: tasteatlas.com
