Beyond Butter Chicken- 5 Indian Vegetarian Foods You Absolutely MUST Try
As an Indian living in America, I get asked about Butter Chicken……. a lot! In fact, butter chicken is the mainstay of all conversations involving Indian food with most of my non-Indian friends and acquaintances. Chicken Tikka comes a close second. A globalized world has allowed us access to cuisines from all the corners of our planet; but it has also meant that many cuisines get stereotyped and equated with one or two dishes, while relegating the bulk of it to the background. Ask most non-Italians about Italian food and I am sure that pizza and pasta will top the list. Nuances of local cuisines are often lost when they are exported internationally.
While butter chicken is a masterpiece in its own right, to think that it is representative of all the flavors Indian cuisine has to offer is a mistake. Indian food is extremely diverse and varies greatly from the North of India to the South and from the East to the West. North Indians mostly eat wheat while South Indians are pre-dominantly rice eaters. Along the western coast, vegetables and sea food in coconut-based curries are a staple, while on the east coast, you will find dishes frequently tempered with mustard oil. Butter Chicken, which originated in North India might be the most popular Indian food in America, but Chicken Chettinad is what gets people drooling in South India.
The most overlooked aspect of Indian cuisine though is the extraordinary array of vegetarian dishes it offers. This should not be surprising considering India is home to the largest number of vegetarians in the world. An interesting thing to note about Indian vegetarian fare is its original, standalone character. Each vegetarian dish has a distinct flavor profile and is not derived by merely substituting meat with vegetarian options. Indian restaurants and fast-food joints in America offer a variety of vegetarian indulgences and if you are someone who loves flavors, is willing to experiment and ready to go meatless, it is time to look beyond butter chicken and give these vegetarian foods a try:
1. Khaman: Soft, springy pieces of steamed chick-pea batter, with the perfect balance of sweet and tart, Khaman is a popular snack from the state of Gujarat in Western India. Tempered with mustard seeds, slit green chilies and a sprig of curry leaves, khaman is best eaten with a side of mint and cilantro chutney. After it is steamed, khaman is soaked in a sweet and tangy water bath, yielding an incredibly soft, fluffy and juicy texture bursting with flavors. It is often garnished with freshly grated coconut and fried green chilies, which you are free to bite into if you can handle the heat!
2. Pav-bhaji: Seasonal vegetables cooked in an onion and tomato gravy with a unique blend of spices, served with hot, buttery pav (leavened dinner-rolls) fresh off the griddle- that’s pav bhaji for you. Even though Pav-bhaji has its origins in the state of Maharashtra in Western India, it has pretty much become a street-side staple throughout India. Pav-bhaji has many feathers in its cap- It is arguably the most iconic Indian street food. It is also an ingenious way of making kids eat a ton of healthy vegetables in one sitting. It is a one-pot dish which makes it easy to feed a crowd. It belongs equally to the humble street-side cart and to the lavish buffet tables of up-scale restaurants. Pav-bhaji’s most notable quality is of course the fact that when it is enjoyed with a dollop of butter and dash of lime, it gives you an unparalleled gastronomic experience. You have to eat it to believe it!
3. Masala Dosa: Masala Dosa and Idlis are the breakfast foods that fuel the South of India. While both are essentially made using the same batter of fermented rice and white lentils, Idlis are steamed, whereas dosas are cooked to a perfect crisp on a cast iron griddle. Once cooked, a generous helping of a spicy potato onion mix is scooped onto it and it is then served with a bowl of steaming hot sambar and coconut chutney. Dosa preparation can vary slightly from region to region which is why you will find many different types of dosas on the menu of an Indian restaurant. Rava dosa, made with semolina instead of rice and Mysore dosa, a spicier variant of masala dosa are other popular choices. You really cannot go wrong, no matter what you choose.
4. Chhole Bhature: Chhole Bhature is a very popular Indian dish which combines chick-peas in an intensely flavorful gravy made with caramelized onions and tomatoes. Many non-Indians use the word “curry” to describe Indian foods that have a sauce as a base; what most don’t know is that these “curries” have wildly different flavors because they all use a unique blend of spices that lend each dish its distinctive taste. The spice blend for Pav-bhaji is completely different from the spice blend for chhole and a veteran Indian nose will be able to tell one from the other with just a sniff! But I digress. Chhole is best eaten with piping hot Bhature, which are flatbreads made of leavened flour, deep fried to achieve that perfect combination of crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. Served with yogurt and raw onions, it is the perfect combo of macros, if you’re into that thing.
5. Chaat - Chaat literally means to “lick”, implying that it is truly finger-licking good. Chaat typically has a spicy mint chutney, a sweet tamarind chutney and yogurt, poured over something deep fried, a samosa, potato patty or puffed puris. It is then garnished with pomegranate seeds, a handful of chopped cilantro and sev (deep fried sticks made from chick-pea batter). There are many varieties of chaat and it is quite impossible to pick one over another. But here is something I can say with confidence- you will be hard-pressed to find an Indian who said they don’t LOVE chaat. Chaat has a flavor profile that has something for every palate – spice fans can get their kick from the mint chutney, while those who love to have a hint of sweet in their food can get their satisfaction from the sweet tamarind chutney. Restaurants in the US serve a variety of chaat (samosa chaat, papri chaat, Tikki chaat etc) and many offer a full chaat platter so you can sample a little bit of many different types of chaat.
This list is definitely not exhaustive and there are many more Indian vegetarian dishes which deserve a spot on your plate. Butter chicken is great, but Indian vegetarian food is qualified to make your taste buds just as happy.