Rista is meatballs – usually made with lamb – that are cooked and served in a chili sauce. This dish is generally eaten with white rice.

Chole bhature is a popular dish in Northern India, specifically in Punjab. It’s a full meal that consists of bhatura, a fried bread made from maida (a local white flower), and chana masala (spicy white chickpeas).

This dish is most often eaten for breakfast, and it usually comes with a side of green chutney and achaar (pickled onions and other vegetables). On menus, you might see this dish written as Bhatura chana or Poori Chhola.

Biryani is rice mixed with Indian spices, vegetables, eggs, and meat – usually chicken, lamb, goat, or prawns. This dish is prevalent in Southern India, and you’ll find lots of delicious variations to try in every state you visit.

These will be your new sweet-tooth obsession. Gulab Jamun is deep-fried milk batter balls. They’re drizzled in sugar syrup flavored with green cardamom, rose water, and saffron and topped with dried nuts.

Vindaloo (also called vindalho) is a curry dish that’s popular in Goa, Vasai, Konkan, and Kerala. It’s very, very spice and is usually made with pork, but you’ll find it with other meats as well. Prawn vindaloo is my favorite.

These are usually eaten as appetizers, snacks, or breakfast. Khandvi is savory flower dough with yogurt rolled inside it. Dhokla is fried or baked rice and chickpea batter served in bite-size squares. Both of these are often served with garlic chutney.

Dosa has a similar taste, texture, and consistency to crepes. It’s rice batter cooked in a thin layer that’s usually shaped into a cone and served with sambar and chutney. 

This is a vegetarian dish most commonly found in Northern India. Sarson da Saag has the consistency of a thick soup, and it’s made with mustard greens, ginger, and garlic and is usually topped with butter and chili pepper. Makki di Roti is a flatbread made from cornmeal that you dip in the Sarson da Saag.