Dal tadka or tadkewali dal is a traditional legume-based dish originating from the northern parts of India. Although there are variations, the dish is usually prepared with toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas), garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, garam masala, chili peppers, ghee, cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili powder, and fenugreek leaves.
These ingredients are cooked and mixed with tadka (tempering), consisting of spices such as asafoetida, chili peppers, and garlic that are cooked in ghee. Once prepared, dal tadka is usually garnished with coriander leaves and served hot with jeera rice and roti on the side.
Malai kofta is a traditional North Indian dish consisting of fried potato and paneer balls in a creamy sauce. The dish is commonly served at festivals, celebrations, and weddings due to its rich texture and flavors. A typical dish of Mughal cuisine, developed in Medieval India by the cooks of the Mughal Empire, it is essentially a vegetarian substitute for a meatball curry, malai meaning cream, and kofta meaning dumplings.
The dish is often prepared in a unique wok called a kadai, hence the other name of the dish, kadai kofta. Some food historians believe that these deep-fried dumplings have incorporated the influences of Turkish and Persian food cultures within them.
MOST ICONIC Malai kofta
Misal is a specialty dish of the Indian state of Maharashtra, its name literally translated to a mixture of everything, so the ingredients vary from cook to cook. However, a combination of these ingredients is the most common in a typical misal: curd, moth bean or pea curry, gravy, spiced potatoes, and garnishings such as onions, coriander, and tomatoes.
It is mandatory for a true misal to be spicy, while the base needs to be crunchy. Visually, it should look like a work of art, with lots of colors - typically red, brown, orange, and green. The earliest mention of the dish appeared around the early 20th century.
MOST ICONIC Misal
View morePav bhaji is a popular street snack originating from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It consists of a vegetable curry that is typically served with a soft bread roll known as pav. The dish was invented in the 1850s as a midnight meal by street vendors who prepared it with all the leftover vegetables from the day, which were then mashed and combined with spices and ghee butter.
Originally, it was a quick and easy meal for Mumbai's textile mill workers, but today it is a favorite street snack that is also served in some restaurants in Mumbai. There are a lot of varieties of the basic pav bhaji, with added cheese, paneer, mushrooms, plantains, and even dried fruits thrown in the flavorful curry mix.
MOST ICONIC Pav bhaji
View moreMisal pav is a traditional dish originating from Maharashtra. Its two main components are misal – a curry made with sprouted moth beans, usually topped with chivda, onions, chilis, and potatoes – and pav, bread rolls used to mop up the flavorful curry.
Misal pav can be served for breakfast, as a snack or a main dish. It is commonly found in roadside stalls, breakfast joints, and office canteens.
MOST ICONIC Misal pav
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Palak paneer is a popular Indian vegetarian dish made with paneer cheese in a rich, thick sauce consisting of puréed spinach mixed with tomatoes, garam masala, garlic, and numerous spices. The key ingredients are even mentioned in the name of the dish, since palak means spinach in hindi, and paneer refers to the cheese.
Palak paneer has roots in the Punjabi region, but there are also other variations of the dish throughout India. It is a highly nutritious meal that can be consumed either for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, accompanied by rice or Indian flatbreads such as naan and roti.
MOST ICONIC Palak paneer
MAIN INGREDIENTS
A specialty of North India, chana masala is a tangy chickpea curry that is commonly consumed as a snack, main meal, or breakfast. Arguably, it is the most popular vegetarian dish in India, commonly found on railway platforms, at work, in school canteens, or at ceremonies and festive occasions in India and Pakistan.
Chickpeas are simmered in a combination of spices and herbs, often served with rice or Indian flatbreads such as roti or naan, then garnished with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream. Due to chana masala's popularity, there are also regional versions of the dish, such as the Pakistani version called aloo chole, made with chickpeas and potatoes.
MOST ICONIC Chana masala
Rajma is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes of North India. It consists of red kidney beans which are stewed in a rich gravy combined with numerous spices. The dish is usually prepared for festivities and special occasions, when it is typically served alongside rice and breads such as roti.
Although closely associated with North India, where it is a staple food, red kidney bean was actually brought to the country from central Mexico and Guatemala, but the Mexican version of the dish is much different than the Indian one. Hearty and nutritious, rajma remains one of the most loved vegetarian curries in Punjab and North India.
VARIATIONS OF Rajma
MOST ICONIC Rajma
View moreMattar paneer is a popular vegetarian dish of North Indian origin, made with peas and paneer cheese in a garam masala-spiced tomato sauce. The rich, thick curry is a specialty of Punjab, but it is widely enjoyed throughout India. Traditionally, the dish is served either for lunch or dinner, accompanied by rice and Indian flatbreads such as naan, kulcha, roti, or paratha.
Variations abound, so corn, yogurt, or cream are often added as thickeners. Mattar paneer is commonly garnished with freshly chopped coriander and mint leaves on top, giving it a refreshing flavor.
MOST ICONIC Mattar paneer
This simple Indian dish consists of red beans (rajma) and cooked rice (chawal). Rajma is traditionally made with onions and tomato purée which acts as a gravy for the red beans. This dish makes for a complete vegetarian meal that is suitable for lunch or dinner.
If desired, rajma chawal can be flavored with a variety of spices such as chili peppers, cinnamon, bay leaves, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cumin. Although the dish is quite simple to prepare, it takes some time because the beans are typically soaked overnight before the preparation.
MOST ICONIC Rajma chawal
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 35 Indian Vegetable Dishes” list until March 21, 2025, 1,472 ratings were recorded, of which 1,092 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.