Churma is a north Indian dish that is mainly prepared with various types of crumbled bread. It is especially popular in Rajasthan where it is made with baati (bati) bread, and Haryana, where the locals opt for roti, paratha, or puri.

The fine crumbs are then mixed with ghee, sugar, cardamom, and (often) various nuts or, occasionally, dry fruits. The dish is usually finished off with melted ghee. In Rajasthan, churma is mostly enjoyed as a part of a dish named dal bati churma—a delicious combination of churma, dal, and baati bread. 

Masala papad is a traditional snack and a version of papadum flatbread that’s topped with a mix of tangy and spicy ingredients. The flatbread is roasted or fried and it’s usually made with lentil, chickpea, or rice flour. After it’s been roasted or fried until crunchy, it’s topped with a mixture of onions, tomatoes, coriander, hot chili powder, lemon juice, chaat masala, and salt.

It’s important to add the topping after the flatbread has been fried or roasted, otherwise it will get soggy. If desired, additional ingredients can be added to the topping, such as cucumbers, mint leaves, carrots, or raw mango. Masala papad is traditionally served as a snack or an appetizer, but it can also be served as an accompaniment to various Indian meals.

Hailing from North India, dal puri is a variety of puri, a type of round-shaped Indian bread that is deep-fried until crispy, puffy, and golden. This version of the bread consists of puri dough that’s kneaded with a lentil-based mixture.

Numerous versions of the dish exist throughout different regions, and depending on the spices used for its preparation, the dish can range from mildly spicy to hot. The dough is typically made with plain flour, water, salt, and oil, while the filling usually combines mung dal lentils with oil and spices such as ginger, green chili, cumin, fennel seed powder, mango powder, asafetida, and salt. 

Baingan bharta is a vegetarian side dish that is very popular in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to its rich aroma and flavor. It consists of minced and grilled eggplants that are combined with coriander, onion, chilies, and mustard oil, making it an ideal winter dish that is commonly consumed with Indian flatbreads or rice.

It was invented by the Punjabis, but as time went by, it crossed the Punjab borders and became popular throughout India and in other countries. Served piping hot, the dish is usually garnished with grated ginger and coriander leaves. The word baingan refers to the eggplant, while bharta refers to a variety of dishes where the ingredients are mashed before or after the preparation.

Gobi matar is a traditional stir-fry originating from North India. The dish is usually made with cauliflower, peas, turmeric, onions, ginger-garlic paste, oil, lemon juice, coriander, and red chili powder. The vegetables are stir-fried in oil, then served hot in a large bowl.

The dish is typically accompanied by rice, roti, or parathas on the side. Gobi matar can be served as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to other dishes. There are a few variations, so it can be enriched with tomatoes and garam masala spices, if desired.

Papadum is an Indian snack made with either 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. 

Jeera rice is a simple Indian dish made with rice and cumin seeds. Basmati rice is typically mixed with cumin seeds which have been fried in ghee, and the dish can be additionally enriched with cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, and coriander.

Once prepared, jeera rice can be served on its own or as an accompaniment to a variety of Indian dishes. The word zeera is Hindi-Urdu for cumin seeds, hence the alternative spelling – zeera rice.