Dishes
Aloo gobi
Potatoes and cauliflower cooked with turmeric, cumin and other spices; a comforting vegetable favourite.
Dishes · Snacks · Breads · Desserts
A to Z Indian Food
From aloo gobi to zarda: familiar takeaway favourites and regional specialities, with a little flavour behind every name.
66 foods from A to Z
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Breads
Aloo paratha
A wholewheat flatbread filled with spiced mashed potato, usually cooked on a griddle.
Snacks
Aloo tikki
Crisp potato patties, often served with chutneys or chickpeas as a street-food snack.
Breads
Appam
A fermented rice pancake with a soft centre and lacy edges, popular in Kerala.
Dishes
Baingan bharta
Roasted aubergine mashed and cooked with onions, tomatoes and spices for a smoky vegetable dish.
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Dishes
Balti
A curry associated with British Indian restaurants, cooked and often served in a two-handled metal pan.
Snacks
Bhel puri
Puffed rice, crunchy sev, vegetables and tangy chutneys tossed together just before serving.
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Dishes
Bhuna
A curry style in which spices and a thick onion-and-tomato sauce are fried down to concentrate their flavour.
Dishes
Birany
An aromatic rice dish combining spices with vegetables, meat or seafood; styles vary across regions.
Dishes
Butter chicken
Chicken in a gently spiced tomato, butter and cream sauce, also known as murgh makhani.
Dishes
Chana masala
Chickpeas simmered with onions, tomatoes and warming spices, often finished with a tangy note.
Breads
Chapati
A thin, unleavened wholewheat flatbread cooked on a hot griddle; also commonly called roti.
Dishes
Chicken tikka
Boneless chicken marinated with yoghurt and spices, then grilled or cooked in a tandoor.
Dishes
Chicken tikka masala
Grilled chicken tikka in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce; a well-known British Indian favourite.
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Dishes
Daal
Lentils or other split pulses simmered until tender and finished with spices; recipes range from light to rich.
Dishes
Daal makhani
Slow-cooked black lentils and kidney beans enriched with butter and cream, associated with Punjabi cooking.
Snacks
Dhokla
A light, steamed savoury cake from Gujarat, often made with fermented gram or rice batter.
Breads
Dosa
A thin South Indian pancake made from fermented rice-and-lentil batter, served plain or with a filling.
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Dishes
Egg curry
Boiled eggs served in a spiced sauce; regional versions use tomato, coconut or other bases.
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Dishes
Fish curry
Fish cooked in a spiced sauce, with regional flavours including coconut, tamarind or mustard.
Desserts
Gajar halwa
Grated carrots slowly cooked with milk, sugar and ghee, often garnished with nuts.
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Breads
Garlic naan
Soft, leavened naan topped with garlic, often finished with butter and fresh coriander.
Desserts
Gulab jamun
Soft fried milk-solid dumplings soaked in a fragrant sugar syrup, often flavoured with cardamom.
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Snacks
Hara bhara kebab
Green vegetable patties typically made with spinach, peas and potato, seasoned and pan-fried.
Snacks
Idli
Soft steamed rice-and-lentil cakes, usually eaten with sambar and chutney in South India.
Desserts
Jalebi
Crisp coils of fried batter soaked in sugar syrup, served as a brightly coloured sweet.
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Dishes
Jalfrezi
A lively curry with peppers, onions and tomatoes; the chilli heat depends on the recipe.
Snacks
Kachori
A deep-fried pastry with a savoury filling such as spiced lentils, peas or onions.
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Dishes
Kadai paneer
Paneer cooked with peppers, onions and a fragrant spice mix in a kadai-style pan.
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Dishes
Keema
Spiced minced meat, often cooked with peas or potatoes and eaten with bread or rice.
Desserts
Kheer
A milk pudding often made with rice, sugar and cardamom, with nuts or raisins added.
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Dishes
Korma
A gently braised curry; UK takeaway versions are often mild and creamy, while regional recipes vary.
Desserts
Kulfi
A dense frozen milk dessert, commonly flavoured with pistachio, cardamom, mango or saffron.
Dishes
Lamb rogan josh
An aromatic lamb curry associated with Kashmiri cooking, known for its richly coloured spiced sauce.
Breads
Luchi
A small, puffed, deep-fried bread made with refined flour, especially popular in Bengali meals.
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Dishes
Madras
A British Indian restaurant curry style with a chilli-forward sauce, generally hotter than a korma.
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Dishes
Malai kofta
Vegetable or paneer dumplings served in a rich, creamy sauce; ingredients vary by recipe.
Breads
Masala dosa
A crisp dosa wrapped around a spiced potato filling, traditionally served with sambar and chutneys.
Snacks
Medu vada
Savoury, ring-shaped lentil fritters with a crisp outside and soft centre, often served with sambar.
Breads
Naan
A soft, leavened flatbread traditionally baked against the hot wall of a tandoor.
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Snacks
Onion bhaji
Sliced onions bound with a spiced gram-flour batter and fried until crisp.
Snacks
Pakora
Vegetables or other ingredients dipped in spiced gram-flour batter and deep-fried.
Dishes
Palak paneer
Paneer cubes in a smooth spinach sauce seasoned with spices, a popular North Indian dish.
Snacks
Pani puri
Hollow, crisp shells filled with potato or chickpeas and tangy spiced water, eaten in one bite.
Breads
Paratha
A griddle-cooked flatbread that can be layered, flaky or stuffed with a savoury filling.
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Snacks
Pav bhaji
Spiced mashed vegetables served with butter-toasted bread rolls, a Mumbai street-food favourite.
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Breads
Peshwari naan
A sweet-filled naan, commonly containing coconut, raisins and nuts in UK takeaway recipes.
Breads
Puri
A small, deep-fried wheat bread that puffs up into a hollow golden round.
Desserts
Qubani ka meetha
A Hyderabadi dessert of softened dried apricots, often served with cream or custard.
Dishes
Rajma
Kidney beans simmered in a spiced onion-and-tomato sauce, commonly served with rice.
Desserts
Ras malai
Soft chhena cheese patties soaked in sweetened milk, usually scented with cardamom or saffron.
Desserts
Rasgulla
Spongy chhena cheese balls cooked in light sugar syrup, associated with eastern India.
Dishes
Saag
A dish of cooked leafy greens; spinach, mustard leaves or other greens may be used.
Dishes
Sambar
A South Indian lentil-and-vegetable stew flavoured with tamarind and a distinctive spice blend.
Snacks
Samosa
A crisp pastry parcel, usually triangular, filled with spiced vegetables or meat.
Dishes
Seekh kebab
Seasoned minced meat shaped around skewers and grilled, often served with onions and chutney.
Snacks
Sev puri
Crisp puri topped with potatoes, onions, chutneys and fine crunchy sev.
Dishes
Tandoori chicken
Chicken marinated with yoghurt and spices, then roasted in a tandoor for charred edges.
Breads
Thepla
A thin Gujarati flatbread, often made with wholewheat flour, spices and fenugreek leaves.
Breads
Uttapam
A thick South Indian rice-and-lentil pancake, often topped with onions, tomatoes or chillies.
Snacks
Vada pav
A spiced potato fritter in a bread roll with chutneys, closely associated with Mumbai.
Dishes
Vindaloo
A Goan curry with vinegar and spices; UK restaurant versions are usually known for strong chilli heat.
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Breads
Wheat roti
An everyday wholewheat flatbread, usually unleavened, served alongside curries, vegetables and daal.
Dishes
Xacuti
A Goan curry made with roasted coconut and a complex spice blend, often cooked with chicken.
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Dishes
Yakhni
A delicately spiced broth or yoghurt-based meat preparation, with well-known Kashmiri versions.
Desserts
Zarda
Sweet rice flavoured with fragrant spices, often coloured golden and finished with nuts or dried fruit.
Recipes, ingredients and spice levels vary by region and restaurant. Photos are examples of the foods, not dishes supplied by a particular takeaway.
For allergies or dietary requirements, check directly with the restaurant before ordering.
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