21 Local Dishes From Around India You Have To Try At Least Once

India has 29 states and 7 union territories. And each state has its own culture, language, traditions, customs and of course, food. This makes it practically impossible to keep a track of the diversity in our regional cuisines. Thus, here we are bringing you 21 dishes from different parts of our country that should definitely be tried. 

1. Makki ki roti and sarsoon ka saag 

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Where you can find it:  Punjab 

As the name suggests, this dish is made from sarsoon (mustard seeds) and spices. People generally accompany it with Makki roti, a bread made with corn. Some people prefer to add spinach to get the green colour, but the taste of mustard dominates the meal throughout. Eat this with white butter or ghee and you’ll be asking for more! 

2. Vadapav 

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Where you can find it: Maharashtra 

Mumbai survives on vadapav and you can spot people selling it in every nook and corner of the city. It consists of a potato filling wrapped in a bun. Of course, you can enjoy it with red or green chutney. 

3. Mysore Pak

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Where you can find it: Mysore 

This is made up of ghee, gram flour sugar and cardamom, which make it a high calorie dessert. The sweet dish is considered auspicious all over southern India. In fact, people even serve these at weddings or baby showers.  

4. Xacuti 

Flickr.com/Sunil Kashikar

Where you can find it:  Goa 

While Goa is known for its sea food, its speciality lies in pork dishes. Xacuti is a curry prepared with endless spices, grated coconut and large dried chillies. It is usually made with chicken or lamb. 

5. Undhiyu 

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Where you can find it: Gujarat 

This dish is a seasonal one and is made with vegetables that are available in Gujarat in winters. Unripe banana, green beans, new peas, small plants and muthia are a few of its constituents. It is enjoyed with Puri and Shrikhand in the winters. 

6. Bhutte Ka Kees

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Where you can find it: Madhya Pradesh 

This is a seasonal dish that is prepared with fresh corn. Bhutte means corn and Kees refers to the grated part of it. It is prepared by roasting grated corn with spices. Interestingly, a few versions of it involve milk too. This dish can be found all over the state, especially in Indore. Bhutte Ka Kees is a popular breakfast dish in Madhya Pradesh as well. 

7. Red ant chutney 

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Where you can find it: Chattisgarh 

This chutney is also known as Chaprah by the tribal population of Chattisgarh. You won’t be surprised to know that this is one of the most bizarre dishes made in India. Red ants are dried and blended with spices and sweeteners and you can have it with any meal you desire. Don’t worry, because it's popular dish in this state and you won’t die after eating it. 

8. Chikhvi 

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Where you can find it: Tripura

Chikhvi is the staple dish of Tripura. It is made up of bamboo shoots and pork. However, the best thing about this dish is that it is made without oil. Chikhvi is served hot with plain rice. 

9. Masor Tenga 

Where you can find it: Assam 

This is yet another signature dish from north eastern India that you can’t get enough of. Assam is known for fish curries, but this one is their hot favourite. The main ingredient of this fish curry is Tenga, a souring agent. If you are planning to visit Assam any time soon, you should not miss out on this dish. 

10. Rogan Josh 

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Where you can find it: Jammu and Kashmir

The word Rogan means clarified butter or fat in Persian and Josh means intensity. Rogan Josh is one of the main dishes of a Kashmiri multi-course meal. It includes braised lamb pieces cooked in a gravy of browned onions, yogurt, garlic and other aromatic spices. It is most known for the red color of its gravy. The highlight of this dish lies in the variety of spices that bring out a distinct flavour. 

11. Daulat Ki Chaat 

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Where you can find it: Delhi 

Daulat Ki Chaat means snack of wealth. And trust me, it tastes as wonderful as it sounds. You’ll be surprised at the simplicity of its taste. It consists of light foam that melts in the mouth leaving behind a taste of cream, saffron, sugar and nuts. It is not a wonder of cooking, but more of an Old Delhi thing. Sadly, you can only find it in winters. 

12. Kakori Kabab

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Where you can find it: Uttar Pradesh

Kakori gets its name from Kakori in Uttar Pradesh. Kakori kababs are really soft. This dish is nothing but minced lamb or grilled mutton with a variety of Indian flavours and seasoning. This dish was brought by the Mughals to India and was a hit among the British too. 

13. Litti Chokha 

Flickr.com/Bhupesh Kumar

Where you can find it: Bihar 

Litti is a snack made with wheat and sattu (a combination of powdered gram or lentil). It can be eaten with yogurt, baigan bharata, aloo bharata and papad. Spices like cumin powder, red pepper, mustard oil are used to enhance its flavours. In Bihar, litti is served with murgh korma or chokha, a vegetarian dish made with mashed egg plant, tomato and potato. 

14. Jhangora Kheer

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Where you can find it: Uttrakhand

Jhangora is the Indian name of millet. It is prepared with millet, milk, sugar and dry fruits. This kheer is a pahadi speciality. Another speciality of Uttrakhand is aloo ki gutke, a spicy potato delicacy. 

15. Sepu Vadi 

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Where you can find it: Himachal Pradesh 

Sepu vadi is a healthy Himachali speciality. It is a spinach curry with lentil dumplings. These dumplings are made up of fermented urad dal. They taste best with rotis and cumin rice. 

16. Roh Di Kheer

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Where you can find it: Chandigarh 

It is a winter special in the region, and is a simple dessert, consisting of rice cooked in sugarcane juice. 

17. Phagshapa

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Where you can find it:  Sikkim 

A major part of Sikkimese cuisine is inspired from that of Nepal. Apart from momos and thukpa, you can try phagshapa which is a strip of pork stewed with radish and dried chillies. Another interesting delicacy from Sikkim is sel roti, a flour based pastry. 

18. Dal bhaati churma 

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Where you can find it: Rajasthan 

The dal is prepared using tuvaar dal, chaana dal, mung dal, moth dal, and urad dal. All these lentils are cooked together after being soaked in water for a few hours. Baati is a hard bread made up of wheat powder. Finally, the dal-baati is served with rava ladoo, rice, mint chutney, green mango chutney, onions and buttermilk. 

19. Apung 

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Where you can find it: Arunachal Pradesh 

What is it? It is a beer made up of rice and millet made by the Mishing tribe in Arunachal Pradesh. 

20. Iromba 

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Where you can find it: Manipur 

Iromba is most known for its pungent taste. It is made with fermented fish, bamboo shoots and boiled vegetables, all of them cooked in a chilli paste. 

21. Dalma 

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Where you can find it: Orissa 

In comparison to other states in India, Orrisa’s cuisine is made with less oil and spices. Dalma is quite popular in here. It is made from toor dal and chopped vegetables such as green papaya, unripe banana, pumpkin and gourd. Turmeric and mustard seeds are used to garnish it. However, there are several variations of this dish. Another popular dish from this state is Chaatu Rai, a dish made from mushrooms and mustard.