Buttery curries, tandoor, layered breads
8 tested recipes
North Indian cuisine is the food the world thinks of as "Indian": butter chicken, naan, dal makhani, biryani, paneer tikka. It is the cuisine of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kashmir - heavily influenced by centuries of Mughal cooking and the abundance of dairy in the region.
Expect creamy gravies built on tomato and onion, rich use of dairy (ghee, cream, paneer, yogurt), wheat-based breads (roti, naan, paratha), and the signature use of garam masala, kasuri methi and Kashmiri chilli.
Tender tandoori-marinated chicken simmered in a velvety tomato, butter and cashew gravy. The legendary North Indian curry, made the right way.
Cubes of paneer marinated in spiced yogurt, grilled till charred, then folded into a rich onion-tomato masala. The vegetarian icon.
Soft paneer cubes folded into a velvety, perfectly green spinach gravy spiked with garlic and garam masala. Restaurant-style at home.
Soft, flaky whole-wheat parathas stuffed with golden, spiced mashed potatoes and pan-fried with ghee. The breakfast hug from Punjab.
Bone-in chicken bathed in spiced yogurt and roasted till smoky and blackened at the edges. The dish that put Indian cuisine on the world map.
Chickpeas simmered in a deeply spiced tomato-onion gravy with whole spices and a secret splash of black tea. Hearty, vegan, weeknight gold.
Soft khoya dumplings fried golden and drowned in rose-cardamom syrup. The festive, fragrant bite no Indian celebration is complete without.
Hand-folded pastry crisped to a flaky shatter, hiding a fragrant filling of potato, peas, ginger and roasted cumin. Tea-time royalty.
If you're new to North Indian cooking, start here: