OUR MEALS ARE RICH, SPICY, AND COLOURFUL

Even if you were to eat Indian meals for one full year, there are chances that you would have not sampled the cuisine in its entirety. For, the fare is as diverse as the country, varying from one region to another — it’s heavily influenced by the diverse range in soil types, climates, cultures, ethnic groups, and occupations. Whilst, in the North you will be served hot rotis and parathas (breads), in the South, you will enjoy portions of rice. Interestingly, Indian cuisine has cast its influence on cuisines across the world, especially Middle Eastern dishes. Use of spices is essential to Indian cooking. Chefs and home cooks swear by the huge range of whole and ground spices like coriander, cumin, chilli, clove, black pepper, mustard, fenugreek, etc. As much as they love spice, they relish the sweets too. Jalebi, Kheer, Ras Malai, Rasugulla, Gulab Jamun, and Halwa are just a few popular Indian sweets. The city is dotted with restaurants serving Indian food. A stopover at Al Karama is your best bet to try the many regional cuisines of India from Goan to Punjabi and Tamilian to Sindhi. For a rich meal, sample the Butter Chicken at Moti Mahal, Business Bay. To indulge in typical Indian street snacks like Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Papdi Chaat, and Dhokla stop by at eateries like Puranmal and Bikanervala (across various locations in Dubai). If fine dining is on your mind, then we recommend restaurants like Junoon (Shangri-La), Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor (Meliá), and Bombay Brasserie (Taj), amongst others.

Butter Chicken: A chicken preparation in a mildly spiced curry sauce — the dish has its roots in Punjabi cuisine and is now popular worldwide.

Dal makhani: A rich dish made with whole black lentils, red kidney beans, butter, and cream. It is served with rice or naan (flat bread).

sambar: A lentil-based vegetable stew with a hint of tamarind. It is popular in South India and is served with dosa, idli, vada or rice.

Gulab jamun: Sweet balls prepared with freshly curdled milk and soaked in sugar syrup. It is garnished with dried nuts like almonds and pistachios.

Biryani: A rice dish with spices, meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. Each region in India prepares it in a different way - think Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, etc.

Golgappa: A popular street snack — it consists of a crisp fried round puri filled with a mixture of sweet-sour flavoured water, potatoes, onions, and chickpeas.