People talk about "Indian food" as if it were one thing. It is really dozens of regional cuisines, each shaped by its climate, history and harvest. Wheat or rice, mustard oil or coconut, fish or lamb: the differences from one region to the next are as big as those between neighbouring countries in Europe. Knowing a little about them makes any Indian menu far easier to read.
Here is a short tour of regional Indian cuisine, with the dishes on our own menu that carry each region's influence.
Punjab and the north
The food most people know first comes from the north: Punjabi tandoor cooking, rich gravies, and breads baked in the clay oven. It is warming, generous food, built for cold winters and hard work in the fields. This is the home of tandoori grills, dal makhani and, many say, butter chicken.
On our menu, look for the Tandoori Chicken Sizzler, Chicken Tikka, Seekh Kebab, Dall Makhani, Paneer Butter Masala and the breads from the tandoor. Read more in inside the tandoor.
The Mughlai courts
From the old imperial kitchens come slow, fragrant dishes: biryanis, kormas and braises perfumed with saffron, cardamom and cream. Mughlai cooking is usually traced to the Mughal emperors, whose cooks blended Persian and Indian traditions. It is the dressy end of the table, refined and aromatic. Try a Korma or the Maharaja Special Biryani, and read the art of biryani.
Kashmir
Further north still, Kashmiri cooking leans on yoghurt, dried fruit, fennel and its famous deep red chillies, which bring colour more than fierce heat. Rogan josh, a slow-cooked lamb curry, is the dish that travelled furthest from here. On our menu, the Rogan, with glazed tomatoes and fresh coriander, is its restaurant cousin.
Bengal and the east
In Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh, fish and rice are at the heart of the table, often cooked with mustard seeds and mustard oil. Prawns in creamy coconut sauces are a speciality, and the region is famous for its milk sweets such as rasgulla and sandesh. Our Fish Curry is made with Bangladeshi fish, and the Chingri Malai Curry, tiger prawns in a delicately spiced creamy sauce, takes its name from the Bengali dish.
The west: Goa and Gujarat
Goa's coastal cooking is shaped by coconut, seafood and a long Portuguese history. Vindaloo is often said to have grown out of a Portuguese dish of meat in wine and garlic, adapted with local vinegar and chillies. Our Fish Goa brings mustard seed, coconut and lime, and our Vindaloo is spicy and tangy with garlic, ginger and chillies.
Gujarat, by contrast, is famous for vegetarian cooking, often with a gentle sweetness, and steamed snacks such as dhokla.
The south
Head south and the food changes character entirely: lighter, hotter, and built around coconut, curry leaves, tamarind and seafood. Rice replaces wheat, steaming is a favourite method, and breakfasts of idli, dosa and sambar are a way of life. The spicing brightens and sharpens.
Chettinad cooking, from Tamil Nadu, is known for freshly ground, roasted spices and bold flavour. On our menu, look for Chettinad Chicken or Lamb, Chicken 65, Lemon Rice and Coconut Rice. Our Madras is fairly hot and strongly spiced, in the style British curry houses made famous.
Street food and railway kitchens
Some of India's most loved food comes from the street: crisp samosas, tangy chaat and pani puri, each city with its own favourites. Try our Vegetable Samosa Chaat or Chicken Chaat for a taste.
Other dishes grew up on the move. Railway lamb curry is often linked with the train journeys and station kitchens of colonial-era India, when cooks made a curry mild and robust enough for long journeys. Our Railway Lamb Curry, with potatoes, yoghurt and coconut milk, keeps that spirit.
Indo-Chinese and British-Indian
Two more "regions" deserve a mention. Indo-Chinese cooking, usually traced to Chinese communities in Kolkata, gave us dishes like Gobi Manchurian and Chilli Paneer. And British-Indian kitchens are widely credited with chicken tikka masala and the curry house classics, from Jalfrezi to Dopiaza.
What to drink
Across India, drinks are part of the meal. Masala chai is a daily ritual for millions. Lassi, a yoghurt drink served sweet, salty or with mango, cools a spicy meal; on our menu it appears as Lacee. Nimbu pani, a fresh lime drink, is a refreshing alternative, and an Indian lager such as Cobra or Kingfisher is a British curry house favourite.
One kitchen, many regions
A good Indian menu draws on all of this, and ours is no exception. Explore the range on our menu, or see the best dishes for sharing to try several regions at once. With friends, our group set menu offers Chettinad, Railway Lamb Curry and Chingri Malai Curry at the Maharaja level. Book a table and take the tour.
