One can find more than a hundred type of dishes, vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian, but more often than not one's choice will be restricted to the following types. Expect to find a chicken curry, a fish curry and a mutton curry at almost every place that serves non-vegetarian meals. A typical vegetarian restaurant will have: 

Aloo chole – spicy chana (chick peas) with potato. Aloo dum – a potato curry in spicy tomato puree Korma – a rich meat or vegetable dish, spiced in the Muslim tradition. Malai kofta – Cottage cheese and minced vegetable balls in a thick creamy sauce


Dal – Lentil soup with many variations in the different parts of the country. This is the most basic dish in any Indian meal. Papadum or papad as it is known in the north, pickle, chutney and raitha are an integral part of any Indian meal. There are varieties to choose from. North Indians have often complained about the lack of variety in the cuisine of the South and more so, the absence of restaurants serving their type of cuisine. You are recommended to refer to the places to eat section or the Hotels section to know about the right places.