The food in India has completely blown me away. It’s so delicious, healthy (well it can be), and inexpensive. There are SO many varieties and SO many things we just don’t have equivalents for back home or in other parts of the world I’ve been. I know that I’ve only scraped the tip of the iceberg here in terms of things to try, but below are some things that I loved, and that you should look out for if you ever find yourself in India.
Most of these are variations of barfi. But the white ball is the rasgulla.
Desserts
Obviously, let’s start with desserts. One thing I love about India is that desserts are a big deal here. It’s pretty common to have something sweet after every meal, so I fit right in.
French Bakery. There’s a place called the French Bakery just a few minutes walk away from Adi Yogpeeth in Rishikesh. They have lots of delicious options like chocolate coconut protein balls, brownies, and carrot cake. But the queen is the vegan chocolate cake. It’s really incredible and only about $1 for one big slice. You have to try it if you are in the area.
Barfi. Certainly not the most appetizing name haha, but this was one of my favorite treats in India. It’s milk-based, like pretty much all the desserts in India seem to be. It’s very creamy and sweet and just delicious. The texture is kind of like a light fudge. It’s so hard to stop eating once you start. And there is endless variations of barfi. So give any of them a try! I even had one with chocolate running through the center.
Coconut Ladoo
Coconut ladoo. This I discovered late in the game when it showed up on the counter of my favorite local shop unexpectedly. I was used to stopping there and buying sweet chickpea balls for 5 rupees, but then on Diwali these bright pink and white balls caught my eye. They quickly became one of my favorites. They taste a lot like those Neapolitan coconut rectangles you can get back in the states in the Mexican food aisle. There is other types of ladoo, but I really love this coconut one.
Rice Pudding. I never got rice pudding from a shop. But the family I was staying with in Delhi made it a few times and it was really good. Definitely worth a try if you can find some!
Gulab Jamun. Gulab jamun is an easy one to find back in the US. They serve them at most Indian buffets I’ve been to. They are the little golden balls, like a fried bread dough, soaked in sugar syrup. They are soft and delicious, and it’s hard to stop eating them once you start. There is also rasgulla (picture above in the box of sweets) which looks similar to gulab jamun but is a white ball. It’s a cottage cheese based dumpling that has been soaked in rose flavored sugar syrup. I think these are not nearly as good as gulab jamun which is why they are not getting their own section.
Kulfi, mine was strawberry.
Kulfi. Kulfi is this fun and popular ice cream treat that’s shaped like a cone but smaller on top, wider on the bottom. You can get this easily on the street but it’s not that great from those carts. If you go to a bigger shopping mall, and find a place dedicated to kulfi with lots of different flavors, that’s the best place to get it.
Milk cake. I don’t even know how to describe this one actually. And the thing is, I had one I really didn’t like (it was kind of sour), and a few that I loved. Like barfi, there seems to be endless variations. But the ones that are good are maybe like a bit of a cross between cookie dough and fudge. They have a milk flavor like a chocolate chip cookie dough base, without the chocolate. And the texture is a bit more soft and crumbley than fudge. Anyways, definitely really delicious if you find a good one.
Head chef showing us how to make the oat balls.
Healthy chocolate oat balls. You’ll find a huge variety of healthy ball things if you are in Rishikesh. Most of them are made with protein powder. The French Bakery, mentioned above, makes a very nice coconut chocolate one. But while I was at Adi Yogpeeth, the head chef in the kitchen taught us how to make his own dessert version, minus the protein (although you could easily add chocolate protein powder to this instead of the cocoa powder). He was always mixing it up and trying different things, but the essence is some oats (mostly oats), some chopped up cashews and almonds, and some sort of chocolate powder (often cocoa powder, but once he blended a whole tube of Oreos and used that instead and it was so good, and another time he blended up a whole tube of vanilla chocolate biscuits). Once you get the dry mixture together, you just add honey until you get the right consistency to be able to roll it into a ball. Dust on some coconut shavings to make it look cute, and voila! Oh, and it’s vegan! Another time he made a version that included milk and ghee, but I did not get to witness the making of this. So I’ll stick with the vegan version. Also, I’m thinking adding some turmeric would be fun as well! I’ll definitely be making these at home.
Vegan Banoffee Pie. This was my absolute favorite dessert in Rishikesh, and it can only be found at Tulsi Restaurant, which is located in the Tapovan area near many yoga schools. It’s a cookie crust, then a layer of toffee, then coconut cream, and then freshly cut bananas…all vegan! And it’s sooooo good. If you are in Rishikesh, just make a stop at this restaurant. It’s the best one in town, and the owner will welcome you in like family. I went to this place every single day for an entire month, but somehow managed to control myself, and only eat the banoffee pie on Sundays.
Savory
India has been a fantastic place to be a vegetarian, and Rishikesh is great for vegans. In fact, meat is not even sold or available in the main areas of Rishikesh. I never once struggled with protein intake, like I did in many parts of Southeast Asia. My diet mainly consisted of lentils (daal), cooked vegetables, milk products (which are way better here, although generally I try not to eat animal products), and breads (usually chapati or paratha.) And turmeric. Turmeric is in everything.
Fresh paratha and lentils
The breads. The best bread for me is definitely paratha which is a thin, circular shaped, fried bread with many layers the way a croissant has. Usually it is filled with a very thin layer of turmeric potato mash, but I’ve also had it with a sweet filling like apple cinnamon. But my favorite way to have it is totally plain but with lots of extra ghee and salt. It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten, hot off the grill. Chapati or roti are also very popular. They are basically the same, in fact, I think chapati is a type of roti. These are another type of round flat bread, more akin to a tortilla. Also very delicious and perfect for helping you eat with your hands, as utensils aren’t always available, and eating totally with your hands is very normal. There’s also dosa which is made of rice flour and is a very thin and crunchy bread that gets folded over like a taco, surrounding some sort of yummy vegetarian filling. Poori is very thin and puffs up like a balloon when you fry it. It’s not my favorite just because it’s not as thick and decadent and buttery as the infamous paratha, but it’s fun to try for sure. And, of course, the one we all know – naan. Which I surprisingly have had zero of since I’ve been in India. This is always served at Indian restaurants back in the US so I expected to see it everywhere. But the chapati is the most popular and served with everything, at least in the North where I’ve been.
Lentils. Lentils are a staple here, and I eat them pretty much twice a day, for lunch and dinner. They are made into a soupy type dish called daal. They are really delicious and keep me doing well with my protein intake. There are all sorts of different colors of lentils, but the ones I’ve seen most frequently are yellow and brown. I really enjoy them, especially with some cooked potatoes or cauliflower, curd on top, and a side of chapati for scooping! Yum!
Curd. As mentioned, milk products are very important here, and the cows are highly revered because of how much their products sustain life. Curd is a bit like yogurt, although it is not made in the same way. But for all intents and purposes, that’s basically what it tastes like. A plain greek yogurt. But more delicious. And it’s good on everything. I like to put it on my vegetables or daal or dip the paratha in it. It’s a common side dish with many Indian meals.
Idli. Idli is such a fun dish. It kind of has the shape of an alien space ship. I think it’s usually made of rice flour, and it’s squishy and a little grainy. I had one of these on my way to India on the flight with some red sauce. But mostly, since I’ve been here, I eat it with coconut chutney, and it’s sooo good. They make it for us at the school, but not very often, so it’s a very special treat.
Aloo Tikki
Street food
I love trying all sorts of different street foods while I’m traveling. And I’ve never once gotten sick (this probably also has a lot to do with me not eating meat), so I’ve gotten pretty adventurous at this point. Street food stalls in India are definitely more rustic than most of the ones I tried in SE Asia. And I’ve heard you do need to be careful to make sure, if they are serving you a sauce or something, that it is made with filtered water. But like I said, I haven’t had any problems.
Aloo tikki. This is definitely my favorite street food in India. It is a fried potato patty served with different types of sauces. The one pictured on the left had pieces of corn in it and was served with a sweet and spicy sauce. But normally I find them without the corn, and served with three different sauces on top. It is SO delicious and pretty spicy. They cost 40 rupees for two which is about 50 cents, so it’s also a really amazing deal.
Delicious, delicious momos.
Momos. My friend who was visiting Nepal told me about these, and said they were a must try. And they come in as a very close second place for favorite street food. They are vegetarian steamed (or fried) dumplings. I don’t even know what is inside of them, but they are so good. And they come with a variety of dipping sauces. They usually cost 50 rupees for 8 dumplings which is about 70 cents.
Pani Puri. These are very popular and you will see them everywhere in huge bags. These in particular I was told to be careful with because they are served with a liquid that may or may not have unfiltered water in it. These really aren’t my favorite anyways, but since they are such a staple here, and locals love them, I am writing about them. I’s a little fried puffed up hollow ball, filled with a strange liquid. They serve you five, but only one at a time. Since they serve them to you separately, and one after another, and there’s all the liquid, it feels like you are taking shots at a bar haha. The liquid itself has good flavor but they just give you way too much of it and it feels like you are eating a soggy chip or something. Not my fave! But other people love it, so give it a shot.
Drinks
Normally, back home, I never buy drinks at restaurants and just get the free water. But in most other countries, you have to pay for water, so you might as well try something fun.
Lemon Nana
Lemon nana. This is supposedly a famous drink in Rishikesh. It’s super delicious and I’ll try to make it once I come back home. It’s a slushy consistency made with ice, lemon juice, sugar, and fresh mint leaves all blended up together. The one shown obviously has some additional food coloring, but most of them take on a natural dark green color from the mint. They are consistently good anywhere you get them.
Golden milk. This is big here, and unexpectedly delicious. I only ever made it myself. Our yoga teacher told us it’s good to drink at night after dinner, so that it helps with flexibility in the morning during asana practice. It’s warm milk, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp turmeric, and 1/2 tbsp optional ghee. It doesn’t sound that appetizing but it’s really delicious. It takes on a beautiful yellow golden color, hence the name. And as mentioned, the milk products are so good here. I never liked cow’s milk growing up, but I could drink the milk plain here.
Chai or milk tea. This is maybe the most common drink of all time. Tea brewed with milk and sugar. It’s super delicious, especially because the milk here is so good, and they use unrefined, unprocessed sugar. It’s sweet and decadent. I have it every morning with breakfast and sometimes for a break later in the day. You can find lots of street stalls selling this as well. Sometimes it has a bit of a spice to it too which is really nice.
Himalaya juice from Tulsi Restaurant
Himalayan flower juice. This is really amazing, and I only found it at one place in Rishikesh, called Tulsi Restaurant (mentioned and linked above). It’s juice made from pure pink Himalayan flowers and there’s really nothing like it. I don’t even know how to describe the flavor, but as you can see, it’s a gorgeous pink drink, cold, refreshing, and unique. I could easily drink 3-4 glasses in one sitting.
Hydration juice. Hydration juice is another one that I will try once I get home, and I love it. Several months ago, I tried watermelon slices with salt for the first time. Have you ever had it like that? It’s so so good. Anyways, this drink is kind of based on that. It’s fresh watermelon, lime juice, and Himalayan pink salt. That’s it, no sugar. It’s really good and feels healthy and hydrating. And the salt makes it really special. I only found this at Tulsi Cafe.
Sweet lassi. The first time I had a lassi, it was a savory one, and I did not like it at all. It was actually kind of spicy too. But the sweet ones, I really love. It’s basically just yogurt and sugar and somehow it’s got more of a drinkable consistency. I’m not sure if they add something to it, or if it just produced like this. Either way it’s really good, and you can get a lot of different flavors. But plain is quite nice.
Well, that’s a wrap on my love letter to Indian food…for now, at least. I’ve been so so spoiled living in Rishikesh and getting to eat so much delicious healthy food, and getting to eat at the yoga school every day. I don’t even know how I will manage when I have to cook for myself again one day! But I’ll definitely be trying to replicate some of these dishes.