8 Easy-to-Cook Indian Dishes for Beginners
Indian cuisine is rich in flavor and diversity, offering a wide range of dishes that are not only delicious but also straightforward to prepare, even for beginners. This guide introduces 8 popular, easy-to-cook Indian recipes that you can whip up effortlessly in your kitchen.
Poha Flattened Rice
Ingredients: Poha (flattened rice) Onions Green chilies Mustard seeds Turmeric Curry leaves Peanuts Coriander
Steps: Soak the poha. Sauté onions with mustard seeds, turmeric, and curry leaves. Add the poha and mix well. Garnish with peanuts and coriander.
Why It's Easy: Cooks in under 15 minutes and requires minimal ingredients.
Upma - Savory Semolina Porridge
Ingredients: Semolina (sooji) Mustard seeds Cumin seeds Onions Green chilies Optional: Curry leaves
Steps: Roast semolina. Cook it with sautéed onions, spices, and water until it thickens. Add vegetables for added nutrition.
Why It's Easy: Quick, customizable, and filling.
Chole Chickpea Curry
Ingredients: Canned or pre-soaked chickpeas Tomatoes Onions Crushed ginger-garlic paste Chole masala Spices
Steps: Sauté onions and tomatoes. Add spices and chickpeas. Cook until the flavors blend.
Why It's Easy: Made in one pot and pairs well with rice or bread.
Aloo Paratha - Potato-Stuffed Flatbread
Ingredients: Potatoes Whole wheat flour Spices (cumin, coriander powder, chili powder, salt) Ghee or oil
Steps: Boil and mash potatoes. Mix with spices. Stuff into a dough and roll into flatbreads. Cook on a skillet with ghee or oil.
Why It's Easy: Simple ingredients, and you can experiment with stuffing.
Dal Tadka - Tempered Lentils
Ingredients: Lentils (like moong or masoor dal) Cumin seeds Garlic Turmeric Ghee or oil Coriander
Steps: Boil the lentils with turmeric. Add tempered spices and garlic.
Why It's Easy: Just boil and temper, ideal for beginners, and very nutritious.
Vegetable Pulao
Ingredients: Rice Mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, beans) Cumin Bay leaf Whole spices (optional)
Steps: Sauté vegetables and spices. Add rice and cook in water or broth until fluffy.
Why It's Easy: One-pot dish, and you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.
Egg Bhurji - Indian Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients: Eggs Onions Tomatoes Green chilies Turmeric Cumin seeds Coriander leaves
Steps: Sauté onions and tomatoes. Add spices and scrambled eggs. Garnish with coriander.
Why It's Easy: Quick and simple with a spicy twist on scrambled eggs.
Palak Paneer - Spinach with Cottage Cheese
Ingredients: Spinach Paneer (cottage cheese) Onions Tomatoes Crushed ginger-garlic paste Spices
Steps: Blanch and blend spinach. Cook with spices and add paneer.
Why It's Easy: Minimal prep, nutritious, and tasty with rice or bread.
Masala Bhindi - Spiced Okra
Ingredients: Okra (bhindi) Onions Tomatoes Spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric) Coriander
Steps: Sauté spices. Add chopped okra and cook until tender.
Why It's Easy: Cooks quickly in one pan and is beginner-friendly.
Jeera Aloo - Cumin Potatoes
Ingredients: Potatoes Cumin seeds Turmeric Green chilies Coriander
Steps: Boil or sauté potatoes with cumin seeds and turmeric. Add salt and coriander.
Why It's Easy: Very few ingredients and a quick cooking time.
These dishes are approachable for beginners and use ingredients commonly found in an Indian kitchen. They're all versatile and can be adjusted to suit your spice tolerance and ingredient availability!