Indian American Recipes

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Priya's Kadhi (Turmeric Yogurt Soup)

All you need to make my favorite soup are yogurt, chickpea flour, and spices. But don’t let the simplicity fool you: Kadhi is both deeply comforting and insanely complex in its flavor, like a cozy blanket draped over a hot bowl of white rice. And my mom’s recipe, unlike the liquidy, mild versions I’ve been served at restaurants, is thick, rich, and spice-forward, with a pleasant tanginess at the end. I absolutely love the strong peppercorn flavor in this dish.

cooked carrots and cauliflower with sauce in a white bowl

Rachel's Carrot Ginger Cauliflower Pickle

This has been a pantry staple in my fridge for years. I often switch up the vegetables to something that is in season like beets or radish. Traditionally raw mango powder or amchur is added for acidity, but since they're not as readily available in New York, I used white vinegar for brightness. Using robust vegetables like carrots and cauliflower will make sure the pickles stay crunchy for at least two to three weeks. Also, using a fine ground chili powder will help emulsify the spices.

a white bowl filled with meatballs covered in sauce and parmesan bread on the side

Laura's Vegan Mushroom Meatballs

I love a nice bowl of vegan meatballs swimming in hot marinara, and a little bread-y pyramid of crunchy golden garlic bread on the side. So. Much. Dipping. It’s like the edible version of your favorite cozy winter blanket that you’ll want to snuggle in forever. - Laura

there are four pieces of food stacked on top of each other in the same stack

Keya's Dal Focaccia

My only mission in life (besides raising a good human) is to glamorize the humble Dal as much as possible.This garlicky dal-laden riff on italian focaccia comes together really fast, so I like to make a full batch and freeze half the pan to make sandwiches throughout the week. Also, don’t be afraid to add more garlic ! A general rule of life really. -Keya

some food is sitting on a white plate and ready to be eaten by someone else

Meera's Baked Spring Allium Bhajis

Celebrate spring in all its green allium glory with this seasonal take on Meera Sohda’s Baked Onion Bhajis. While these crispy onion fritters are usually fried, Meera crafted a recipe that is baked to can’t-eat-just-one-perfection. And bonus, no messy, oily cleanup! Here, Meera’s recipe gets a spring makeover with copious amounts of spring onion and green garlic. If spring onions aren’t available, leeks would work in a pinch. Or, use yellow or white onions, as the original recipe suggests.

a white plate topped with meatballs and peas

Asha's Spiced Lamb Meatballs

The spice blend for these meatballs is kind of garam masala adjacent, but with more cumin and savory spices like fennel and fenugreek instead of sweeter ones like mace and nutmeg. The spice blend recipe makes about three times what you need for the meatballs, so you'll have extra on hand for all your seasoning whims. Sprinkle over lamb chops destined for the grill, use as a dry rub for chicken or try it as a seasoning for carrots before roasting and serve over plain yogurt with lime.

Anagha's Vada Pav

Vada Pav is quintessential Mumbai street food! Indian Pav originated from Portugese Pao bread, and has now become a local staple. Filling fluffy, warm pav with a vada (in this case, a fried potato fritter) is carb-loading at its finest aka perfect quarantine snacking!

Samantha's Roasted Curry Tomato Pie

Turmeric gives the rustic crust of this tomato pie a glorious golden glow, but the real star (other than the ripe summer tomatoes) are the sweet and tangy tamarind onions, which complement the spiced, cheesy filling beautifully.

a white plate topped with meat covered in sauce next to cucumbers and bread

Fried Chicken Thighs

Hot Chicken Recipe

Spicy Fried Chicken

Nashville Hot Chicken

Asha's Sivathei Hot Chicken

Inspired by the fiery favorite of the American South, Nashville Hot Chicken, this version stars the incredibly hot, mouthwateringly tasty Sivathei chilli. The 7th hottest chilli in the world, these smoked ghost peppers have a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) of roughly 1 million. In this recipe, we've combined them with the milder, fruiter Guntur Sannam chilli for a blend that is bright and lively with a nuanced wood-fired smokiness and tongue-tingling heat.

a white plate topped with fried food and lemon wedges

Veda's Masala Chicken Nuggets with Caramelized Onions & Curry Leaves

Move over drive-thru nuggets—there’s a new nugg in town: the masala-spiced chicken nugget. Marinated in a bold mixture of garlic, ginger, turmeric and Kashmiri chilli, plus a Masala Spice Mix of Guntur Sannam chillies, Aranya pepper and Baraka cardamom, these nuggets are crispy, crunchy and highly snackable.

a pizza sitting on top of a white plastic table next to a metal grate

Asha's Paneer Tikka Pizza

Here, the tandoori masala is used in two ways. First, it’s added to crushed tomatoes with a splash of cream, creating a spicy, luscious pizza sauce. The pizza is layered with the sauce, marinated paneer, low-moisture mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, green bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes before being baked to blistered, bubbling perfection.

two hands holding a white plate with grilled corn on the cob and lime wedges

Asha's Corn Ribs with Smoky Chilli-Saffron Butter

Peak-season corn needs little adornment at the height of summer — enter this smoky chilli-saffron butter. The heat and smokiness of Sirārakhong Hāthei chillies plays beautifully with the sweetness of the corn, while Kashmiri saffron brings aroma and even more richness to the party. A little bit of lime juice and lime zest liven everything up, so each bite is sweet, buttery, spicy, smoky, and tangy — is your mouth watering yet?

a roasting pan filled with chicken, potatoes and carrots on a blue surface

Asha's Favorite Roast Chicken

As y'all may be able to deduce, cooking is my love language — and, if I love you, I will make you a roast chicken. After decades of roasting chickens, I thought I'd reached the perfect bird; that was until I met our Hariyali Fennel. Blended into the most fragrant, savory blend with Aranya black pepper, smoky Sirārakhong Hāthei chillies, granulated garlic, salt, and a little MSG, it makes the dreamiest seasoning for chicken.

a person holding chopsticks over a plate of noodles with carrots and peppers

Speaking Chinese

Gobi Manchurian

Hakka Noodles

Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

Wheat Noodles

Popular Dishes

Udon Noodles

Asha's Smoky Hakka Noodles

In her article "The Sour, Spicy Fusion Food That's Wildly Popular in India," Annada Rathi writes that Indo-Chinese cuisine is a "uniquely South Asian phenomenon." The food — which finds its origins in the Hakka-speaking Chinese immigrants who traveled to India — encompasses a mouthwatering spectrum of flavors: umami, spicy, tangy, a little sweet, and highly aromatic. Popular dishes include fiery, saucy chilli panner, crispy Chicken or Gobi Manchurian, and, of course, Hakka noodles.