We have curated 3 popular quick and easy, mouth watering Indian food recipes with pictures for you! Indian Recipes have a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Indian food is highly aromatic and tasty because it contains a combination of various spices with different flavours.
1. 10 minute Vegetarian Indian Recipe
Religion is a big reason why so many people in India choose not to eat meat. In some ways, Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists all support vegetarianism. All three religions believe in ahimsa, which means to be kind to animals and not hurt them.
Some Hindus and Buddhists choose to be vegetarians, but it is a requirement in Jainism, where killing anything alive, even mosquitoes and rats, is seen as a sin. So we have curated some quick and easy Vegetarian Indian food recipes with pictures for you.
Paneer Bhurji
Paneer Bhurji is a 10 minute vegetarian Indian recipe. It comprises Indian cottage cheese scramble made with onion, tomato, and spices for an easy to make Indian breakfast. I often make this Paneer Bhurji with Roti. You can use either store-bought Paneer or Homemade.
Paneer/Cottage Cheese is a Low carb or Keto-friendly protein source.
Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese/ Paneer
- Oil
- Cumin
- garlic
- ginger
- green chilli
- onion
- tomato
- red chilli powder
- Garam Masala powder
- Salt
- Coriander Leaves
- Lemon Juice
How to Make Paneer Bhurji
- In a Kadai, add oil, once oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add minced ginger, garlic, green chili, and saute for a few seconds.
- Add onions and saute till they are soft and translucent. Then add minced ginger , garlic, green chili and sauté for few seconds.
- Next add the finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder ,garam masala ,salt and mix well. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Then add crumbled paneer and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Finally add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
- Paneer bhurji is ready and can be served with roti,naan,rice.
Paneer Bhurji
Equipment
- 1 stovetop
- 1 kadhai/pan
- 1 measuring cup 250ml
Ingredients
- 1 cup paneer/cottage cheese (appx 100 grams) grated
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup tomato finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- In a kadai/pan, add oil, once oil is hot, add cumin seeds let them splutter. Then add minced ginger , garlic, green chili and sauté for few seconds.
- Add onions and saute till they are soft and translucent. Then add minced ginger , garlic, green chili and sauté for few seconds.
- Next add the finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder ,garam masala ,salt and mix well. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Then add crumbled paneer and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Finally add lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
- Paneer bhurji is ready and can be served with roti,naan,rice.
2. Indian food for Picky Eaters
Besan Chilla
Besan Chilla or Besan Cheela is a delicious and healthy savory 10 minute vegetarian Indian recipes for pancakes made with nutty gram flour (Besan), sweet onions, tangy tomatoes, fragrant spices and herbs. Fill the batter with your favorite grated vegetables to make your meal more nutritious, and serve as a quick breakfast, brunch, or even as a late-night snack.
Besan chilla is a great alternative for a quick breakfast if you don’t eat eggs. It is the vegan eggless omelette.
Besan is a versatile ingredient to use – It can be used for savory and sweet recipes, from the main courses to desserts to snacks – you name it, and can find so many uses.
Ingredients
- Gram flour (Besan): Is flour obtained from chana dal. You can easily find it at the Indian grocery store or on Amazon.
- Green chilies: Finely chopped green chilies add a kick to the bland gram flour. Adjust the level based on your tolerance.
- Ginger: freshly minced or grated ginger adds aroma to the chilla. It also aids with digestion.
- Onion: Finely chopped red onions add a lot of flavor to the cheela
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes add juiciness and color to the dish.
- Cilantro: Freshly chopped cilantro adds a ton of fresh, earthy flavor
- Spices: Ajwain (carom seeds), Turmeric powder (haldi), and Kashmiri Red chili powder are the only spices you need.
- Salt: Use salt according to taste.
- Water: it is needed to make the batter.
- Oil: Use any vegetable oil of your choice. You can also use ghee if you are not a vegan.
How to Make Chilla?
You have to try this once to know how simple it is to make.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients – besan, spices, and veggies
- Add the water gradually and whisk until you have a smooth, flowy batter.
- On a heated Tawa/ skillet, add a ladle full of the batter in the center and using the ladle, spread the batter in a circular clockwise direction.
- Allow the batter to set on medium heat till a pancake is formed.
- Drizzle some oil over the top of the pancake and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown or separate from the pan.
- Cook the pancake for another 1-2 minutes on the other side. To flip, use a thin spatula.
Besan Chilla
Equipment
- 1 stovetop
- 1 non-stick pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Gram flour (Besan)
- ¼ teaspoon carom seeds (Ajwain)
- 2 Green Chili finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- ¼ cup Tomato finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro leaves chopped
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri Red Chilli powder
- ¼ cup Red onion finely chopped
- 4 teaspoon oil
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
- Take a large bowl, add besan, ajwain, green chili, ginger, onion, tomato, cilantro, salt, turmeric and red chili powder.
- Mix them well and add some water to make a consistent medium thick batter.
- Heat a iron skillet or non-stick pan on medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, take a ladle full of the batter, and pour it at the centre of the pan. Using the same ladle, spread the batter in a circular motion to make a round chilla.
- Drizzle some oil at the edges of the chilla and at the center on the top. Total of about ¾ to 1 teaspoon.
- Cook the chilla on one side for a couple of minutes, then flip it using a spatula. You should see some golden spots on the top of the chilla after it was flipped.
- Now press with the spatula and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. When the chilla is well cooked on both sides, remove to a plate.
- Same way make all the chilla's. Serve besan chilla right way with chutney or tomato ketchup, and a cup of chai!
3. Quick and Easy Corn Chaat
Chaat is a common term to describe a particular type of Indian street food. There are a variety of Chaat recipes cooked and served across the country. One such loved street food is sweet corn chaat.
It is a vegetarian snack made with sweet corn kernels, onion, tomato, fresh herbs, butter, lemon juice, salt, and spices.
Ingredients
Corn: You can either extract kernels from a corn cob or get ready-to-use sweet corn kernels.
For Seasoning Water: Garlic, Ginger, Bay Leaf, Black Peppercorns, Salt.
Butter: It gives a creamy, rich, buttery taste to sweet corn.
Vegetables: Onion, Tomato
Herbs: Fresh Coriander Leaves, Spring Onion (Green Onion)
Spices: Chaat Masala, Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder, Rock Salt, Black Pepper Powder
Other Ingredients: Green Chili, Lemon Juice.
How To Make
Step 1) Boil water in a saucepan along with ginger, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt. Once the water starts boiling add corn kernels. Boil them for 3 – 5 minutes or till they are tender and cooked.
Step 2) Transfer corn kernels to a colander. Drain all the water. Add butter to the warm corn and mix nicely. Set it aside.
Step 3) Combine sweet corn kernels, chopped ingredients, spices, salt, lemon juice, and fresh coriander. Mix and the corn chaat is ready to serve!
Important Tips and Tricks
DO NOT COOK CORN for too long in the water. They should have a crunch.
For a vegan corn chaat, skip adding butter to the boiled corn kernels. Use one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.
If you are making this corn chaat for the kids, skip adding green chilies.
Corn Chaat
Ingredients
- 2 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 piece of ginger
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- ½ Cup onion finely chopped
- ½ cup tomato finely chopped
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh coriander finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil water in a saucepan along with ginger, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt. Once the water starts boiling add corn kernels. Boil them for 3 – 5 minutes or till they are tender and cooked.
- Next, transfer boiled corn kernels to a colander. Drain all the water. Add butter to the warm corn and mix nicely. Set it aside.
- Combine sweet corn kernels, chopped onion, garlic, green chili, spices, salt, lemon juice, and fresh coriander. Mix nicely. Taste and if required add more salt.Corn Chaat is ready to serve.
4. FAQs
What are some time saving tricks when cooking Indian food?
- To save time, you can store the paste of ginger and garlic separately in freezer and use when needed.
- Plan your meals and make a grocery list.
What is the one ingredient that Westerners miss in cooking a good Indian curry?
Garam Masala- a mixture of indian spices in powder form is used in every Indian curry.
What to cook when you have nothing Indian?
Corn Chaat, Besan Chilla & Paneer Bhurji
If you try these recipes and love it, please leave a comment and a rating
