Uttar Pradesh is popular for its rich history, culture, and cuisine. The state has a diverse range of culinary traditions that are influenced by Mughlai and Awadhi cuisine. The cuisine of Uttar Pradesh is famous for its Nawabi delights like Kebabs, Biryani, and Koftas. Some of the famous food in Uttar Pradesh include Tunday Kebab, Galouti Kebab, and Dum Aloo.
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Enjoy Mouth Watering Food In Uttar Pradesh
Must Try Food In Uttar Pradesh
Galouti Kebabs
Galouti Kebabs is the most well-known dish in the city of Nawabs, Lucknow. This special dish is made by mixing minced meat with flavorful spices and cooking it on a flat griddle, called a ‘tava.’ The wonderful aroma and the delightful taste of these spices are truly captivating.
What makes this dish unique is how it simply melts in your mouth, and the medley of different spices will awaken and excite your taste buds.
Tunday Kebab
Tunday kebabs is a popular food in Uttar Pradesh. It offers delicious and mouthwatering flavor. These kebabs are crafted using lamb or buffalo meat and are infused with over 100 different spices. It gives them a truly unique taste. The history of Tunday Kebabs dates back to the 17th century.
During that time, the Nawab (a noble ruler) had lost most of his teeth due to old age but he still craved his favorite kebabs. Since he couldn’t chew them, he devised a clever plan. He organized a cooking competition where the challenge was to create a kebab that would effortlessly melt in his mouth while delivering incredible flavor.
When chef Hajid Murad Ali stepped in and prepared the perfect kebab that not only dissolved in Nawab’s mouth but also delighted him with its exceptional taste. This marked the beginning of the famous Tunday kebabs that Lucknow is so well known for today.
Chaat
Chaat is a term that covers a wide range of Indian street foods, snacks, and small meals. These dishes are famous for combining a mix of salty, spicy, sweet, and sour flavors. Chaat items are typically small and are enjoyed either on their own as a snack or as part of a larger meal when combined with other dishes.
You can find a variety of chaat dishes. From stuffed bread to deep-fried pastries, they come with different dipping sauces to make them even more flavorful.
Lucknow Biryani
Lucknawi Biryani is a special dish from Uttar Pradesh. It’s made using cashew nuts, saffron, yogurt, mace powder, and star anise. This dish is a must-try in Awadhi cuisine, where the meat, either mutton or chicken, is cooked slowly to perfection.
Locals in Swaroop Nagar have a favorite place called Baba’s, where they enjoy the best biryani.
Dum Aloo
Dum Aloo is a popular North Indian dish that is made with baby potatoes. The potatoes are first boiled and then cooked in a spicy onion, tomato, and yogurt-based gravy. The dish is slow-cooked using the dum style of cooking, which involves sealing the pot to trap the steam.
Dum Aloo is typically served with plain basmati rice, flavored rice like Jeera rice, ghee rice, matar pulao or with naan and roti. There are many variations of Dum Aloo, including Punjabi Dum Aloo and Kashmiri Dum Aloo.
Tehri
Tehri is a traditional dish that is quite simple but tasty. It is made with yellow rice, along with vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, peas, and potatoes. Imagine it as a delightful blend of veg biryani and pulao, bringing together the goodness of rice and veggies.
To balance out its flavors, people often enjoy Tehri with curd or raita to cool down the spiciness. It is a classic in Awadhi cuisine and a delightful meal for vegetarians. Tehri is a popular vegetarian dish in Uttar Pradesh. It is also prepare using a variety of locally available vegetables and spices, making it a flavorful and satisfying meal.
Nargis Kofta
Nargisi Kofta is a special dish made with meatballs in a rich gravy. What makes it unique is that each meatball has an egg inside, filled with minced mutton, and then deep-fried. The gravy is prepared with tomato puree, a paste made from dried fruits, and onions cooked to a sweet, caramelized goodness.
People often make this dish during the holy month of Ramadan for Iftar as a special treat. If you have not tried it yet, you are in for a flavorful experience – it is definitely a dish worth tasting.
Paneer Pasanda
Paneer Pasanda is a popular vegetarian dish that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is a rich and luxurious recipe where sweet and spiced filling is stuffed between two pieces of paneer, then batter coated, shallow fried and served in a smooth onion-tomato and cashew gravy. While this restaurant-style Paneer Pasanda recipe is time-consuming, it is absolutely worth it.
Baati Chokha
Baati Chokha is a traditional dish from the Indian state of Bihar. It is a complete meal that consists of three components: baati, chokha, and ghee. Baati is a hard, unleavened bread made from wheat flour, semolina, and ghee. It is baked in a traditional oven called a tandoor or over charcoal.
Chokha is a spicy vegetable mash made from roasted eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and green chilies. The vegetables are roasted over an open flame until they are charred and then mashed together with spices and herbs. Ghee is melted clarified butter that is poured over the baati and chokha before serving.
Boti Kebab
Boti Kabab is a popular appetizer in North Indian cuisine. It is made with cubed mutton pieces that are marinated in a mixture of papaya paste, green chili paste, and garlic paste. The marinated mutton pieces are then cooked with a blend of spices and grilled to perfection on skewers.
The dish is soft, spicy, and flavorful. It is often served as a starter or along with roomali roti for dinner.
Kakori Kebab
Kakori Kebab is a popular Mughlai dish that originated in the small town of Kakori in Lucknow. It is made with minced mutton, onions, and a blend of spices. The meat is marinated with a mixture of green papaya paste, fried onion paste, roasted dried coconut paste, and fresh cream.
The mixture is then wrapped around skewers and grilled to perfection over a charcoal fire. The kebab is soft, succulent, and juicy, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that leaves you spellbound. It is often served as an appetizer or snack at parties, picnics, and more.
Famous Sweet Food In Uttar Pradesh
Lassi
Lassi is a refreshing and popular drink. Its soothing qualities, especially on hot days make it a prior choice of people. It is a blend of yogurt, water, and a touch of sweetness. Lassi comes in two main varieties: sweet lassi, with sugar or fruits for a delightful taste, and salty lassi, often seasoned with spices like cumin.
Whether you prefer it sweet or savory, lassi offers a cool, creamy respite. It is perfect for quenching your thirst and pleasing your taste buds.
Petha
Petha is a beloved sweet treat from Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It is crafted from a type of squash called ash gourd, which is also known as winter melon or white pumpkin. Petha comes in rectangular or cylindrical shapes and is a favorite among both kids and grown-ups.
You can find different kinds of Petha such as kesar petha and angoori petha. It is a delightful Indian dessert that’s worth trying if you have a sweet tooth.
Rasmalai
Rasmalai is a delicious Indian dessert that captures the essence of sweetness. It consists of soft, spongy cheese dumplings soaked in a creamy, aromatic milk sauce scented with cardamom and saffron.
This delightful treat is often garnished with slivers of pistachios or almonds, adding a delightful crunch to the creamy richness. Rasmalai is a popular dessert at festivals, celebrations, and in Indian cuisine.
Khurchan
Khurchan is a sweet dish that is believed to have originated in Madhya Pradesh. It is made from the residual milk cream that is left behind after extracting ghee from butter. The word “khurchan” means “scraped leftovers” in Hindi.
The dish is made by heating the cream in a kadhai (wok) until it thickens and forms a papery layer on top. The layer is then scraped off and served as a sweet. Khurchan has a mild taste and a gooey texture, and it is often layered like a cake.
Sahi Tukda
Shahi Tukda from the Oudh region is like a cozy dessert hug. It is a bread pudding that is soaked in creamy condensed milk and adorned with tasty nuts and dried fruits.
Made from simple ingredients like bread, milk, saffron, cashews, cardamom, and sugar, it brings a warm and homely sweetness that’s perfect for satisfying your dessert cravings.
Kulfi Falooda
Kulfi Falooda is a sweet treat that takes us back to our childhood, especially during the hot summer days. It’s a delightful mix of ice cream or kulfi, vermicelli noodles, passion fruit seeds, rose syrup, and a sprinkling of dry fruits.
If you are looking for the best Kulfi Falooda, Prakash ki Kulfi in the lively Aminabad area, often called the Chandni Chowk of Lucknow, is the go-to place. It’s a perfect dessert to cool off and savor in the heat of summer.
Makhan Malai
Makhan Malai is also popular as Daulat Ki Chaat. It is a heavenly dessert from Northern India, and it is like a taste of clouds. This delicate treat is made by churning sweetened milk in the open air during chilly winter nights, creating a fluffy, frothy concoction.
It is then adorned with saffron, cardamom, and a sprinkle of pistachios. Makhan Malai is a unique and ethereal dessert, melting in your mouth like a sweet dream.
Jalebi
Jalebi is a delightful Indian sweet. It is made by shaping a sweet, fermented batter into swirling patterns, deep-frying it to a beautiful golden color, and then soaking it in sugar syrup.
The result is a crispy, syrupy treat with a hint of saffron or cardamom flavor. Jalebi is a favorite at fairs and festivals and as a sweet ending to a hearty meal.
Banarasi Paan
Banarasi paan is a popular treat in different flavors and colors. The traditional version is a betel nut leaf wrap filled with maraschino cherries, gulkand, and tutti frutti. Some folks even add a touch of silver leaf for extra flair. This cool and refreshing delight is a perfect way to end a hearty meal, leaving your taste buds satisfied.
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From the spices of Lucknawi Biryani to the sweetness of Jalebi, Uttar Pradesh offers a delightful must-try food journey. The rich diversity of dishes, both savory and sweet, reflects the essence of this region’s culture and history. So, if you are exploring Uttar Pradesh, its famous foods are an experience not to be missed.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
The bustling lanes of Aminabad in Lucknow are famous for their street food, offering delectable treats like Chaat, Aloo Tikki, and Kebabs
Lassi, a cool and creamy yogurt-based drink, is a traditional and refreshing choice to stay cool in the Uttar Pradesh heat.
The city of Varanasi, in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, is popular for its sweet delicacies like Malaiyo and Tamatar Chaat.
Yes, Uttar Pradesh is known for delicious vegetarian dishes, with Dum Aloo, Petha, and Tehri being some of the standout options.
Prakash ki Kulfi, located in the lively Aminabad area of Lucknow, is renowned for serving some of the best Kulfi Falooda in the region.
