17 Indian Side Dishes You Need To Order

Cauliflower is a pretty big deal in Indian cuisine, but the cruciferous vegetable is a relatively recent addition to the national menu. It was originally brought to India by the British, with the first seeds imported into the country in 1822. The seeds remained and spread. Now, cauliflower can be found across India.

It was in the Indian region of Punjab that aloo gobi first flourished. The dish is a combination of potatoes and cauliflower, which is indicated by its name. "Aloo" means "potato" in Hindi, and "gobi" means "cauliflower." These ingredients are cooked together with an array of spices to make a dry curry. 

The cauliflower and potatoes are chopped into smaller pieces, then fried with onion and garlic, before spices like cumin and mustard seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, and garam masala are tossed in. The whole thing is then left to cook until the vegetables are tender and the spices fragrant. While aloo gobi is hearty enough to be enjoyed as a main, thanks to the chunky vegetables involved, it's also excellent served as a side dish. Aloo gobi goes especially well with dal or a meat-based curry. And the best part? If you have any leftovers to take home with you, it's even better the next day.

You haven't truly lived until you've tried onion bhajis. Perhaps the ultimate Indian side dish, onion bhajis are essentially onion fritters, created with pieces of sliced onion held together in a batter made from chickpea or gram flour. Onion bhajis were originally conceived in southwestern Karnataka, and are usually eaten as a snack, appetizer, or street food. Alongside a curry, however, they provide an incredible flavor and texture contrast.

Onion bhajis are just one of many bhajis, with the word being used to refer to any fried vegetable fritter. To make onion bhajis, cooks will slice onions into long rings or pieces, thin enough to remain malleable. Then, they're added to the batter, which is often flavored with spices like cumin, turmeric, and coriander. The onion and batter mixture is then shaped into balls, discs, or other shapes, and then fried in oil, until the outside of the bhaji is crispy and the inside remains soft. They're then taken out, given a moment or two for the excess oil to drain off, and then plated up. Onion bhajis are best served alongside something moist and are best when they come with something to dip them in, like a mango chutney or raita.

Rasam had a moment in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the dish suddenly seeing a surge in popularity in 2020 thanks to its purported health benefits, per The Better India. But this stew has been around for way longer than that. Rasam has a centuries-old history, first becoming popular in South India, and is a predecessor to mulligatawny soup. It generally appears as a soup or thin stew, with a clear or slightly-colored broth, into which a range of vegetables, pulses, and even meat is added.

Though rasam might look simple, its intricate flavor combinations will blow you away. The soup is tangy and tart, thanks to the broth being made from tamarind or sometimes kokum, a sour fruit that grows in southwest India. The broth is also frequently spiced with other flavors like coriander and turmeric. Add in a plethora of vegetables like carrots, chickpeas, and greens, and it's no wonder that this soup became so prized for its potential restorative properties.

Rasam makes a great choice as an accompaniment if you're trying to stay away from the slightly more dense end of the side dish spectrum like onion bhajis and aloo tikki. Try ordering it alongside tandoori dishes, dry curries, or rice-based dishes. Some bowls of rasam may also be filling enough to have as a main course, with a serving of rice.

Look, we all have our go-to order in an Indian restaurant. But if that order doesn't include naan bread, you're missing out. Naan is a quintessential Indian bread. Like roti, it is eaten across the country. Whereas roti is always unleavened, naan can be either leavened or unleavened and is made using wheat flour.

What sets naan bread apart is its cooking method. To make this bread, pieces of dough are placed in a tandoor, a traditional clay oven that looks like a big pot or an urn. In the tandoor, the bread not only cooks through but develops a smoky, slightly crisp exterior, giving the naan a unique flavor and visual style. They can be made smaller so that they're well-suited to individual portions, or come as large sheets of bread, which are best torn apart and shared with friends.

Similar to roti, plain naan bread can go with pretty much anything, and is perhaps best enjoyed alongside curry. Naan bread can also frequently be flavored with additional ingredients, with garlic and coriander commonly used. This type of bread can also be served stuffed, for an extra-luxurious touch, with nuts and even meat tucked into a naan before cooking.

With roughly 1,800 types of cheese across the globe, it's little surprise that it shows up pretty much everywhere, including in Indian cuisine. And in Indian cooking, paneer is the cheese of choice. Paneer is a firm cheese that holds its shape when cooked, similar to halloumi. It's made with cow's milk and lemon juice and is frequently used in place of meat in dishes like curries.

But it's also a staple in Indian side dishes, from saag paneer to paneer tikka — and it's the latter that you need to try ordering. Paneer tikka is northern Indian in origin and is made by marinating chunks of paneer in a mixture of yogurt and spices, with the word "tikka" referring to its marination process. Once they've had a chance to imbue with flavor, these chunks are then threaded onto skewers, with chunks of vegetables like onions or peppers placed between each piece of cheese. The finished skewers are then cooked in a tandoor oven, which gives them unparalleled char and smokiness.

Paneer tikka can be served as a side dish with any main you desire and will give your whole meal a boost of protein. Alternatively, you can enjoy paneer tikka as a main. Order it with naan bread and some condiments, and wrap it all up to make a paneer sandwich (making sure, of course, to remove the skewer before chomping into it).

No curry is complete without rice. In Indian restaurants, you might be familiar with ordering a side of plain basmati, which delivers a lightly fragrant bed of carbs for your spicy sauce, meat, and vegetables to lay upon. Next time you're eating out, though, try ordering pilau rice instead.

Pilau rice is basmati taken to the next level. While each recipe will vary slightly, it's typically a gently-spiced rice dish, flavored with additions like saffron, turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom. Pilau may also contain added vegetables, like peas and carrots, as well as slivered almonds or other nuts, and occasionally a sweet element like raisins.

There are many dishes similar to pilau found in different cuisines, outside of Indian food. You're just as likely to find pilau rice in a restaurant serving Afghan, Iranian, Turkish, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Caribbean cuisine. Because of the reach and ubiquity of this dish, its origins are hotly contested. Some people claim that the dish is Indian in origin, but others state that it was first made in Iran or in the surrounding regions. Wherever it's from, though, it's an essential Indian side dish. Regular pilau rice can make for a far more exciting side dish than regular basmati, and in some cases, it can be a main meal on its own.

If there's one thing Indian cuisine knows how to do, it's to take fairly neutral-tasting ingredients and turn them into something utterly delicious. That kind of ethos is potentially what led to the development of saag aloo. This dish is a concoction of spinach and potatoes, simmered together with spices and flavorings to make a delicious vegetarian curry. Spices in the dish may include turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala.

The word "saag" actually refers to the most basic form of this dish, which is a leaf-based curry made from spinach or other greens. "Aloo" means potato, which refers to its inclusion in the dish. There are other variations of saag out there, including saag paneer. This dish uses paneer cheese instead of potato. Other types of saag have chickpeas, other pulses, and even meat. In our opinion, though, saag aloo is one of the best versions of this dish to order as a side, as it's simple enough to complement your main dish while also spicing things up a little. Just make sure you share it with your buddies.

Indian cuisine is very, very good at snacks, appetizers, and side dishes. The best of these foods are as delicious as a quick bite as they are next to a main meal. There's a strong argument to be made that the unassuming samosa is the best food for all of these occasions. Samosas were originally created in Central Asia before the migration of communities populating these areas to India caused the food to travel with it. Once there, samosas took the country by storm. They are popular both as street food and as something that can be enjoyed in a slower, more relaxed dining setting.

Samosas are fried pastries filled with a variety of spicy fillings. Indian samosas can vary in size, from pretty small to the size of a plate, but they're usually triangular or slightly conical in shape. Inside the samosa can be a range of spiced vegetables, pulses, legumes, and meat — with boiled or mashed potatoes and peas often appearing. What's inside a samosa and the shape of it, though, are only limited by the chef's creativity. Samosas go well with pretty much anything on the menu, but if you want to enjoy them to their fullest potential, try ordering them as a starter before the main event.

Meals are at their best when they get the balance of different flavors just right. One of the best ways to give a meal some sweetness and tanginess — that would be hard to find elsewhere — is by ordering a side of chutney. 

Chutney is a condiment that's sweet, savory, and spicy all at the same time. Coming from the Hindi word "chatni," which means "to crush," chutneys come in all different styles in India. The condiment is served with an extraordinarily large range of foods, either to dip snack foods in or poured over the top of things.

The name "chutney" refers to how it's traditionally made, by mashing together whatever produce is being used to make the chutney in a mortar and pestle until it becomes a thick paste or liquid. These days, commercially-produced chutneys can be noticeably sweeter and potentially less spicy, but there are some pretty fierce chutneys out there. Mango, tomato, cucumber, and lime are all often used to make this condiment. The truth, though, is that virtually any fruit or vegetable can be tossed in a chutney, and in some parts of India, ingredients like dried fish might be used as a core part of recipes. In an Indian restaurant, chutney is frequently served with poppadoms, samosas, and pakora, but it goes well with almost anything on your table.