3 Amazing Indian Dishes That Aren't Curry

Indian food is usually associated with curry recipes, like curried goat or curry chicken, but there are so many incredible Indian dishes that don't include curry.

If you're craving Indian food you can make kheema, which is an Indian chili, or try tackling mulligatawny, an Indian lentil soup. The possibilities are endless. Step out of the curry comfort zone and try something new — you won't be sorry. Here are three non-curry Indian dishes to get you started:

Indian-Inspired Mulligatawny

Created in the time of the Raj, this creamy lentil soup enriched with coconut milk takes its name from a Tamil phrase "milagu thanni," meaning pepper water. — Susannah Blake

For the Indian-Inspired Mulligatawny recipe, click here.

Indian Spiced Cookies (Nankhatai) Recipe

These are Indian shortbread cookies called nankhatai. A nankhatai is a simple eggless cookie with butter, flour, and sugar as the main ingredients. Some spice is added to give the cookies an extra zing. I used a mixture of besan (chickpea flour), all-purpose flour, and semolina as the base. Black pepper adds warmth to these sweet, buttery cookies and a little bit of fruity jam or almond on top gives these thumbprint cookies their last finishing touch. You can use any kind of nut or jam of choice. — Prerna Singh

For the Indian Spiced Cookies (Nankhatai) recipe, click here.

Kheema ("Indian Chili") Recipe

This dish is very similar to a comfort food classic — chili. The recipe includes potatoes, onions, lamb, and peas and it all gets coated with a garam masala blend.

For the Kheema ("Indian Chili") recipe, click here.