
Indian Side Dishes
From flatbreads like naan to rice dishes—essential to soaking up soupy curries or dals—to the country's wide array of chutneys, raitas, and pickles, these side dishes, condiments, and breads round out any Indian table.


Spicy Pineapple Yogurt (Kaitha Chaka Pachadi)
This zippy raita gets its punch from green Thai chiles and its sweetness from pineapple. A piquant mixture of black mustard seeds, dried red chiles, and curry leaves lends the sauce an earthy spice. Get the recipe for Spicy Pineapple Yogurt (Kaitha Chaka Pachadi) »
Coconut-Cilantro Chutney (Hara Dhaniya Ki Chutney)
This Indian chutney uses an array of ingredients, blending yellow split peas with coconut, cilantro, ginger, and chile.
Curry Leaf Chutney (Karipatta Chutney)
This fragrant sauce is great with dosas, the fermented lentil and rice crêpes common in south India. It’s dead simple to make, using just a few vibrant ingredients to deliver big flavor: Fresh curry leaves form the base, with sweetness from jaggery (an unrefined sugar), spice from ginger, and sourness from tamarind.
Cucumber-Tomato Yogurt
This basic raita is a cooling counterpoint to fiery foods, thanks to its foundation of full-fat yogurt, cucumber, and mint. Plum tomatoes add a hint of acid, Thai chiles heat, and cumin a slight earthiness.

Mint and Green Mango Chutney
Green mango and aromatic mint combine to delicious effect for this tart, refreshing Indian purée. Green Thai chiles lend a spicy note, while cumin and the garlic-like powder asafoetida give an earthy backbone to the condiment.
Naan (Indian Leavened Flatbread)
Unlike some other staple Indian breads, which are unleavened and crafted from durum wheat flour, or atta, fluffy naan is made with all-purpose flour and yeast. Traditionally, the dough is slapped against the chimney wall of a clay tandoor oven and baked over wood fires, but many home cooks make it on the stovetop.

Indian Layered Flatbread (Paratha)
The foundation for this common Indian flatbread is the same dough that is used for chapati—atta, or durum wheat flour, mixed with water. The key difference, which creates the paratha’s signature layers, is rolling and folding the dough in a triangle. The chewy flatbread is then dry-cooked in a skillet until puffy and golden.

Eggplant in Tomato Sauce
This simple but flavorful dish of fried eggplant and onions is served with a vinegar-spiked tomato sauce. Get the recipe for Eggplant in Tomato Sauce »
Aloo Masala (South Indian Potatoes)
These flavorful mashed potatoes are spiced with mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves, turmeric, and ginger, and mixed with peas. Get the recipe for Aloo Masala (South Indian Potatoes) »





Indian Curd Rice
This creamy spiced rice is a staple dish of the Pongal harvest festival in Southern India. Get the recipe for Indian Curd Rice »
Indian Tomato Rice
Flavored with sweet plum tomatoes and aromatic spices, this rice dish is perfect alongside roast chicken. Get the recipe for Indian Tomato Rice »
Lotus Root in Yogurt Sauce (Nadru Yakhni)
Porous lotus root sops up spiced yogurt gravy in this Kashmiri specialty.

Yogurt with Banana and Grated Coconut (Kela ka Raita)
At the Indian table, a variety of yogurt-based raitas mollify the tongue-searing effect of chiles. This version, made fruity and sweet with the addition of coconut and banana, is adapted from Foods of the World: The Cooking of India (Time Life, 1969). Get the recipe for Yogurt with Banana and Grated Coconut »
Cilantro Yogurt Chutney
This creamy yogurt-based chutney is made with cilantro, lime, and fresh green chiles. Get the recipe for Cilantro Yogurt Chutney »
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