Appetizers
Punjabi Samosas
Properly made samosas have a blistered, flaky shell that stays crisp for hours — the result of a stiff dough…
Appetizers · Indian
All 5455 recipes
Indian appetizer recipes
49 Indian appetizer recipes, in a suggested order.
These are the 49 Indian recipes filed under appetizers: 49 of the 585 appetisers and small plates on the site, and 49 of its 290 Indian recipes. Of these, 14 are ready in 30 minutes or less, start to finish; the quickest are Boondi Raita (10 min), Mint Chutney (10 min) and Coconut Chutney (15 min). For 24, the method times a wait such as rising, chilling or marinating, and the time at the top of the recipe includes it. By difficulty: 20 easy, 23 medium and 6 hard.
As written, 38 are vegetarian, 15 vegan, 18 gluten-free and 16 dairy-free.
Indian starters and snacks
Appetizers
Paneer Tikka
Cubes of paneer marinated in spiced yoghurt, threaded with peppers and onion, and charred hard under a grill until…
Appetizers
Misal Pav
Sprouted moth beans in a thin, fiery gravy, topped with farsan, raw onion and coriander, with a slick of red rassa…
Appetizers
Vegetable Pakoras
Onion, potato and spinach bound in a spiced gram flour batter and fried into craggy, shatteringly crisp clusters…
Appetizers
Air Fryer Samosas
Spring roll pastry folded around a spiced potato and pea filling and cooked in the air fryer until crisp. Makes 8 in…
Appetizers
Aloo Chaat
Potato cubes fried until the corners shatter, tossed with chaat masala, lime and coriander. Thirty minutes.
Appetizers
Aloo Tikki
Spiced mashed potato patties with green chilli, coriander and cumin, shallow-fried until crisp and golden.
Appetizers
Beef Samosas
Spiced beef mince and peas in folded pastry triangles, brushed with oil and baked until crisp.
Appetizers
Bhel Puri
Puffed rice tossed at the last second with chutneys, onion, potato and sev. Bombay beach food, and it must be eaten…
Appetizers
Bread Pakora
Slices of bread filled with spiced mashed potato, dipped in a gram flour batter and fried until crisp.
Appetizers
Chakli
Crisp spirals of rice flour and lentil flour dough, flavoured with cumin, sesame and chilli, shaped with a press and…
Appetizers
Chana Chaat
Chickpeas tossed with raw onion, tomato, chaat masala and tamarind, assembled in ten minutes and eaten within…
Appetizers
Chicken 65
Small pieces of chicken in a red, curry-leaf-scented coating, fried hard and tossed with yoghurt and chilli. A…
Appetizers
Chicken Lollipop
Chicken wings frenched into a lollipop, battered red and fried. Bar food across India, and the reason wing drumettes…
Appetizers
Chicken Malai Tikka
Chicken pieces marinated in cream, cheese, cashew paste and mild spices, then cooked until tender with light char.
Appetizers
Chicken Pakora
Bite-size pieces of chicken coated in a spiced gram flour batter and deep-fried until crisp and golden.
Appetizers
Chicken Reshmi Kebab
Silky minced chicken kebabs with cream, cashew paste, green chilli and cardamom, cooked on skewers or in a pan until…
Appetizers
Chilli Paneer
Battered paneer tossed with peppers and onion in a dark, glossy soy and chilli sauce. Indo-Chinese, and the one…
Appetizers
Dabeli
A spiced potato filling in a buttered roll with pomegranate, roasted peanuts and sev. Gujarat's answer to the vada…
Appetizers
Dahi Puri
Crisp hollow puris filled with potato and chickpeas, topped with sweetened yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutneys and…
Appetizers
Dahi Vada
Lentil dumplings soaked soft, squeezed and drowned in sweetened yoghurt with two chutneys. Cold, and best made a few…
Appetizers
Dhokla
A steamed savoury sponge of gram flour, sharp with lemon and sweet with a sugar tempering. Gujarat's teatime, and…
Appetizers
Fish Amritsari
Punjabi-style fish pieces coated in a tangy gram flour and carom seed batter with amchur and lemon, cooked until…
Appetizers
Fish Pakora
Cubes of white fish in a spiced gram flour batter with ajwain, chilli and lemon, cooked until crisp and golden.
Appetizers
Fish Tikka
Firm white fish in a yoghurt and carom seed marinade, charred at the edges. Thirty-five minutes and no tandoor…
Appetizers
Gobi Manchurian
Cauliflower fried in a spiced batter and tossed in a dark garlic and soy sauce. Kolkata Hakka cooking, and the dish…
Appetizers
Khandvi
Thin, silky rolls of gram flour and buttermilk batter cooked until set, spread thin and finished with mustard seeds…
Appetizers
Lamb Samosas
Spiced lamb mince and peas wrapped in folded filo triangles, brushed with oil and baked until crisp.
Appetizers
Lamb Shami Kebab
Soft patties of minced lamb and split chickpeas with whole spices, shaped by hand and shallow-fried until crusty…
Appetizers
Masala Pav
Soft rolls split and griddled in butter with a spiced onion and tomato mixture pressed into them. Twenty-five minutes.
Appetizers
Mirchi Vada
Large mild green chillies stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in a gram flour batter and cooked until crisp.
Appetizers
Moong Dal Kachori
Crisp, flaky pastry rounds stuffed with spiced ground moong dal and cooked in hot oil until puffed and golden.
Appetizers
Murukku
Crisp, spiral snacks of rice flour and urad flour with cumin, sesame and butter, pressed into oil and cooked until…
Appetizers
Onion Bhajis
Sliced onion bound with spiced gram flour batter and fried into crisp, lacy golden clusters. The curry house…
Appetizers
Paneer Pakora
Slices of paneer sandwiched with green chutney, dipped in a seasoned gram flour batter and cooked until crisp.
Appetizers
Pani Puri
Hollow crisp spheres filled with spiced water, potato and chickpea, eaten whole in one go. India's most-loved street…
Appetizers
Papdi Chaat
Crisp fried dough wafers layered with potato, chickpeas, whisked yoghurt, two chutneys, pomegranate and sev.
Appetizers
Pyaaz Kachori
Crisp, puffed pastry rounds stuffed with a spiced onion filling and cooked slowly in hot oil, a Rajasthani street…
Appetizers
Samosa Chaat
A samosa crushed under chickpea curry, yoghurt and three chutneys. Twenty-five minutes if the samosas are bought.
Appetizers
Sev Puri
Flat crisp puris topped with potato, onion, tomato, two chutneys and a crown of fine, crunchy chickpea noodles.
Appetizers
Vegetable Samosas
Spiced potato, pea and carrot wrapped in folded filo triangles, brushed with oil and baked until crisp.
Condiments, dressings, rubs and preserves 8
Filed under Appetizers but not a starter or snack on its own: condiment, dressing or rub. Filter these.
- Boondi Raita 10 min
- Coconut Chutney 15 min
- Cucumber Raita 25 min
- Lime Pickle 9 days
- Mango Chutney 65 min
- Mango Pickle 4 days
- Mint Chutney 10 min
- Tamarind Chutney 25 min+