Heaven On The Plate

By Ridhima Dugar

People eat food to survive,

Indians survive to eat food

Food brings taste to life

Within seconds, it changes one's mood

Food that belongs to the South

Travels from the banana leaves into the mouth

The sizzling sambar in a bowl

The little idli that resembles a snowball

And the crispy sambar vadas

Are found in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh Telangana and Madras

Karnataka's paper thin dosa

And the tempting North Indian samosa

Act as an epitome of Indian diversity

There exists a distinct sub-cuisine in every Indian city

Puchka and Gup-chup in the East

Pakodi and Panipuri in the West

Gol Gappas with varying names

All over the country, have gained a lot of fame

On any occasion in Delhi, Dal makhni and paneer cannot be forgotten Mouth-watering kulfi falooda and the omnipresent chaats, with great craze are eaten

Let's explore the lavish

Thaali of Uttar Pradesh

Lucknowi biryaani symbolizes royalty of the nawabs

Food enthusiasts would love to try paan, kulfi, malpua and kababs

The pedas of Mathura

And the pethas of Agra

To feel the Rajasthani aroma

One must try dal baati choorma

A filling Rajasthani meal is kadhi and ker saangri along with bajre ki roti, A prominent winter dish of Punjab is Sasro ka saag with Makke ki roti

The king of Punjabi dishes

Is butter chicken, do not think of fishes

Without chhole-bhatoore, this cuisine is incomplete

Malaidar lassi with buttery paranthe and Shakkar Para, that's so sweet!

Dhaam, a full package of flavors and nutrients is found in Himachal Pradesh Patande, babru and Meetha Kaddu are some finger-licking sweet dishes

Kulcha, kashmiri naan, rajma and kheer

Are some famous food items of Jammu and Kashmir

Ladakh's culturally significant butter tea, chhaang and rogan josh, an aromatic lamb dish Uttrakhand's Rabri is liked by all and so is the Chhaas with leafs of radish

Thekua is served as prasad on the auspicious festival of chhatt when the entire state cheers

The crispy dessert, Khaja has been a part of Bihari cuisine since a time span of more than 2000 years

Talking about Bihari food, we cannot skip its pride

Littee Chokha, which is consumed on a scale that's too wide

Pasa, chura sabji and pika pila of Arunachal

Assam's traditional dish, khaar which is loved by all the locals

The state of Chhattisgarh is well known for delicious bhajis of distinct kinds

Sael roti and curry are few lips smacking dishes of Sikkim, which need to be cooked wholeheartedly, disregarding the use of sharp minds

Here comes a delectable Bengali surprise

A typical Bengali plate has a place reserved for rice

Sweets like roshogulla and mishti dahi are a necessity, no matter you forget the spices For fish lovers, Kolkatta indeed serves as paradise.

Behrampur, the food capital of Odisha is famous for its achaar and papad It's a treat to have Dahibara aloodum of Cuttack and the luscious Chenna Poda of Nayagarh

You can feel the essence of MP

By tasting poha, dal bafla, shrikhand and khoya jalebi.

The ubiquicious vada pav from Mumbai

And Pune's unique Bakerwadi

Lord Ganesh's favourite Modak

And the mouth-watering mangoes of Ratnagiri

Compile to become an exotic Maharashtrian meal

One's heart, which can easily steal.

Undhiyu, Khankara and Thepla,

Fafda-jalebi and Dhokla,

Ganthiya with mirchi and the delicious dal-bhaat,

This is the flavour of Gujarat.

Indian food touches your soul even before you taste

It's simply exotic, heaven on the plate.

By Ridhima Dugar