12 vegetarian dishes that are a must-try in Lucknow

Lucknow, also known as the Nawabo Ka Shahar, recently made headlines when UNESCO declared Lucknow a “Creative City of Gastronomy” at the 43rd session of its General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, The designation has placed Lucknow among 70 gastronomy cities worldwide and makes it the second Indian city to win the title after Hyderabad. While the city's culinary landscape is often connected to non-vegetarian flavours, the city equally boasts vegetarian delights that are a must try. Take a look at these twelve vegetarian dishes that are a must-try in Lucknow.

It is a signature dessert of Lucknow and is inspired by the classic betel leaf (paan). It is made luscious malai and filled with mawa and dry fruit filling and then wrapped like a paan and topped with silver varq.

It is another signature winter dessert of Lucknow and is made with black or deep purple carrots, blended beautifully with khoya, ghee, and dry fruits, creating a melt-in-the-mouth indulgence. (Image: Instagram/gaurangskitchen)

It is made from crispy fried bread slices soaked in saffron-infused sugar syrup and topped with thick, creamy rabri, it’s a dessert that perfectly balances richness and texture. Garnished with slivered nuts, rose petals, and a hint of cardamom, Shahi Tukda is often served during festivals and special occasions.

Malai Makhan, also known as Nimish in Lucknow is a delicate winter delicacy made from fresh milk, cream, and saffron. It is topped with crushed nuts, silver leaf, and a hint of cardamom.

It is another winter delicacy made with fresh green peas, which is crushed and then cooked in a gravy of onion and tomatoes, along with spices and topped with fried aloo and coriander leaves. It is best served with steamed rice.

This is a variety of kachori enjoyed in Lucknow, where fresh green peas are cooked and mashed along with spices and dried to make a stuffing, which is filled in flour dough balls and then deep-fried until crisp and are served with chutney and aloo curry too.

Also known as Pani Puri, these refer to hollow puris filled with spiced potato and chickpea filling and paired with a spicy, tangy, and refreshing flavored water (pani) made from tamarind, mint, and aromatic spices.

This is another street food delight of Lucknow and is made from boiled white peas (safed matar) tossed with a medley of spices, chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilies, and tangy chutneys. This chaat is a perfect balance of heat, sourness, and texture.

This is a sabzi preparation, where mini baigans are filled with roasted cashews, peanuts, khus khus, and coconut paste, and are shallow fried and then cooked in a gravy of spices and ginger garlic paste and served with roti or rice.

Best served with plain paratha, this one is made of bitter gourd, which are first soaked in salt water, then pressure cooked and later marinated with turmeric, coriander powder, and tamarind pulp. Then the marinated ones are cooked in mustard oil along with cumin, coriander, saunf, and dry mango powder. Lastly, it is topped with jaggery and served hot.

Made with urad dal and bathua dal, salt and water, it is a classic dish, which is further cooked in tempering of desi ghee, jeera, chilli, coriander seeds, onion, garlic, hing, and curry leaves. It is best served with hot rice and lots of ghee on top.

This dish is also made with urad dal, where the soaked dal mixed with spices is deep-fried into pakodis and then cooked in a gravy of sabzi masala and other spices and hing, to which the pakodas are added and then served hot with rice. The result is a rich, comforting curry with crisp-yet-soft lentil dumplings that soak up the spiced gravy beautifully. A hearty staple in many Indian homes, it’s often paired with steamed rice or jeera rice for a perfectly balanced, wholesome meal.

(Image: Instagram/hemasmusings)