The Atlas · India's Largest Department

Indian Soups & Stews

73 of India's 416 ranked dishes fall in this department, and by our raters the best is Shahi paneer, the Mughlai paneer stew, Nº 233 in the world.

73 dishes ranked·17.5% of the cuisine·1,369 diner ratings·Top rank Nº 233

India doesn't really do soup. Of its 73 ranked bowls all but four are stews, thick, simmered, spooned over rice or torn roti, and the whole department leans vegetarian, built on paneer, lentils and greens rather than bone and broth.

The best of them by our raters is Shahi paneer, the Mughlai centrepiece at Nº 233 worldwide, trailed by the everyday dal tadka and the griddled Mumbai mash pav bhaji. Fame runs on its own track: the most-reviewed Indian stew is none of these but korma, the mild braise every takeaway menu carries. Read them below: the signature stews, by region, or the complete list of all 73.

The Signature Stews

Twelve signature stews in rank order, four told in full, then eight more from the pot.

Shahi paneer, stew from India
Plate IStew · Punjab

1Nº 233 worldwide

Shahi paneer

Stew · Punjab

A rich Mughlai curry of paneer cheese in a smooth, mildly spiced gravy of tomato, cream, onion, and ground almonds. Shahi means royal, a nod to its palace-kitchen pedigree, and it is the vegetarian centerpiece of many a wedding and festive table.

★ 4.3|87 ratings

Pav bhaji, stew from India

2Pav bhajiNº 662

Stew · Mumbai

A buttery mash of vegetables worked on a flat iron griddle, born in the 1850s as a fast, filling meal for Mumbai's mill workers. It arrives with toasted pav rolls for mopping, and it never left the city's streets.

★ 4.1|81 ratings

Saag paneer, stew from India

3Saag paneerNº 779

Stew · Punjab

Winter field greens, spinach or mustard leaf or both, slow-cooked down to silk and folded around cubes of fresh paneer. Punjab's way of making January taste rich.

★ 4.1|63 ratings

Dal tadka, stew from India

4Dal tadkaNº 1,150

Stew · Northern India

Yellow lentils simmered soft, then finished at the last moment with the tadka: ghee crackled with cumin, garlic and dried chile, poured sizzling over the top. The everyday dal of the northern table.

★ 4.0|41 ratings

  1. Xacuti, stew from India5

    Xacuti

    Nº 1,292

    Stew · Goa★ 4.0

  2. Keema, stew from India6

    Keema

    Nº 1,364

    Stew · India★ 3.9

  3. Korma, stew from India7

    Korma

    Nº 1,367

    Stew · India★ 3.9

  4. Bengali Chicken Curry, stew from India8

    Bengali Chicken Curry

    Nº 1,667

    Stew · West Bengal★ 3.9

  5. Rogan josh, stew from India9

    Rogan josh

    Nº 2,129

    Stew · Jammu and Kashmir★ 3.8

  6. Misal, stew from India10

    Misal

    Nº 2,437

    Stew · Maharashtra★ 3.8

  7. Madras Curry, stew from India11

    Madras Curry

    Nº 2,442

    Stew · Chennai★ 3.8

  8. Punjabi kadhi, stew from India12

    Punjabi kadhi

    Nº 2,503

    Stew · Punjab★ 3.8

The Gazetteer

Where the stews are born

The regions of India with the deepest pots. Choose one to filter the complete ledger below.

Placed dishes only · top 6 regions

  7. Another 10 ranked dishes are logged simply as pan-Indian, with no single regional home.

The Complete Ledger

All 73 Indian soups & stews in the world ranking, every entry.

73 entries
  1. 233 Shahi paneer Stew Punjab ★ 4.3
  2. 555 Curry Stew India ★ 4.1
  3. 662 Pav bhaji Stew Mumbai ★ 4.1
  4. 779 Saag paneer Stew Punjab ★ 4.1
  5. 1,150 Dal tadka Stew Northern India ★ 4.0
  6. 1,292 Xacuti Stew Goa ★ 4.0
  7. 1,364 Keema Stew India ★ 3.9
  8. 1,367 Korma Stew India ★ 3.9
  9. 1,667 Bengali Chicken Curry Stew West Bengal ★ 3.9
  10. 2,129 Rogan josh Stew Jammu and Kashmir ★ 3.8
  11. 2,437 Misal Stew Maharashtra ★ 3.8
  12. 2,442 Madras Curry Stew Chennai ★ 3.8
  13. 2,503 Punjabi kadhi Stew Punjab ★ 3.8
  14. 2,536 Dal Stew India ★ 3.8
  15. 2,620 Bendekaayi gojju Stew Karnataka ★ 3.8
  16. 2,621 Tomato gojju Stew Karnataka ★ 3.8
  17. 2,623 Chicken Rezala (Murgh rezala) Stew West Bengal ★ 3.8
  18. 3,101 Bhindi do pyaza Stew Northern India ★ 3.8
  19. 3,116 Thalachor kari Stew Kerala ★ 3.8
  20. 3,119 Gujarati kadhi Stew Gujarat ★ 3.8
  21. 3,451 Dopiaza Stew Telangana ★ 3.8
  22. 3,684 P Panchmel dal Stew Rajasthan ★ 3.7
  23. 3,706 Erachi mappas Stew Kerala ★ 3.7
  24. 3,707 Attinkaral kari Stew Kerala ★ 3.7
  25. 3,709 Urulakizhangu mappas Stew Kerala ★ 3.7
  26. 3,842 Chakna Stew Hyderabad ★ 3.7
  27. 4,119 Murgh kari Stew Northern India ★ 3.7
  28. 4,121 Chettinad kozhi Stew Chettinad ★ 3.7
  29. 4,122 Kozhi Curry Stew Kerala ★ 3.7
  30. 4,538 Pasanda Stew India ★ 3.7
  31. 4,548 Goan Fish Curry (Ambot tik) Stew Goa ★ 3.7
  32. 4,714 Mirchi ka salan Stew Hyderabad ★ 3.7
  33. 4,745 Nadan meen curry Stew Kerala ★ 3.7
  34. 5,202 Erissery Stew Kerala ★ 3.6
  35. 5,203 Pitla Stew Maharashtra ★ 3.6
  36. 5,205 Baingan mirchi ka salan Stew Hyderabad ★ 3.6
  37. 5,549 Palak kofta curry Stew India ★ 3.6
  38. 5,636 Malvani Chicken Stew Maharashtra ★ 3.6
  39. 5,760 Kadai paneer Stew India ★ 3.6
  40. 6,026 Dalcha Stew Telangana ★ 3.6
  41. 6,211 Pappu charu Vegetable Soup Andhra Pradesh ★ 3.6
  42. 6,301 Pineapple gojju Stew Karnataka ★ 3.5
  43. 6,303 C Chintakaya chaap Stew Andhra Pradesh ★ 3.5
  44. 6,942 Dal makhani Stew Punjab ★ 3.5
  45. 6,974 Pindi chole Stew Punjab ★ 3.5
  46. 6,980 Pulinkari Stew Kerala ★ 3.5
  47. 7,405 Laal maas Stew Rajasthan ★ 3.4
  48. 7,418 Rista Stew Jammu and Kashmir ★ 3.4
  49. 7,470 Sambar Stew Tamil Nadu ★ 3.4
  50. 7,535 Rasam Vegetable Soup Southern India ★ 3.4
  51. 7,647 Gatta curry Stew Rajasthan ★ 0.0
  52. 7,709 Mutton Rara Stew Himachal Pradesh ★ 0.0
  53. 7,711 Goshtaba Stew Jammu and Kashmir ★ 0.0
  54. 7,758 Masor tenga Stew Assam ★ 0.0
  55. 7,879 Nihari Stew Delhi ★ 3.3
  56. 8,146 Kadhi Stew Rajasthan ★ 3.2
  57. 8,319 P Pachi palusu Vegetable Soup Telangana ★ 0.0
  58. 8,557 G Green Banana Curry (Aratikaya kura) Stew Tamil Nadu ★ 0.0
  59. 8,559 Lotus Root Curry (Nadru yakhni) Stew Jammu and Kashmir ★ 0.0
  60. 8,560 C Chitt Stew Punjab ★ 0.0
  61. 8,564 Mango kadhi Stew Gujarat ★ 0.0
  62. 8,568 Amrood ki sabzi Stew Rajasthan ★ 0.0
  63. 8,571 Aloo rasedar Stew Northern India ★ 0.0
  64. 8,721 Railway Mutton Stew West Bengal ★ 0.0
  65. 9,110 Pathia Stew Gujarat ★ 0.0
  66. 9,492 M Murgh shorba Chicken Soup Northern India ★ 0.0
  67. 9,545 Sali boti Stew India ★ 0.0
  68. 9,550 Meat Curry with Potato Sticks (Salli boti) Stew Western India ★ 0.0
  69. 9,553 Dhaba curry Stew India ★ 0.0
  70. 9,554 Aab gosht Stew Jammu and Kashmir ★ 0.0
  71. 9,749 Naan qalia Stew Aurangabad ★ 0.0
  72. 10,097 Champaran meat Stew West Champaran ★ 0.0
  73. 10,749 D Dal dum pukht Stew India ★ 0.0

Questions, Answered

Indian soups & stews, frequently asked, answered from 1,369 ratings.

What is the best Indian soup or stew?
By our diners' ratings the best is Shahi paneer, the Mughlai paneer stew, at Nº 233 worldwide, the only Indian soup or stew inside the global top 250. Behind it come the everyday dal tadka, the Mumbai griddle-mash pav bhaji, and Punjab's saag paneer.
Does Indian cuisine actually have soups?
Barely. Of India's 73 ranked soups and stews, 69 are stews: India's pot tradition is the thick, spiced curry simmered down and spooned over rice or torn roti, not a clear broth. The few true soups lean vegetable-based, like rasam and shorba.
What is the most popular Indian curry?
It depends what you mean by popular. The most-reviewed is korma, the mild creamy braise on every takeaway menu, with 178 ratings, yet it ranks only Nº 1,367. By score, Shahi paneer leads. Fame and rank rarely line up.
Is dal a stew?
Yes: dal is a lentil stew, one of India's everyday staples. The ranked version here is dal tadka (Nº 1,150): yellow lentils simmered soft, then finished with a tadka of ghee crackled with cumin, garlic and dried chile poured sizzling over the top.
Which region of India makes the most soups and stews?
Among dishes with a named home, Kerala leads with eight, its coconut-milk stews like ishtu, ahead of Punjab's six and the five apiece from Northern India, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan. Many ranked dishes are logged simply as pan-Indian.
Where else should I look for great soups and stews?
Across India's borders: the Maldives and Pakistan each field seven ranked bowls, Bhutan four. And worldwide the department is vast, 1,592 from 176 countries, topped by Moldova's sour-chicken Zeama at Nº 3. See Soups & Stews worldwide.

This Department, Elsewhere

Soups & stews from India's neighbours, ranked the same way.

PakistaniSoups & Stews7MaldivianSoups & Stews7BhutaneseSoups & Stews4NepaleseSoups & Stews3AfghanSoups & Stews3Sri LankanSoups & Stews2BangladeshiSoups & Stews1
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