Food & Drink
According to Google, the top ten dishes in India for 2025
This year, India was busy preparing (and searching for) things like martinis and modaks.
Google has released Year in Search 2025, a compilation of the foods, events, and oddities that influenced our browsing activities as a group this year. You can also see what people in India were yearning in their homes by attentively examining their recipe searches: comfort one week, festival nostalgia the next, and the occasional health boost in between.
The method by which Google created this list
This brief compilation of the top 10 recipes that Indians searched for on Google in 2025 will be helpful whether you’re seeking for year-end culinary ideas or just want to see what other people were frying, fermenting, or stirring.
Idli
Idli, which is soft, steaming, and surprisingly easy, is a staple of South Indian breakfast culture and ranks first among the most popular recipes that Indians will search for on Google in 2025. Ladled into molds, a fermented batter of rice and urad dal—occasionally mixed with cooked rice or poha for softness—is steamed until it becomes fluffy and frothy. Its strength is its neutrality; it becomes whatever it is combined with, be it milagai podi, coconut chutney, or overnight-simmered sambar.
Pornstar Martini
The now-deceased Douglas Ankrah, who was famous for running the once-groundbreaking London clubs LAB and Townhouse in 2002, invented this lighthearted concoction. Usually served with a shot of prosecco on the side, this concoction of passion fruit purée, vanilla vodka, and lime is supposed to be sipped alternatively rather than poured in. The rise in home-cocktail culture, where consumers attempt to reproduce bar favorites using fewer ingredients and small-batch spirits, is reflected in its surge in Indian searches.
Modak / Ukadiche Modak
Modaks, also known as Ganesh Chaturthi, are both a dessert and a festival custom. A mixture of grated coconut, jaggery, and cardamom fill these steamed rice-flour dumplings, which are occasionally garnished with sesame or poppy seeds. Every year, novices struggle through their first effort at pleating each modak, while skilled hands shape them in minutes. It’s a contemplative process. Modaks, which are soft, mildly sweet, and fragrant, are thought to be Lord Ganesha’s favorite food. For many households, eating them signifies the official start of the festival.
Thekua
Thekua is a deep-fried dough cookie that is particularly associated with Chhath Puja and is a festival favorite in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Using cardamom, ghee, and jaggery, wheat flour is kneaded, formed by hand or pressed using wooden molds, and then cooked until a solid, biscuit-like crust forms. During the Chhath ceremonies, thekua has become a popular travel snack for families on the go because it doesn’t spoil easily. It is a comfort dish and a cultural emblem due to its robust texture and caramelized edges.
Ugadi Pachadi
Traditionally, this South Indian chutney, which symbolizes the six tastes of life—sweet (jaggery), sour (tamarind), salty (salt), bitter (neem flowers), spicy (pepper), and astringent (unripe mangoes)—is associated with the Ugadi festival, which, according to South Indian Amavasyant, marks the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra. It is a flavorful and symbolic dish that serves as a culinary metaphor for the harmony of feelings and life experiences.
Beetroot Kanji
Beetroot kanji, a vibrant pink probiotic beverage with roots in winter customs, is created by sun-fermenting beetroot with mustard seeds, salt, and water. It is typically made in January when households are searching for gentle cleansers following the holiday season. It is naturally effervescent, somewhat acidic, and moderately earthy. In addition to being refreshing, it is one of the oldest home-fermented tonics on the subcontinent and is a daily habit rather than a fad.
Thiruvathirai Kali
Traditionally served with a savory ezhuku keerai (seven-greens stew), this delicacy, which is made during Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvathirai festival, is a combination of roasted rice, jaggery, and ghee. It resembles a sweetened grain porridge in terms of melt-in-mouth quality. With its ingredients signifying abundance and the cyclical cycle of seasons, Kali is more than just a dish; it is associated with the worship of Lord Shiva and the cosmic dance of Nataraja.
Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire pudding, a baked savory batter made of eggs, flour, and milk that puffs in the oven, is a British favorite that is served on many Indian tables during holiday dinners. It was traditionally served prior to the main course in order to prolong a meal and control appetites. It is now more of a celebratory mainstay because it is airy-centered, crisp-edged, and ideal for mopping up gravy. Its increase in Google searches in India suggests that Indian household kitchens are still influenced by international Christmas cooking customs.
Gond Katira
In North Indian homes, gond katira, or tragacanth gum, is a summer coolant that is frequently misidentified as a winter component. Its crystals become transparent, jelly-like threads when soaked overnight, and during periods of high heat, they are swirled into milk, lemonade, or sharbat. It is a traditional remedy for toilet breezes and has a texture that is something between soft jelly and somewhat crunchy.
Kolukattai
Depending on the celebration and home, kolukattai, the steamed rice dumplings from Tamil Nadu, might be sweet, savory, coconut-filled, or pepper-spiced. The meal, which is most commonly linked to Vinayaka Chaturthi, is similar to modak in essence but has unique regional flavors. It is steamed and hand-shaped, representing the silent labor of festival kitchens when families come together to pleat, fold, and seal each dumpling before presenting it to the god.
