2020 was a year of learnings for most of us. If you are a foodie who would earlier order-in anything and everything you craved, 2020 must've been the year of kitchen experiments more than ticking off a new eatery from your bucket list, isn't it? Google might have had Dalgona coffee, sourdough bread and naan amongst the list of top recipes of 2020, but our readers were busy making much more! From decadent cakes to tantalising Paani Poori and rich curries, NDTV Food's readers seem to have made everything at home this year. After all, how much longer can we stay away from our favourite foods? While we all must have had apprehensions about cooking those succulent chicken momos at home or whipping the perfect cake, after a few trials, it all seems to have come around perfectly, thanks to these super easy recipes!
Here are the top 21 recipes that our readers tried in 2020:
1. Moist Eggless Chocolate Cake
Gooey, rich and absolutely decadent, this moist chocolate cake is made without eggs. The mouth-watering taste of cocoa sifted with coffee to uplift the flavour is sure to satiate your sugar cravings! Find the recipe here.
2. Momos
We would be lying if we say we did not expect this! This delightful dumpling has won the hearts of many, taking over the street food scene in the country - so it was pretty obvious for us to miss it while in the lockdown in 2020. Here's how you can make it easily at home.
3. Amritsari Chicken Masala
With oodles of butter, tomatoes and cream tossed in rich and spicy gravy, this chicken curry is perhaps one of the most popular ones in the country! Pair it with naan or rice for a drool-worthy dinner party dish.
4. Kadai Paneer
With an irresistible mix of flavours and rich curry made with an extensive use of spices and herbs, kadhai paneer makes for one of the most-ordered dish in north-Indian restaurants. No wonder people missed it in the lockdown! Here's an easy recipe to make kadai paneer at home in just about 30 minutes!
5. Chocolate Cake In A Pressure Cooker
No oven? No problem! Here's a delicious and spongy chocolate for the times you are craving something sweet! Chocolate cake was one of the most searched recipes on our website in 2020. Here's how to bake a cake in a pressure cooker and if you are wondering about the texture, it is just as good.
6. Besan Kadhi
Kadhi or kadhi pakoda is a curd-based curry that is made differently in different parts of the country. From a Maharashtrian kadhi to a typical Punjabi one, the flavours differ with ingredients and the method of cooking. Here is a classic besan kadhi, one of the most popular and simple ones, that you can try at home paired with plain rice.
Kadhi or kadhi pakoda is a curd-based curry.
7. Mutton Biryani
How can one not miss a potful of aromatic rice, tossed with spices, herbs and juicy mutton chunks? Our readers' quest in 2020 for the perfect mutton biryani led them to this simple recipe made with spices such as peppercorn, cardamom, clove, star anise, bay leaves and more!
Irresistible, aromatic and full of flavour, biryani is loved by one and all!
8. Veg Manchurian
Think of Chinese cuisine and Manchurian is perhaps one of the first dishes that pops to mind. Quick easy and full of flavour, manchurian is the perfect meal to satiate all our Asian cravings. Pair with some fried rice or noodles and you'll have a party dish ready in no time. Here's how you can make it.
9. Chicken Shami Kebab
One of the most popular kebabs, shami kebab boasts of a separate fan base amongst non-vegetarians. Be it a special occasion, festival or celebration, soft, succulent and appetising shami kebabs are a must, paired with mint chutney! Find the recipe here to make it at home.
Soft, succulent and tantalising.
10. Paani Poori
Amongst the list of thing we dearly missed doing amid the lockdown in 2020, noshing on paani pooris or gol gappas on the street side was definitely one of the top ones. And we definitely tried our best to create the same at home! While we might've missed the entire anticipation of the next gol gappa while struggling to finish the first one, the tantalising mix of chickpea and potatoes with crispy puris and spicy paani is something we have mastered by now. Find the full recipe here.
One street food that is loved across age groups!
11. Instant Rava Dosa
Crispy, wafer-thin and lip-smacking dosa is something nobody can resist. Not only is it super easy to make, but is also wholesome when paired with a soothing bowl of sambar and coconut chutney. Here's how you can make a delicious rava dosa at home.
A south-Indian staple you just can't resist!
12. Egg Masala Curry
What's better than a mouth-watering, rich and creamy curry? One with boiled eggs in it! Yes, a rich egg curry with aromatic spices paired with chapatti is one of the go-to dishes you can make in minutes. Egg Masala Curry was truly one of the most-loved recipes by our readers in 2020. Here's how to make it at home.
13. Honey Chilli Potato
Another of the most loved Indo-Chinese dishes, honey chilli potato is the perfect balance of crispy and spicy with hint of subtle sweet flavour. Thinly sliced potatoes tossed in a pool of hot spices and soy sauce, honey chilli potato can be found everywhere from your local Chinese van to a fine-dine. Here's how you can easily make it at home too!
Staple Indo-Chinese snack!
14. Vermicelli Upma
A staple Indian breakfast dish, upma is generally prepared by cooking whole grains in water and seasoned with salt and spices. While the classic upma recipe has roasted rava or semolina, here we have a unique vermicelli upma which is a healthy pick for a wholesome morning meal.
Semiya upma is a delightful dish that is healthy and filling
15. Seekh Kebab
Juicy, delicious, mess-free and succulent, seekh kebabs are a delight for any occasion. Served on seekh (skewer), seekh kebabs make for the perfect pick-me-up snack. They are made with finely minced meats or vegetables wrapped on skewers and cooked in a tandoor (a large clay oven), or in the grill or oven. Here's how you can make it at home.
This one is a snack for all seasons!
16. Spicy Creamy Kadai Chicken
One of the most popular chicken curries across Indian restaurants, kadhai chicken gets its name from the cooking technique which involves cooking this chicken curry in a 'kadhai' (or a wok). This stellar chicken curry has marinated chicken chunks, shallow-fried and added to a wok of sautéed onion-tomato mix with spices. Find the full recipe of kadhai chicken here.
Pair this yummy chicken curry with rice for a wholesome meal.
17. Homemade Chaap
Be it a dinner party at home or just your cravings soaring high, soya chaap is perhaps a perfect dish to sort it all. It's no surprise that homemade Chaap was one of the most-searched recipes on our site by our readers. Here's how to make chaap easily at home.
Make your dish of chaap from scratch with this easy recipe.
18. Eggless Vanilla Cake In A Pressure Cooker
This one is just the perfect recipe to grace your tea-time table. A tea cake made with a handful of ingredients, the vanilla cake is eggless and made without an oven. Melt-in-mouth and super soft, this fluffy vanilla cake is a must-try!
Soft and decadent, this vanilla cake is a perfect sugary treat!
19. Banana Honey Smoothie
Seems like our readers not only gorged on all things greasy and delicious in 2020, but also made sure to toss up healthy smoothies for their post-workout meal. This high-protein smoothie with the goodness of banana is a quick and easy way to load up on nutrients for long without compromising on the flavour!
Healthy, wholesome and delicious!20. Sponge Cake
Sugar cravings seem to have ruled 2020 and this sponge cake is the best way to satiate it all. Traditional, fluffy and light, sponge cake is the best dish to accompany your tea or coffee time, and can be experimented with in myriad ways.
Sponge cake is the best way to satiate sugar cravings.
21. Samosa Pastry
Isn't samosa a staple on the table along with a cup of tea when guests arrive? Or even simply when you are craving a snack full of spicy stuffing. We have got to give it to samosas for being a one stop snack for all our cravings. Here's how you can make a samosa pastry and stuff it with your favourite aloo stuffing, peas, or even minced meat!
Isn't samosa a staple on the table along with a cup of tea?
While these were 21 of the top recipes that our readers searched for in 2020, we'd love to know what you tried this year! Pour in your thoughts in the comments below.
You can also send in your own recipes that you might have tried and we'll get them featured!
About Aanchal MathurAanchal doesn't share food. A cake in her vicinity is sure to disappear in a record time of 10 seconds. Besides loading up on sugar, she loves bingeing on FRIENDS with a plate of momos. Most likely to find her soulmate on a food app.