The year is coming towards an end, and in just about a matter of few weeks we would be entering a new year with renewed set of resolutions and promises. The world of Indian food and gastronomy saw its fair share of foodie moments that took the country by storm. From International TV shows to big Bollywood weddings to bizzare street food inventions, Indian food managed to capture the attention of the country in more ways than one and are we glad! A year with good food, is a year well spent we say. Here are some of the best Indian foods of 2018, that made popular news in the past year according to us.

1. Indian Origin Sashi Cheliah’s Winning Dish That Helped Him Clinch MasterChef Australia 2018 title: 

The tenth season of MasterChef Australia was special in many ways. Not only did the Indian-origin Sashi Cheliah bag the coveted MasterChef Australia title, he also whipped up some delicious Indian dishes through the course of his journey in the show. In the finale episode, he cooked a fish curry and cumin rice dish, which was inspired by his Indian aunt’s style of cooking. Sashi Cheliah also secured the show’s highest-score ever taking home the cash prize of $250,000.

2. Butter Chicken

You kind of saw this coming, didn’t you? How can we end our year without an ode to our favourite spicy and creamy Indian chicken preparation, especially when it grabbed so many International eyeballs in the past year? When Indian Chef Saransh Goila was invited to the tenth season of MasterChef Australia this year, he challenged the contestants to recreate the recipe of his signature Goila Butter Chicken. Keeping our desi bias aside, the episode that aired in September this year in India, was indeed one of the most gruelling ones in the season. Butter chicken and its variations also made news for reasons both good and bad. Butter chicken and naan were being served as ‘Indian Taco’ in New York’s Taco Mahal which caught the ire of many people on twitter verse a while back. Many Indian restaurants are also experimenting a lot with this North Indian dish, butter chicken pizza is a common fare in many cafes in Delhi.

3. Chai

True, Chai is not technically ‘food’, but the many spins that we have given to the beverage did make it one of the common talking points of the year. While the Chai tea, Chai latte, and Turmeric latte continued to draw flak for being expensive variants of our regular cup of tea and haldi doodh on social media, a chai preparation that won many hearts in 2018 was ‘Tandoori Chai’. This Pune-based concept involves making tea in earthen vessels pre-heated in tandoor, which is later transferred  and served in slightly cooler kullhads. 

4. Filter Coffee

Warm, strong and ever-so delightful filter coffee is the perfect caffeine-fix needed to turn any bad day around. Filter coffee also happens to be one of the oldest beverages enjoyed by Indians, especially in the Southern part of the country. The fans of the beverage however are not limited to the South Indian terrain anymore and are in fact spread across the country and world abroad. Served in a special steel tumbler and a bowl set, the South Indian filter coffee is meant to be consumed hot. It is a common fixture across all well-to-do and small-time South Indian restaurants and joints. Many multi-ethnic cafes and eateries around the country also have the beverage up its menu as one the hot-sellers. If reports are to be believed, a special batch of Indian filter coffee grounds was also flown Italy for bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone’s wedding functions too.

5. Samosa

The triangular puffed pastry filled with spicy potato filling also made some International headlines this year with several global celebrities showing their love towards the deep-fried delicacy from time to time. Earlier this year, Prince Harry was caught on camera stealing a samosa out of a charity event which was organised by his wife and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. Hollywood actor Christain Bale also revealed in an interview that he has grown up eating Indian delicacies and shares a special penchant for samosa!

This tiny list is by no means an exhaustive compilation of the best Indian foods of the year gone by. It is only a tribute to some of the most popular ones that made national headlines in the year gone by. If we missed out any of your favourites, do let us know in the comments section below!

Here’s wishing you all a very happy and food-filled 2019! Happy New Year!