Street foods of India come in various cuisines that make the country stand apart and shine from the others. Every corner of the country has something new to offer.
India is famous for offering the best street food in the whole world. The delicacies have played a major role in putting smiles on the faces of millions of people in India before it got its independence. The land of diversity is known for its multiplicity. The mouth-watering tasty snacks mentioned here are highly recommended. Explore to enjoy the delicious delicacies.
- Kachori
Image Credit – Mistaytravel blog
Kachori is a very popular snack that is loved and enjoyed by the people of India. Crispy and flaky Kachoris are the perfect to snack on. Well, like several other street foods, you are going to experience various types of snacks depending on where are you currently at. The flattened disc-shaped Kachoris are deep-fried in oil until they turn golden and are often served hot with chutneys and curry. Alternative names include Kachauri, Katchuri, and Kachodi. However, the mouthwatering snack was famous in Old Indore but over the decades it managed to spread its magical taste and became popular nationwide and globally too.
- Papdi Chat
Chat is a famous street food mostly found on the streets of North India. The delicious snack is poured with a variety of tasty flavors and textures. Papdis or Papri are crispy fried flour crackers that are made with flour (all-purpose or wheat flour). And chaat refers to an array of tasty snacks from the Indian food range. Papdis can be made at home simply or can be brought ready-made from the store. It has potatoes, different chutneys, chickpeas, yogurt, curd, sev, papdi, and sometimes garnished with coriander leaves. The tasty dish is something to snack on immediately. Some food outlets in the United States offer the traditional version of the delicious snack. The traditional street food can be seen in the streets of Bangladesh and Pakistan as well.
- Tunday Kebab
Tunday Ke Kebab which is also popular as Buffalo meat galouti kebab, is a mouth-watering dish prepared with minced meat. It is a part of Awadhi cuisine and almost became synonymous with the City, of Lucknow. Finely minced buffalo meat, plain yogurt, grated ginger, grounded cardamom, powdered cloves, and crushed garlic are used to prepare the mouth-watering Kebabs. Melted ghee, small onions, sugar, lime, and dried mint enhance the taste of the Awadhi dish graciously. It is told to embrace 160 different spices altogether. Tunday Kebab was introduced to the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Icononic food joint Tunday Kebabi has garnered fame for serving meat galouti kebab.
- Poha Jalebi/Indori Poha
It is a type of flattened rice that originated in Indore, an Indian metropolis. Indori Poha includes steamed poha and it is often served with an exceptional combination of Jalebi famous for the uniquely delicious combination of sweet and savory, usually served with sev, Usal, fennel seeds, and sliced onions. Indori Poha is prepared slightly differently from other types of poha preparation found across India. It is cooked in steam and doesn’t get prepared with other ingredients altogether. This adds a distinct taste, flavor, and identity to the dish. Vendors usually put peas instead of peanuts. The heart of the country, Madhya Pradesh is rich with culinary heritage where poha jalebi is the preferable breakfast.
- Pav Bhaji
The famous dish from Mumbai originally originated as a fast lunchtime service for the textile mill workers. Later, it was served at restaurants across the city. The delightful tasty snacks are now served in hand carts to outlets and formal restaurants in India or abroad as well. The Marathi street food consists of a thick curry of vegetables named and called Bhaji that is served with soft bread (pav). The flavorful dish is a mixture of various spices along with mashed vegetables in gravy that are served with bread. Different types of breads can be served with the thick curry including roti, chapatti, and brown bread as well.
- Dahi Puri
The street snack originated from the Indian subcontinent, especially famous in the state of Maharashtra, India. The round, hard, and puffy puri shells are first broken on the top and then partially filled with the actual stuffing of chickpeas or mashed potatoes. A small amount of haldi or chilli powder may be added to enhance the taste along with a pinch of salt. Sweet tamarind chutney or spicy green chutneys are then to be filled into the shell. Now, a generous amount of beaten yogurt will elevate the taste of the dish. Dahi puri usually comes in a plate of five or six and often is garnished with crushed sev, moong dal, finely chopped coriander, and pomegranate as well.
- Chole Bhatture
Chole Bhature is a dish that is commonly found in the Northern areas of the Indian sub-continent. It comes as a combo of spicy white chickpeas, the preparation is called chana masala, and bhatura, a deep-fried maida bread. The heavenly dish is usually served in breakfast and sometimes it is accompanied by a cold beverage named lassi. It can be eaten as a complete meal or can be treated as a street food as well. Pickled carrots, onions, achaar, and green chutney will taste good with the dish. Moreover, the supreme difference between the Punjabi dishes halwa puri and chole puri is halwa puri usually is served with halwa which is a sweet dish made from semolina.
- Litti Cokha
Litti with Chokha is a complete meal that originated from a Bhojpuri region, Bihar, also famous in Jharkhand and several parts of Eastern Utter Pradesh as well. It is a dough ball made from whole wheat flour and has a stuffing of gram flour, pulses, and a mixture of herbs and spices. It is often baked over wood or coal and tossed with a generous amount of ghee. It can be eaten with curd, papad, potato chokha, and brinjal chokha as well. But nowadays, a new version of the dish can be seen on the outlets.
- Vada pav
Vada Pav which is alternatively called Vada Pao, Wada pao, or Wada pav is a vegetarian fast food dish that originated in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The tasty dish consists of a deep-fried potato dumpling that is placed inside a bun, and sliced in half through the middle of it. Generally, it is accompanied by one or more chutneys and green chili. However, street food is now available at various formal restaurants across the country and out of the country as well. It is also famous as Bombay burger for its physical resemblance. One of the most popular snacks in Mumbai, Vada Pav demands a prime part of the culture of Mumbaikars.
- Aloo Tikki
Aloo Tikki is also known as aloo ki tikka, alo tikki, or aloo ki tikki, a snack that originated from the Indian subcontinent. In North India, it is generally made out of boiled potatoes, various curry spices, and peas. ‘Aloo’ means potato and the word ‘Tiki’ means a small cutlet in Hindi. It is usually served hot with tamarind and coriander-mint chutney and sometimes chickpeas and Dahi as well. Well, some dhabas in North India will prepare the dish in the form of a sandwich and serve the aloo on bread. The flavorful dish is vegetarian and the Indian equivalent of hash browns.
