Introduction

Indian street foods are known worldwide for their taste, diversity, affordable price and easy accessibility. In this article/blog you will be able to know about some tasty, well known, economical and easily available street foods of India.

Indian street food

·       Indian street food refers to ready-to-eat food generally sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or other public place, such as at a market or fair.

·       Indian street food is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and meant for immediate consumption.

·       Indian street food vendors provide food in big cities and towns.

Main features/characteristics of Indian street food

·       Indian street foods offer better, freshly cooked meals fast, reassuring consumers on the quality of the food.

·       Street foods provide variety and a home-made feel.

·       Indian street foods are good for short, limited menus make choosing easier and faster.

·       Street foods are transportable and can be eaten on the move.

·       Street foods provide spontaneous cravings and are ideal to try out new tastes in fun.

·       Street foods are easily accessible.

·       Fully vegetarian street foods are appealing to a wide variety of people/consumers.

·       Street foods are very economical for the middle-class people. People love to eat Indian street foods due to the fact that street foods are more economical or cheap than the food of restaurants/hotels. Low and affordable prices of street foods allow people to visit street food vendors frequently.

Some tasty and economical Indian street foods that people mostly like are:

Chole bhature

·       Chole bhature is a typical Punjabi dish.

·       Chole bhature refers to a street food/ dish popular in Northern India.

·       Chole bhature is a combination of chana masala and bhatura/puri, a fried bread made from maida.

·       Chole bhature is generally eaten as breakfast/snack.

Main ingredients of Chole bhature

Ingredients for Chole

·       2cups chickpeas (channas)

·       1Bbay leaf (tej patta)

·       1 cinnamon stick (dalchini)

·       3-4 cloves (laung)

·       3 Green cardamom (choti elaichi)

·       2 black cardamom (badi elaichi)

·       1 cup onion, chopped

·       1 cup tomato, chopped

·       1 green chilli, chopped

·       1 tea bag

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) whole peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)

·       2 teaspoon (tsp) oil

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) turmeric powder (haldi)

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) chili powder (lal mirch powder )

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) coriander powder (dhaniya powder)

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) cumin powder (zeera powder)

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) cumin seeds (zeera)

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) lime juice

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) ajwain

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) garlic, chopped

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) ginger, chopped

·       ½ teaspoon (tsp) asafoetida (heeng)

·       Salt to taste

·       1 tablespoon (tbsp) butter

For bhaturas

·       2 cups maida (refined flour)

·       ½ teaspoon (tsp) yeast (dissolved for 10 minutes in lukewarm water)

·       ½ cup whole wheat flour

·       A pinch of salt

·       Water (to knead)

·       Oil (for frying)

Watch this video to cook/make chole bhature

 Pav bhaji

·       Pav bhaji is a street food popular in the state of Maharashtra.

·       Pav bhaji is a fast/street food dish consisting of a thick vegetable curry (bhaji) cooked in tomato curry and served with a soft bread roll (pav).

Main ingredients of Pav bhaji

·       1/2 cup vegetable oil

·       1 cup chopped onions

·       1 cup chopped roma (plum) tomatoes

·       2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped

·       1 cup chopped cabbage

·       1 cup green peas

·       1 cup grated carrots

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) finely chopped green chili peppers

·       2 teaspoon (tsp) chopped garlic

·       2 teaspoon (tsp) grated fresh ginger

·       3 teaspoon (tsp) pav bhaji masala

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) lemon juice

·       1/2 teaspoon (tsp) butter

·       4 potatoes, boiled and mashed

·       Salt to taste

·       8 (2inch square) dinner rolls

·       1/4 cup finely chopped onions

·       1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Watch this video to cook/make Pav bhaji

·       Idli sambhar is a south Indian (Kerala/Chennai) cuisine.

·       Idli sambhar refers to a hearty, satisfying, comforting and a healthy meal of soft fluffy idlis served with savory, spiced and slightly tangy sambhar- a vegetable stew made with lentils and assorted vegetables.

·       Idli sambhar is a breakfast meal.

Main ingredients of Idli sambhar

For idli

·       2 cups idli rice

·       ½ cup urad dal

·       ¼ cup poha

·       Salt to taste

For sambhar

·       ½  cup Arhar ki dal

·       1 cup onion, chopped

·       1 cup tomato, chopped

·       1 brinjal, chopped

·       ½ teaspoon (tsp) turmeric powder (Haldi)

·       2 teaspoon (tsp) oil

·       ½ teaspoon (tsp) mustard seeds

·       Salt to taste

·       2 tablespoon (tbsp), sambhar masala

·       2 tablespoon (tbsp), tamarind pulp

·       10-12 curry leaves

Watch this video to cook/make Idli sambhar

Vegetable momos

·       Vegetable momos are a popular Tibetan recipe of easy vegetables.

·       Vegetable momos are a popular street food in Northern parts of India.

·       Vegetable momos are also known as Dim Sum.

·       Vegetable momos are basically dumplings made from flour with a savory stuffing.

·       Vegetable momos recipe is vegan.

Main ingredients of Vegetable momos

For dough

·       2 cups maida

·       ½ teaspoon (tsp) salt

·       ½ teaspoon (tsp) baking powder

For filling

·       1 cup carrots, grated

·       1 cup cabbage, grated

·       ½ cup onion, finely chopped

·       1 tablespoon (tbsp), oil

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) garlic, chopped

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) soya sauce

·       ¼ teaspoon (tsp) vinegar

·       ¼ teaspoon (tsp) black pepper

·       Salt to taste

Watch this video to cook/make Vegetable momos

Kati roll or kathi roll (paneer)

·       Kati roll is a street-food dish popular in Kolkata, West Bengal.

·       Kati roll refers to a skewer-roasted kebab wrapped in a paratha bread.

Main ingredients of Kati roll

·       2 cups maida (refined flour)

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) salted yogurt (to knead the dough)

·       1/2 cup vegetable oil or ghee for frying the parathas

·       4 eggs (slightly beaten)

For fillings

·       ½ cup onion, finely chopped

·       Paneer tikka pieces

·       Green chillies, finely chopped

·       Salt to taste

·       2 teaspoon (tsp) lemon juice

·       Green chutney

For fillings (vegetable)

·       1 large boiled potato

·       1 cup atta or wheat flour

·       1/2 teaspoon (tsp) salt

·       2 teaspoon (tsp) oil

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) cumin

·       1/4 teaspoon (tsp) heeng

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) turmeric powder

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) red chilli powder

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) coriander powder

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) garam masala

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) garlic paste

·       1 teaspoon (tsp) ginger paste

·       ½ cup onion, finely chopped

·       Green peas and capsicum, chopped

Watch this video to cook/make Kati roll