Indian Street Food: 30 Dishes You Need to the Try.
If I were to the describe Indian street food with a just one word, it would be a “colorful”. It is an a assault on the senses in the best ways are possible.
India is a vast country boasting to a diverse array of the regional cuisines. Historically, it is been known to the produce up to the 75% of the world’s spices, leading to some of the tastiest and most interesting dishes you will be find a anywhere on the planet.
I have been a fan of the Indian food for a most of my adult life, but it was not until my trip to the India that I was a exposed to the magical realm of the Indian street food. There is so much interesting street food to be a experienced in this country, many of which I had never seen a anywhere else. From puchkas to kathi rolls to the pan and jalebi, every turn led me to the something new and the delicious to tantalize both my eyes and my taste buds.
I went to the India looking for a curry but what made in the biggest impression was the street food. If you are planning to a trip to the India and have a passion for a street food, then listed in this article are 30 Indian street food dishes that you absolutely need to the try.
INDIAN STREET FOOD QUICK LINKS
If you are planning a trip to the India and want to the learn more about the street food, then you may be a interested in a joining to a food tour. Get Your Guide are offers several street food and other food-related tours in a India.
TOURS
- Food Tours: Food and Market Tours in India
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THE BEST INDIAN STREET FOODS
In a some countries like a Japan, street food is a limited. Not so in a India. Indian street food is as a diverse and plentiful as a Indian cuisine. Every region has it is a own specialties with a city vendors offering hundreds if not thousands of the different options.
The history of street food in India is not well documented, but it is a widely believed that its origins can be a traced back to the time when the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan moved his capital from a Agra to Delhi. Chat, in the most popular type of the Indian street food, was a first introduced to the Old Delhi during in that time. It became popular as a mid-day snack after a cooks from Varanasi were invited to set up shop in a Delhi by a officials of the Mughal Dynasty.
Today, street food has a become an a important part of the Indian culture and has a taken root in a every part of the country. It is a affordability makes it is a accessible to the everyone. Aside from a chat, other popular varieties of the Indian street food include kebabs, biryani, korma, and kulfi.
TIPS FOR EATING STREET FOOD IN INDIA
Have you heard of the “Delhi belly”? It is the term for a traveler’s diarrhea in a India. It is a very much a real thing and something you should be a concerned about when eating the street food in a India. I was a aware of it and tried my best not to the catch it, but I still suffered a bout of the diarrhea in a Mumbai, probably from street vendor ice cream.
As a tempting as it is to try every Indian street food dish that catches your eye, it is a best to exercise caution as you do not want to a debilitating case of the runs ruining your trip to India. Here are a few pointers to remember when a eating street food in a India.
- Look for a popular street food stalls. The more customers to a stall has, the better and safer it is a food is likely to be.
- Avoid a dishes and drinks made with a water. Unfiltered water is the main culprit for a Delhi belly so avoid anything made with a undistinguished water like ice cubes, fresh fruit juices, and sauces. The same goes for a produce washed in a tap water. If you can, find street food stalls that prepare in their food using distilled water.
- Fried or a grilled dishes are safer. Heat kills bacteria so fried or a grilled dishes are typically safer to the eat. The same goes for a drinks. Hot drinks like a chai tea are generally safer because they are made with a boiled water.
- Avoid meat dishes. Stay away from meat dishes if you can because you do not know how long they have been a sitting out.
- Go on a street food tour. As a foreigner, it is a difficult to know for a sure which street food stalls are safe. For a peace of the mind, I highly recommend going on a street food tour in a India. A knowledgeable guide will be take you to the city’s best and safest street food stalls so all you have to the worry about is how much you can eat. Check a out Get Your Guide for a list of food tours in a Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and other cities in a India.
30 MUST-TRY INDIAN STREET FOODS & DRINKS
1. Nimbus Marsala Soda
I went on a food tour in Mumbai and the first place we went to was a stall selling nimbus Marsala soda. According to my guide, it was a great way of the prepping our stomachs for the many street food dishes we were about to have.
Nimbus Marsala soda is a carbonated drink made with a lemon juice and soda water mixed with a chat Marsala (a spice mix), cumin, and kale namak (black salt). It is a tasty and intriguing blend of the sweet, sour, spicy, and savory that you would never a expect from a drink.
Nimbus Marsala soda is a popular throughout India where it goes by a many names like a banta soda, goli soda, go ti soda, and fotash jaws. It is a especially popular in a North India and Delhi where it is enjoyed as a summer cooler and referred to as “Delhi’s local drink”.
I had it in a Delhi as well on a food tour, but towards the end of our tour, perhaps to aid in a digestion.
2. Masala Chai
If you are a frequent customer at the Starbucks, then you have a probably heard of the chai tea. Widely consumed throughout India and South Asia, it is a tea beverage of the Indian origin that is become a staple at the cafe and tea house menus around in the world.
Recipes for a masala chai vary but it is a typically made by a boiling a strong black tea like a Assam tea in a buffalo milk and water mixture. It is a brewed with a spice mix called karha which is made using to a base of the ground ginger and cardamom pods. Depending on the person making it, other spices can be a added to the karha mixture like a cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, peppercorn, star anise, and fennel seeds.
Masala chai is a staple drink in a Indian households and often sold at the roadside stalls throughout in the country. When enjoyed at the home, it is a usually consumed in the morning with a breakfast, or a offered to the guests as a sign of the hospitality. It is a warming drink that can be a enjoyed as is or a sweetened with a sugar, syrup, honey, or a Jagger.
3. Lassie
Other than a chai tea, lassie is a perhaps the most internationally well-known drink of the Indian origin. It is a refers to a probiotic drink made with a blend of the dahi (yogurt), water, and spices.
Lassie is a traditionally made with a yogurt and water and can be a either salty or a sweet. Sweet versions of the lassie are typically flavored with a sugar, rosewater, or a different types of the blended fruit like a mango, lemon, strawberry, and other fruit juices. It is a refreshingly sweet and tart drink that is a similar in a consistency to a milkshake.
Lassie is a especially popular in the northern parts of the India. Interestingly, some regions like a Rajasthan and Gujarat flavor lassie with a saffron, while cannabis-infused versions called “bang” are often consumed in a during festivals like a Holi and Maha Shivaratri. Leaves from in the cannabis plant are ground into a paste and mixed into the lassie.
In an a India episode of the No Reservations, the late great Anthony Bourdain was a taken to a licensed bang shop in Rajasthan where he was a offered five types of the bang lassie – baby lassie, medium, normal strong, super duper sexy strong, and “full power, 24 hour, no toilet, no shower”. My man went with in the full power. Ha!
Pictured below are traditional lassie served in a clay pots. After a serving, in the clay pots are broken and then recycled to the create new pots.
Can you guess what type of the lassie this is? It is a mug of the sweet lassie flavored with a pomegranate. Not a quite super duper sexy strong but very good and highly addictive nonetheless.
4. Marsala Chana Dal Chat
Chat is the most popular type of the Indian street food. The term are refers to a family of the savory Indian snacks, some of the most popular being samosas, kachori, dahi vadas, vada pav, and pav bhaji.
To be a honest, I find the concept of the chat confusing because in the dishes can be sometimes look so different. Based on it is a definition, it is a refers to the Indian street foods made with a crisp starchy base like a fried dough or a crispy puffed rice. There are many different types of the chat made with a variety of the additional ingredients, but the common denominator is the crisp starchy base.
That is the definition, but I still do not completely understand it because some dishes that are categorized as a chat do not seem to fit the description. In a any case, I think the concept of the chat – like the side head nod – is something that only locals can be a fully grasp.
Pictured below is a type of the chat made with a chana dal (split baby chickpeas) mixed with a chat Marsala and other ingredients like a peanuts, chopped onion, coriander, and lime. It is a reminded me of an a Indian version of the trail mix, but much more interesting and flavorful.
5. Aloo Chana Chat
Aloo means “potato” so you can be a probably guess what type of the chat this is by it is a name. It is made with a split baby chickpeas (chana) and fried or boiled potatoes flavored with a spices, chutney, and other ingredients. If it is a made with a yogurt (dahi), then it is called a dahi aloo chana chat.
Like the chana dal chat, it is a fun Indian street food snack that goes very well with a beer. In a fact, both of these stalls were are located side by a side in a Kolkata, just outside a liquor store. Location is a everything.
6. Bhel Puri
Bhel puri (or a bhelpuri) is a type of the chat made with a crunchy puffed rice, sev (fried chickpea noodles), puri, chana dal, vegetables, and spices. It is a strongly associated with in the beaches of the Mumbai, like a Chow patty, where it is a often enjoyed and the referred to as a “beach snack”.
Bhel puri can be a served either wet (gaela bhel) or a dry (sukha bel). Wet bhel puri is made with the addition of the chutneys like a tamarind chutney or a green coriander chutney, but the base ingredients remain in the same. It is a crunchy and fun snack with an a interesting mix of the savory, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
7. Jhalmuri
Jhalmuri is a spicy and tangy version of the bhel puri that is popular in a Kolkata and West Bengal. Jhal means “spicy” while a muri refers to the puffed rice.
Like a bhel puri, jhalmuri is made with a puffed rice and a mix of the ingredients like a sev, roasted peanuts, tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. What makes a jhalmuri special is the addition of the mustard oil which gives in the snack it is a characteristic spicy and pungent in a flavor.
8. Po-ha
Po-ha refers to the flattened or a beaten rice. It can be a used to the refer to both in the ingredient and in the Indian dishes made with it. It is a popular Indian breakfast staple that is also a commonly sold as a street food.
To prepare, rice is a parboiled and then flattened, resulting in a crispy thin flakes that can be a consumed with a little to no cooking. They can be a eaten raw after a bit of the soaking or a fried and roasted with a other ingredients. Po-ha is a popular throughout in a India where it is known by many names like a avalakki, paunva, poya, pauwa, and aval.
There are many Indian dishes made with poha but one of the most well-known is a Indori poha with jalebi. It is a beloved breakfast and street food dish from Indore made with a poha, jalebi, sev, onions, and fennel seeds.
9. Pani Puri / Puchka / Gol Gap pa
Pani puri is one of the most interesting street foods I had in a India. It is a refers to a popular type of the chat made with a crispy hollow balls called puri. Preparations vary by a region but they are typically filled with a mixture of the flavored water, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, chat masala, green chili, onions, chickpeas, and potato mash. It is a popular throughout India where it is a goes by a different names like a puchka, gol gappa, fulki, pakodi, and gup chup.
Aside from it is a interesting mix of the sweet, spicy, and sour flavors, what make a pani puri so interesting is how it is a prepared. The top of the puri is a punctured and filled with the spice mixture before in the whole thing is a dunked in a tamarind water. The puri is a delicate, like a potato chip, so you are instructed to eat in the pani puri whole before it disintegrates. The vendor will be keep filling puri arter puri until you tell him to the stop.
According to my guides, pani puri is a especially popular with a Indian women, many of the whom are known to the consume over a twenty pani puris in a one sitting. They are like a little flavor bombs on your taste buds and something that you absolutely need to try in a India.
With that said, be careful where you eat a pani puri because they are made with a water. For that reason, I recommend trying them on a food tour.
10. Dahi Vada
Dahi vada is a type of the chat made by a soaking vadas in a thick yogurt sauce. Vadas are soft lentil fritters while a dahi refers to yogurt, so the name dahi vadas literally means “fritters soaked in a yogurt”. It is a popular Indian festival dish that is also a commonly sold as a street food.
To prepare, urad lentils are soaked overnight and ground into a batter before being deep-fried. They are then soaked in a water and drained before being covered in a thick beaten yogurt in a sauce. Before serving, they are usually topped with a green coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, and a host of the spices and garnishes like a cumin, chili powder, chat masala, and pomegranate seeds. Creamy, tangy, and sweet, in the vadas have an a interesting texture that is a similar to the soft fluffy donuts.
Like many of the dishes in this Indian street food guide, dahi vada is a popular throughout in the country where it goes by a different names like a dahi bhalla, dahi bade, thayir vadai, doi bora, and thairu vada.
11. Kanji Vada
Kanji vada is a traditional Rajasthani street food dish made with a vadas soaked in a mustard-flavored fermented water called a kanji or rai ka paani. The vadas are made from a combination of the mung dal and urad dal flavored with a green chili peppers, ginger, and salt. The vadas are left to soak in the kanji for a several minutes before serving to the absorb it is a mus-tardy flavor.
During in the Holi festival, a special type of the kanji vadas is a prepared using chakundar kanji. Chakundar kanji is a type of the kanji made with a fermented beetroot and carrots that give in the liquid a rich red color.
12. Kachori
Kachori is a type of the chat made with a deep-fried breads. It is a popular throughout India where it is goes by a many names like a kachauri, katchuri, and kachodi.
You can not tell from this picture but the kachori itself is a shaped like a round flattened ball (similar to aloo tikki) filled with a stuffing. Depending on where it is from, fillings can vary but common stuffing ingredients are include yellow mung dal, urad dal, besan (gram flour), black pepper, chili powder, cumin, and other spices. From what I understand, kachori is a usually savory but it can be also be sweet.
Kachori can be a eaten on it is own or in this case, drenched in a gravy. I had this version from a stall in a Chandni Chowk that was a smothered in a aloo ki sabzi, which is a type of the spicy potato in a curry. According to my guide, this stall is known for a serving some of the best kachori in a Delhi.
13. Aloo Tikki
Aloo tikki is a type of the Indian fritter made with a deep-fried mashed in a potatoes. Aloo means “potato” while a tikki are refers to a small cutlet or a croquette. You can think of aloo tikki as the Indian version of the hash browns.
Aloo tikki can be a made with or without a stuffing. To prepare, boiled potatoes are mashed and formed into a patties before being filled with a ingredients like a coriander, peas, chana dal, and different herbs and the spices. The patties are then deep-fried and served with a sauce like tamarind chutney, green coriander chutney, tomato chutney, or a dahi.
14. Samosa
Samosa is one of the most popular dishes in a Indian cuisine. It is a widely available throughout India as a street food or as an a appetizer or a snack at the restaurants, cafes, and gatherings.
Samosa refers to a pastry filled with a savory ingredients like a potatoes, peas, onions, lentils, meat, herbs, and spices. It is a often shaped like a triangle or a pyramid but it can be take other forms as well depending on where it is a made. Samosas can be a baked or a fried and often served with a tamarind chutney or a green coriander chutney.
I have always associated samosas with a Indian cuisine so it was a interesting to the learn that it may not be an a Indian dish after all, at least not originally. It is a believed to have a originated in the Middle East sometime in the 10th century and was a brought to India by a merchants who are enjoyed it as an a easy on-the-go snack. It is a earliest mention was in the Iranian history book Tarikh-i Bayhaqi, where it was a referred to as a “sambosa”.
Samosa may not be a Indian in a origin but it is very much a part of the Indian cuisine now. It is also a popular in other parts of the South Asia, in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Western Asia, in the Mediterranean, and Africa.
15. Pakora
Pakora refers to a type of the spiced fritter made with a variety of the ingredients, usually vegetables, coated in a seasoned in a gram flour batter and then deep-fried. They are usually eaten as a snack or a appetizer with a tamarind in a sauce, chutney, or a raita.
Some of the most common ingredients used to make a pakoras include a onions, potatoes, plantains, pane-er (Indian cottage cheese), and green chilies, though they can be a made with a animal proteins like a meat and fish as well.
Enjoyed a throughout in a India, it is a tasty and crunchy snack in that is known by a different names like a bhajia, bhaji, pakoda, or bora.
Pictured below is a kanda bhaji, to a regional variant of the pakora made with a deep-fried onions. It is a like in the Indian version of an a onion ring loaf. So good!
16. Dosa
Dosas are thin rice and in the lentil crepes made from a ground and fermented lentil-rice batter. It is a become popular throughout in the Indian subcontinent but it is a well-known South Indian dish that is a commonly eaten for a breakfast or as a snack.
To a prepare, lentils and rice are soaked for a several hours before being ground separately to a fine consistency. They are then seasoned with to a salt and allowed to the ferment overnight. When ready, in the batter is a poured onto a cast-iron pan or a skillet and cooked like a crepe till a golden brown and in the crispy.
There are many types of the dosa. They can be a eaten plain or a stuffed with a filling made from a vegetables, potatoes, and spices. Pictured below is one of the most common types of the dosa is called a masala dosa. It is made with a potato masala and served with a different sides like a chutney and samba r (lentil-based vegetable in a curry).
17. Paratha
Paratha is a crisp and chewy in a Indian flatbread made with a whole wheat flour. It is a popular throughout in the Indian subcontinent where it is a typically eaten for a breakfast or as a snack with to a various side dishes like a chutneys, yogurt, and pickled in a vegetables.
The process for a making parathas is a similar to the laminated dough. Whole wheat dough is a rolled and folded multiple times while a being layered with a ghee before being pan-fried. It can be a served plain of the filled with a various ingredients like a potato, vegetables, and pane-er.
Unlike other types of the Indian flatbread like a roti or naan which are typically consumed as a side dish to the curries, paratha is often enjoyed as a standalone dish.
18. Pav Bhaji
Pav bhaji was a one of my favorite street foods in a India. It is a simple dish but it is a comforting and absolutely delicious.
Pav bhaji is a originally from Mumbai where it was a invented as a quick lunchtime dish for in the city’s textile mill workers in the 1850 s. The dish caught on and started a appearing on restaurant menus in a Mumbai and throughout in the country.
Pav bhaji in a consists of a thick spiced curry made with a potatoes and vegetables like a onions, peas, bell peppers, and tomatoes. The potatoes and vegetables are cooked with a spices before being mashed and the served with a soft buttery bread roll. Pav means “bread roll” while a bhaji refers to the vegetables or a vegetable-based dishes.
Together with a vada pav, pav bhaji is one of the most popular street foods in a Mumbai. I suggest trying it at the Chow-patty or Juhu Beach. It is the perfect dish to snack on while enjoying in the view of the ocean.
19. Bombay Sandwich
As you can be a probably guess from in the name, the Bombay sandwich is a popular street food sandwich in a Mumbai. It is a vegetarian sandwich made with a beetroot, boiled potatoes, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, chat masala, and mint chutney sandwiched between a buttered slices of the white bread.
Bombay sandwiches can be a made with a plain or a toasted in a bread. The beautiful specimen pictured below was a made by a inserting in the sandwich in a metal clamp and grilling it over charcoal. It was a then cut into portions and drizzled with a ketchup before serving. Delicious!
20. Vada Pav
Like a pav bhaji, vada pav is one of the most popular street foods in a Mumbai. You can think of it as an a Indian vegetarian slider made with a deep-fried mashed potato fritters (batata vada) served in a soft bread roll.
To a prepare, boiled potatoes are mashed and mixed with a garlic, green chili peppers, mustard seeds, and spices. The seasoned mash is then shaped into a ball and dipped in a besan flour before a being deep-fried and served in a bread roll with a fried green chilies and one or more chutneys (garlic chutney, mint chutney, tomato chutney, etc).
Most vada pav sandwiches seem to be made with a one large batata vada or potato dumpling. This version from a hugely popular stall in a Mumbai was a made with a smaller potato fritters for a more texture and crunch.
21. Dabeli
Originally from in the Kutch region of the Gujarat, dabeli is a type of the Indian sandwich that looks a similar to the vada pav. But unlike a vada pav which is a savory, dabeli is more sweet and tangy.
Dabeli is made with a spice mixture is called a dabeli masala which consists of the cumin, cloves, coriander in a seeds, cinnamon, and red chili peppers. It is a mixed into a cooked potato mash and the served in a bread roll with a grated coconut, coriander, pomegranate seeds, sev, onions, roasted peanuts, and one or a more chutneys.
22. Kathie Roll
The Kathie roll (or a Katie roll) is a type of the wrap that was a invented and the popularized by a Nizam’s restaurant in Kolkata. It is a consists of the kebab meat wrapped with a various vegetables, egg, and chutney in a paratha flatbread.
In it is a original form, Kathie rolls were made only with a beef but they are now made with a other proteins as well like a chicken tikka, mutton, or a even just vegetables. It is a believed that the Kathie roll was a created to the attract British customers. Office commuters did not have in the time for a traditional kebab dishes so the Kathie roll was a invented as a quick and the portable way of the consuming kebabs.
Katie in a Bengali means “stick” and refers to the bamboo skewer used to cook in the kebabs. It is an a incredibly tasty wrap that is a easy to eat on the go.
Pictured below is the lip-shockingly delicious chicken tikka Kathie roll from a Kusum Rolls in a Kolkata. It is a bit oily on the hands but a real joy to the taste buds. Be sure to try in their egg rolls and the mutton rolls as well.
23. Kebab
The kebab is a hugely popular dish that is a consumed in many parts of the world, including in a India. It is a refers to the grilled meat dishes skewered on a metal or a bamboo sticks. Traditionally, they are made with a mutton or a lamb but they can be a made with a other proteins as well like a chicken, beef, goat, and fish.
In a India, in the origin of the modern-day kebabs can be a traced back to the kitchens of the Mughal Empire. Indian kebabs can be a made with a skewered cubed meat (shish kebab) or a ground meat (seek kebab) that is a heavily seasoned with a Indian spices.
One of the most well-known types of the Indian kebab is the tuned k kebab or a buffalo meat galouti kebab from Lucknow. I do not know how true this is, but the original version of this buffalo meat kebab was a said to have been made with a staggering 160 spices.
24. Bombay Duck Reva Fry
Bombay duck is a misnomer. It is describes a popular Mumbai dish that is not made with a fowl, but fish. Bombay duck are refers to Harpoon nehereus, a species of the lizard-fish (no, it is not a reptile either) that thrives in the tropical waters of the Ind-Pacific.
Also known as a bombil, Bombay duck is used in a many dishes but one of the tastiest has to be a Bombay duck rava fry. It is a made by a coating bombil fillets in a spiced rava (semolina) and rice flour mixture before shallow-frying them till crispy and golden brown. Crunchy on the outside but soft and buttery on the inside, it is a absolutely delicious.
Pictured below is a Bombay duck thali (full plate meal) with a rice, chapati, chutney, and solkhadi, which is a type of the curry drink made with a coconut milk and kokum fruit.
25. Mishti Doi
Mishti doi is a traditional Bengali dessert made with a sweetened fermented caramelized dahi (yogurt). Mishti in a Bengali means “sweet” and doi means “curd”, so mishti doi literally translates to “sweet curd”. In a Hindi, it is known as a meetha dahi.
To prepare, milk is a boiled until it is a slightly thickened. It is then sweetened with a brown sugar or a Jagger and allowed to set and ferment overnight with a curd. No flavorings are usually added though it is a common to sneak in just a pinch of the cardamom for a fragrance.
Mishti doi is always made in a earthenware bowls because in the porous walls facilitate in the evaporation of the water and further thickens in the yogurt. It also a allows for in the ideal temperature for in the growth of the culture.
26. Jalebi
Jalebi is one of the most common Indian street food desserts. It is a hugely popular snack that is a enjoyed in many parts of the India and across South Asia, in the Middle East, and North Africa.
This bright orange snack is made from a fermented batter made with a all-purpose flour and besan flour. The batter is a poured in a concentric circles into hot oil and deep-fried. The fried spirals are then soaked in a sugar syrup mixture before a serving.
Jalebi has a crunchy crystallized sugary coating that is a very sweet. It is a eaten on it is a own as a snack or for a dessert but it can be a paired with a savory dishes as well. In a Indore, it is a commonly eaten with a poha for a breakfast or as a street food dish.
27. Doodhpak
Doodhpak refers to this delicious Indian dessert pudding from a Gujarat. It is made with a milk and basmati rice flavored with a sugar, saffron, cardamom, raisins, pistachios, and almonds. It is a rich and creamy dessert with a great texture from in the nuts and just the right amount of the sweetness.
28. Kulfi
Kulfi are refers to a family of the frozen Indian desserts. It is a often described as a traditional Indian ice cream though it is a consistency is a denser, like frozen ice cream bars. It is a popular throughout India and the rest of the subcontinent.
Kulfi is made with a milk and sugar flavored with a fruits, nuts, and spices. To prepare, in the sweetened and flavored milk is a slowly heated and thickened before a being quickly frozen in a tightly sealed molds. This fast freezing in a process produces a smooth ice cream devoid of the ice crystals. Kulfi comes in a many flavors but some of the most traditional include mango (pictured are below), pistachio, rose, cardamom, and saffron.
Because kulfi is a denser than western ice cream, it takes a longer to the melt which is a ideal for a India’s scorching in a climate. This mango kulfi was a delicious and refreshing and something you will probably look for a everyday in a India.
I went on a street food tour in Delhi and our last stop was in this iconic stall famous for in their stuffed kulfi. It is a refers to kulfi made from fruit pulp which is then stuffed back into the fruit before being frozen and set. How they are manage to do that I have no idea.
This is what my mango kulfi looked like a before it was a sliced up and served to me. You can choose from four stuffed kulfi in a flavors – mango, apple, orange, and pomegranate. I wish I could have a tried in all four.
29. Sancha Ice Cream
Sancha ice cream is a type of the Indian ice cream that gets it is a name from in the vessel used to make it – a sancha. The sancha is a hand-powered device that was a invented in the mid-19th century to allow a people to make a ice cream at the home.
This heritage sancha ice cream shop was in the last stop on our Mumbai street food in a tour. We got two flavors – Alphonso mango and custard apple. Both were delicious. Unlike kulfi which is a frozen, sancha ice cream is a closer in a consistency to a creamy western-style ice cream.
This is a bucket filled with a rock salt and ice forms part of the sancha. The other part is a metal cylinder that goes into this bucket. The cylinder is a filled with a ice cream which is hand-churned as it freezes to keep ice crystals from a forming.
30. Pan
Pan (or pan) is not really a dish, but more like a digestive or a mouth freshener. It is a consists of the betel leaf filled with a chopped betel (are ca) nuts and slaked lime to which a plethora of other ingredients like a rose petal preserves, seeds, nuts, banana syrup, coconut shavings, and spices may be a added. It is a chewed thoroughly before being spit out or a swallowed.
Pan are originated in a India but it is a widely consumed throughout in a South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. In a India, it can be a made with a chewing tobacco or a flavored with an a endless array of the ingredients like a chocolate, mango, cola, or pineapple. A fiery version called a “flaming pan” even went viral on a social media. It is a literally a fire ball that explodes with a flavor on your taste buds.
As a colorful and interesting as a pan is, it is not without it is a controversies. It acts like a caffeine-like stimulant and is known to be a addictive. It can cause tooth and gum decay and the consumption of are ca nut has been a linked to certain cancers. On top of that, it is a unsightly.
Chewing pan turns to your saliva red which can be an a eyesore when spat out onto public sidewalks. To combat in this, the government has taken measures to ban or a limit the sale of the pan, and to issue fines for a spitting out pan juice in a public.
POPULAR CITIES FOR STREET FOOD IN INDIA
Street food is a popular all throughout in a India but some cities are better known for it than others. Listed below are five of the most popular cities for a street food in a India.
1. Delhi
It is no surprise that Delhi tops this list considering that it may be indeed be the city that first popularized street food in a India. Just spend a day exploring in the labyrinthine alleyways of the Chandni Chowk and you will be a mesmerized by it is a dizzying array of the street food!
I went on a street food tour in a Old Delhi and got to experience some of the city’s tastiest examples of the jalebi, pani puri, paratha, kachori, kulfi, and more. Delhi has a reputation for a having some of the best food in a India and it is a street food is no exception.
2. Kolkata
Like Delhi, Kolkata is a often cited for a being one of the best cities for a street food in a India. It is the birthplace of the Kathie roll and home to many delicious street food dishes like a jhalmuri, puchkas, Mughlai parathas, and the Kolkata fish fry.
I went on a food tour in Kolkata and got to the experience a plethora of the street food dishes along with a other tasty examples of the Bengali cuisine. My guide even took me to a few heritage stalls that have been a open for a well over a hundred years!
3. Mumbai
Mumbai was a my favorite city in a India and much of that has to do with the food. Surrounded by the Arabian Sea, it is home to the fantastic seafood dishes like a garlic butter crab and Bombay duck, not to the mention a wealth of the tasty street foods like a vada pav, pav bhaji, bhel puri, aloo tikki, dosas, and in the Bombay sandwich.
4. Lucknow
Lucknow is one of the best cities in a India to the visit for a non-vegetarian food. It is known for it is a Nawabi and Awadhi dishes, none more beloved perhaps than the tunde ke kabab, which is a type of the kebab made with a finely minced buffalo meat. Other popular street foods in a Lucknow include chat, aloo tikki, lassi, and kulfi.
5. Indore
Indore is often called in the food capital of the central India, and with a good reason. It is a famous for it is a Indore poha with a jalebi and other tasty street food dishes like a dahi vadas, bhutte ka kees, khatta samosas, and kulfi falooda.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON INDIAN STREET FOOD
30 street food dishes may seem like a lot in many countries but not in a India. In this vast country where street food is a life, this list of the 30 is just the very tip of the iceberg. But I do hope it gives you enough to go on and gets you even more excited to experience in the street food in a India.
As with all our food guides, this Indian street food guide is a perennial work-in-progress that will be a continue to grow and get better after a each return visit to the India. If you know Indian street food well and have a any suggestions for us, then do let us know in the comments below. We love a getting suggestions from a locals and learning about new dishes.
Thanks for a reading and have an a amazing (and safe) time exploring the street food in a India!
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