Anyone who has grown up in India will tell you what a joy it is to go out and eat street food. India is an extremely inclusive country despite the vast diversity that exists within our country. Every state has it’s own culture, language and even traditions which are very different from the other states. Food however is a great source of unification. If you are a true Indian foodie you should be able say that you’ve eaten each of these kinds of street food.
The chatpata, spicy and tongue smacking – Chaat
Prominently famous in the capital cities of Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, chaat has included many new recepies overtime such as dahi bhalle, aaloo tikki, pani puri, papdi chaat, sev puri, jhaal muri, phoochka etc. The crispy, spicy delights are said to have developed during the times of Shah Jahan.
Chaat
The historically rich and mouth watering – Kebabs
Having its origins in Awadh (modern day Lucknow and surrounding cities), kebabs are minced meat patties. Foodies are known to make plans to visit Lucknow, only to eat the delicious galauti kebabs, kakori kebabs, ulte tawe ke paranthe finished off with an earthen kullad of phirni.
Kebabs
The first-date food for the young – Pao Bhaji
The sheer size of the flat wok that the spicy curry (bhaji) it being prepared in, will give you an idea of the degree of popularity that this extremely popular minced veggie and cuboid shaped pao bread dish enjoys. Pao Bhaji has broken the barriers of Mumbai and gone pretty much everywhere, however any self respecting foodie knows that the best bhaji to dip your pao into will be found in Mumbai.
Pao Bhaji
The strong, tough and filling – Chhole Bhatoore
This mouth watering recipe from the state of Punjab tastes best with a glass of lassi. Extremely filling and heavy to digest, it takes serious stomach power to eat this rich, thick, and oily dish. The real Indian foodie does not balk at this challenge.
Chhole Bhature
Yummy, spicy, enjoyable and unique – Litti Chokha
If you happen to visit Patna (or any city of Bihar) and any major metropolitan city, you have eaten litti chokha which is the best breakfast you could have. Litti is a roasted ball is made up of sattu (gram flour) with a spicy filling, and chokha is made up of roasted bringal (eggplant), tomato and potato. Another very filling street food, that the Indian foodie should consider a challenge.
Litti Chokha
The tangy, tasty and delicious – Idli Sambhar
Idli sambhar is the tasty and economical breakfast option from South India. Fluffy steamed cakes of rice and pulses, served with a mixed vegetable soup that has tamarind in it. Available almost everywhere in the country and very easily found on the streets of Chennei, this popular street food is an easy tally for the Indian foodie.
Idlis
So, how did you score? Non-vegetarians need to score 6 on 6 to consider themselves a true Indian foodie and vegetarians need to score 5 on 5. Can you think of any other famous street food that should be on this list? Leave comments below.
