Everyone eats street food, whether it’s sweet or savoury, fiery or mild, and it’s not uncommon for friends and family to argue about which is the best. In addition to satisfying your appetite, eating street food helps to sustain hardworking vendors, many of whom have been doing so for many years.
Street food is a worldwide phenomenon. However, nothing compares to the diversity of street food available in India. Indian street food is unique because of its simple yet diverse flavours. It is one of our all-time favourites. We eat street food no matter where we are, whether it’s a flea market, a mall, or Haldiram’s.
Let’s Take a look at some of the best street foods from the streets of northern India,
1. Pani Puri
Panipuri, commonly known as golgappa, is one of the most popular street meals in the region. In fact, many kinds of this common food may be found all over India, and its actual origins are a point of contention. If you know Hindi, you’ll recognise the words pani and puri, which translate to “water” and “bread,” respectively.
Don’t be turned off by the title; it’s not as boring as it sounds. It is made by frying hollow puff pastry balls and then filling them with green-coloured spicy and peppery water, potatoes, and chickpeas. It may appear weird and a little messy to eat, but it’s a great way to cool off on a hot day.
2. Indian Tikka
Indian tikka is a boneless chicken dish that is sliced into smaller pieces and marinated in yoghurt with traditional Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, chile, garlic, and ginger. In a tandoor, a traditional cylindrical clay oven, the meat is grilled over charcoal.
The meat is frequently rubbed with oil or butter to keep it soft and moist. Tikka is usually cooked on sizzlers and served with rice, but plain variations are also popular. It’s often confused with tandoori chicken, a baked chicken dish with the meat still on the bone.
3. Chole Bhature
Chole bhature is a dish that combines two dishes: chole, a spicy chickpea curry, and bhature, a fried bread prepared from maida flour. The dish was created in Delhi in the 1940s and is now popular throughout North India.
Onions, pickles, mint chutney, and cool lassi are frequent accompaniments. Chole bhature can be available on most North Indian street carts, but it’s extremely simple to make at home. Although it can be eaten at any time of day, chole bhature is most popular in the morning, when it is loaded with potatoes or cottage cheese, making it a filling and nutritious breakfast.
4. Aloo Tikki
Aloo Tikki is a tasty dish popular in Northern India and Pakistan. It is made out of potato (aloo) and onion croquettes (Tikki), which are then deep-fried and seasoned with various spices. In Mumbai and North India, croquettes are a mainstay of every chaat stall.
Aloo Tikki is frequently eaten with yoghurt or chickpeas and is often topped with onion, chutney, coriander, or fiery chillies. The snack is frequently served with spicy curries in Mumbai. Although aloo Tikki is generally eaten in North India and Pakistan, it is becoming increasingly popular in the United Kingdom, particularly in the East Midlands.
5. Pav Bhaji
Maharashtra, in western India, is the source of this soul food.
Pav bhaji, on the other hand, comes into its own in the winter farther north: in Maharashtra, where temperatures rarely drop below freezing in December and January, winter isn’t actually a thing! Toasted white rolls (pav) are dipped into a smooth mixture of mashed potatoes, tomatoes, onions, green peas, and peppers (bhaji), which has been laced with butter before serving.
6. Kulfi Falooda
This cool dessert, which is typically associated with northern Indian regions, combines thin falooda noodles and kulfi, a traditional Indian ice cream made with slowly boiled whole milk and flavoured with pistachio, rose water, and saffron. The entire dessert is frequently enhanced with various additives such as sweet basil seeds, jelly, or rose water, and crushed nuts are frequently topped.
Kulfi falooda is a typical summer drink that can be made at home but can also be found on the menus of traditional restaurants or at specialist street stalls.
7. Dahi Vada
Dahi vada is a popular Indian snack that can also be served as a main course or as a side dish with vegetables or meat. The meal is made up of delicious lentil-based fried balls (vadas) that have been soaked in a thick yoghurt sauce (dahi).
Spices like chile, cumin, coriander, and other chutneys are frequently added to this famous street meal. The meal is especially popular at special occasions like weddings, and it’s a great way to cool down on a hot summer day.
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