1. Aloo Chana Chaat
Aloo Chana Chaat is my take on Indian Street food. Aloo Chana Chaat is basically an Indian snack, quite healthy and literally means Potato-Chickpea Salad with tons of yummy flavours.
Ingredients/ Method
1 Cup Boiled Chickpeas (Chana)
1 Cup Boiled Potatoes
1/2 Cup chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Green chilli (Handle with care your mouth might get burnt)
2 tbsp Green Onions (Optional but adds a nice bite)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup Tamarind Sauce/Chutney
For Dressing:
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
4 tbsp Plain homemade yogurt
1/2 tbsp Mint Leaves (I used dried)
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
(Blend all dressing ingredients together for smooth paste)
Simple mix all ingredients together, pour the dressing over and serve in mini tartletes or party cups.
2. Samosas
Veg Samosas are the most popular Indian snack/appetizer. It’s basically all purpose flour dough, filled with potato stuffing and spices and then deep fried. You can prepare the healthier version by baking them and replacing potatoes with spinach and cheese.
Baked Spinach Samosas
It’s a two step process.
1. You prepare the outer shell (pastry) with the dough which is made using all purpose flour
2. Prepare the stuffing using spinach and peas
3. Fill the shell with the stuffing and then
Bake samosas at 350-375 F for about 30-35 mins.
For the pastry/outer shell
– All purpose flour
– Ajwain (carom seeds)
– Baking Powder
– Salt
– Oil
For stuffing:
– Bunch of spinach leaves, washed and chopped
– Cup of green peas and
– Indian spices
and if you are not enthusiastic about preparing outershell/pastry at home then simply use store bought puff pastry dough to make mini samosas at home for any kind of party.
3. Homemade Spring Rolls Recipe
Although of Asian origin and not really Indian, Spring rolls are quite popular among Indian teenagers as a choice for party menu item and something to enjoy with friends. It won’t be wrong to say that this Indo-chinese recipe is quite popular in India.
4. Hakka Noodles (Indo-Chinese style noodles)
These Hakka noodles are my absolute favourite. Add a lot of veggies in them to make them a bit healthier for the kids. Watching street vendors toss them up in their wok is quite a sight.
5. Simple Paneer Tikka recipe
Very simple Indian food recipe for Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Tikka makes a great appetizer. It’s not only a tasty party appetizer but also great finger food, good for bbq, summer parties, pool parties and all other occasions. Serve it with Mint or Tamarind Chutney.
6. Punjabi Fish Pakora Recipe
Do you like a good bite of Fish? Try these fish Pakoras.
For Marinade:
300 gms Fish Fillets
(We used Wild Pollock)
1/2 tsp black pepper pwd
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp Turmeric
For the batter
3 tbsp chickpea flour
1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp carom seeds/ajwain
1 tsp salt (add per taste)
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala
Oil for cooking. We pan-fried but you can choose to deep fry too.
Method: Marinade the fish for 20 mins and then prepare the batter. Add the fish in it. Let it stand in it and then pan-fry until cooked (usually 5-6 mins) Serve with chutney of your choice.
7. Aloo Tikki
Cost effective and easy to prepare Aloo tikki’s (Potato cutlets) are full of calories but so yummy that it’s hard to put the plate down.
8. Pav Bhaji
This Indian vegetarian street food item is popular in Maharashtra and slowly catching up with rest of the country. Pav Bhaji refers to two items. Bhaji is basically vegetables cooked in Indian spices enjoyed with Pav which is a special bread. You can make your own Pav bread or simply buy it from the store to enjoy with Bhaji. Street vendors add tons of oil/butter/ghee on Bhaji and squeeze fresh lemon on top. You can make a healthier version at home.
9. Mix Pakoras
Imagine piping hot Pakoras with a fresh cup of Chai tea on a rainy day. Truly these veg fritters are in a league of their own. You can also make fritters out of individual vegetables like Gobi , Zucchini, Potatoes or combine them all together. Indian street food scene is incomplete without Pakoras and number one Pakora of all times is Paneer Pakora. Prepare Paneer Pakoras especially if you are expecting some special guests.
10. Dosa
Dosa hails from southern regions of India and is quite popular as street food in Northern India. although process too make Dosas at home is long, it’s well worth it. Dosa’s can be enjoyed plain or stuffed with variety of fillings. Potato filling being the most common. Dosas are enjoyed with various chutneys like coconut dip, tamarind chutney and Sambhar which is a thin lentils based curry.
11. Veg Manchurian
One of the latest additions to Indian street foods is Manchurian which is an Indo-chinese dumpling made out of different veggies. Served over noodles, veg manchurian appeals to young and old alike.
12. Kabobs
Our discussion for Indian street food won’t be complete without mentioning Kabobs. Although their are several kinds of Kabobs (liek boti Kabobs, Shami Kabobs, Reshmi Kebabs etc) and each street vendor has its own formula to make perfect Kebabs, chicken tikka rules the roost and is simply delectable.
As you travel through India, you’ll see that their are lots of Dhabas, street stalls, food carts etc and several of them serve fried rice, parathas and curry as well. Although this Indian street food is quite mouth watering, eat with caution as it might not be most hygenie 🙂 just being honest here.
