Indian Street Foods That Need to Go Global

Indian street food is considered by some to be the hidden gem of Indian cuisine. Most of the major cities in India such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkota, and Chennai boast ah-mazing street food dishes.

I personally love Indian street food because not only are the appetizer-sized portions ideal, but there is absolutely NO skimping on the flavor right down to the tiniest morsel. Once you find your go-to Indian street food snack, I promise you’ll go back for seconds…or thirds…or in my case, tenths because tapas > entrees.

DISCLAIMER: If you are traveling to India as a first-timer it is strongly advised to think twice before trying food from outdoor vendors mostly due to questionable sanitation standards. However it should also be noted that in recent years a plethora of five-star restaurants and hotel cafés have started to offer an array of street food-inspired menus that are more than perfectly safe for consumption.

Aloo Tikki (pronounced ah-loo tick-ee)

This Indian street food item is the South Asian version of a potato croquette. Aloo tikki is prepared by mashing boiled potatoes-which are combined with coriander, onions, and special spices-and then shaping them into patties. Next, the patties are deep-fried to create a crispy outer layer while still remaining melt-in-your-mouth-soft on the inside.

These spicy potato cutlets are served with mint and/or tamarind chutney, yogurt sauce, or Maggi ketchup – a South Asian staple.

Bhelpuri (pronounced bh-ale poo-ree)

The best way to describe bhelpuri is like a flavor party in your mouth. After all, this West Indian regional street food is designed to meld sweet, salty, and spicy flavors into one tasty snack. And did I mention that bhelpuri is naturally vegan AND traditionally served in a paper cone?

Nowadays, bhelpuri is most commonly served as an appetizer at large dinner parties since it’s embarrassingly easy to make. All that’s necessary is to toss the pre-prepared ingredients into a large bowl and voila! These ingredients include puffed rice, sev (deep-fried noodles made from chickpea flour paste), chaat masala, diced onions, and tomatoes plus green chilies and cilantro as a garnish.

Vada Pav (pronounced vuh-dah pao)

One of the less spicy (depending on whether or not green chili peppers are involved) street foods out of this list, vada pav is a piece of deep-fried, carb-laden, vegetarian-friendly heaven. This is the go to snack of the people of Mumbai. My favorite as well. I was maybe 3 years old when i had my first bite of a Vada Pav. It is very pocket friendly and everyone can afford to have it  and fill their empty tummies. The dish consists of a potato patty rolled in garbanzo bean flour, then deep-fried, and sandwiched in between two bread buns which is then served alongside one or two chutneys or sauces and a couple of fried Indian chilies.

Dosa (pronounced dho-saa)

If you’re about that crepe life, this dish is for you. Dosas are crepes made out of a fermented batter of rice and black lentils. These savory crepes are an integral part of South Indian cuisine, so it is very common to find food stalls in various regions of India (with a strong South Indian demographic) that make dosas.

Dosas can be made plain or stuffed with a masala mashed potato mixture. Growing up I also remember one of our family friends stuffing the children’s and my cheese-fanatic mother’s dosas with shredded cheese – which bt-dubs tastes bomb af…so dosa purists don’t hate.

Typical chutneys that are served with dosas are coconut chutney and mint chutney. Milagai podi (colloquially known as gunpowder) mixed with gingelly oil is also a popular (and my personal favorite) dosa condiment of choice. Also served on the side along with the Dosa is Sambhar which is a South Indian twist on Lentils cooked with various different vegetables.

Kati Roll (pronounced kah-tee roll)

Sure Chipotle burritos are bae and all, but have you ever sunk your teeth into a kati roll in the middle of lunch hour on the side of a busy intersection in the heart of Kolkata? Now that is truly an Anton Ego moment – at least for any native Kolkatan.

Kati rolls might be considered West Bengal’s equivalent of a burrito however a closer relative would be the Frankie or even the shawarma (idk why I am using family metaphors but they work, so stay with me on this one).

It should be noted that the flavor profile of a kati roll is truly unique with its roti exterior which envelopes tender pieces of spiced chicken, lamb, or paneer in addition to toppings that range from scrambled eggs to mixed raw/cooked vegetables. The final garnishes before the vendor wraps up the roti are a variety of sauces, a squeeze of lemon or lime, and a sprinkle of chaat masala.

Kebab (pronounced as kuh-baab)

Kebab is a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern/South Asian dish containing marinated pieces of meat or fish skewered along with a variety of vegetables (usually bell peppers and red onion) and roasted or grilled to evoke a charred flavor.

What makes Indian-style kebabs worth your time is they are guaranteed to make your taste buds freak out. Depending on which restaurant you go to, Indian-style kebabs are available in a variety of spice blends which range from spicy-ish to I-need-a-mango-lassi-because-my-mouth-is-spewing-fire spicy.

Generally, the least spicy kebab flavor is murgh malai, which roughly translates from Hindi to “tangy chicken.” The most popular kebabs, especially in the Western world, include chicken tikka (as pictured above) and chicken tangri.

Or if you’re like me and find chicken tikka and tandoori chicken to be mainstream-basically-borderline-cliche, step up your kebab game and check out seekh, shami, hariyali, and reshmi kebabs aka the kinda-sorta-hipsters of the Indo-kebab world.

Kulfi (pronounced cool-fee)

In layman’s terms, kulfi is the Indian counterpart of ice cream. However there are several differences between kulfi and ice cream, predominantly in the contexts of flavor and texture.

Roadside kulfi is often served in its classic mold or with a decadent topping to create kulfi falooda, a type of ice cream float made with a base of rose syrup sauce, cooked vermicelli noodles, and basil seeds.

Pani Puri (pronounced pah-nee poo-ree)

Also known in certain parts of India as gol gappa (pronounced goal gup-puh), puchka (pronounced pooch-kah), and/or gup chup (pronounced goop choop), pani puri is considered the national symbol of Indian street food.

The dish consists of miniature puri shells (unleavened deep fried pieces of bread with semolina added to the dough) that have been hollowed out and traditionally stuffed with a seasoned mixture of mashed potatoes to which smashed chickpeas and/or bean sprouts are occasionally added.

The stuffed puri shells are garnished with an optional assortment of toppings including tamarind and mint chutney, finely chopped green chilies, and diced onions. The final touch is the pani, which is typically flavored with tamarind paste and chaat masala.

When recreating this dish at home, you’ll find that almost a pitcher full of the pani tends to get left over, so a great way to make the most of it is by converting the leftover pani into a cocktail.

Pakora/Pakoda (pronounced puh-koh-rah or puh-koh-duh)

One of the easiest street foods to replicate at home, the pakora is a fritter made by dipping vegetable and/or meat pieces in a chickpea flour-based batter and then deep frying them into golden brown perfection. Pakora is served with an array of sauces, usually tamarind chutney and mint chutney or Maggi ketchup.

Fish and chicken are the most common meats that are used in pakora making. The most common vegetables for dipping include onions, eggplant, cauliflower, and large green chili peppers.

Pav Bhaji (pronounced pao bhaa-jee)

Originating from the Indian state of Maharashtra, pav bhaji is a blend of mashed vegetables in a tomato-based gravy cooked on a tava (flat griddle) and served with a buttered batch-style bread roll.

Pav bhaji fairly resembles an Indian vegetarian version of a Sloppy Joe. In fact, a non-vegetarian version of pav bhaji is made with kheema (curried ground meat) and commonly referred to as kheema pav.

Samosa (pronounced suh-moh-sah)

In a nutshell, or should I say in a phyllo dough crust shell (hehe bad joke), samosas are the empanadas of the Eastern Hemisphere. Commonly found throughout South Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and parts of Africa, samosas are a mixture of seasoned potatoes, peas, and onions wrapped in a shell made of phyllo dough and then fried or baked. Samosas are the perfect finger food for cocktail parties or any occasion really.

Variations of samosas include ground meat and/or paneer.

Vada (pronounced vuh-dah)

You know that one deep-fried dish your mom used to make all the time growing up that you’d cautiously watch from the sidelines, anxiously eyeing the oil-dripping pieces, waiting for them to cool enough to snatch?

Well those are vadas for ya. Vadas are one of those snacks that, whether you’re 5 or you’re 50, will always scream comfort food, and like Lays, I betcha can’t have just one.

Vadas refer to a generic term for fritter snacks, however the one I am referring to is shaped like a donut and the batter is made out of lentils. The super sludgey-yet-grainy lentil batter is formed into blobs which are plopped into hot oil to create fritters.

They can be found served alongside other South Indian snacks – typically idlis (pronounced as id-lees) and dosas. Or they can also be found floating in a piping hot bowl of sambar (pronounced saam-bhur) or in a flavorful yogurt sauce which is a separate dish in itself known as dahi vada (pronounced dhuh-hee vuh-duh).

The best reason to try vadas is that they’re not at all spicy – unless you’re joining the Ningoo family, in which case there will always be green chili chunks in your vadas because we intentionally want to see your face turn redder than Maggi ketchup and to watch you eyes pop out of your head and smoke to come out of your ears.

Misal Pav, curry-licious

A light snack that has all the components for a bon appetite. Misal Pav, is a common snack in the streets of Mumbai. A mouthwatering mixture of tangy and spicy, a close cousin of Pav Bhaji, this one street delight is tasty as well as filling.

Misal Pav is more a Railway station delight, in the midst of a busy Mumbai life where the eyes are always on tracks, this is certainly an easy "Grab it - Take it" meal.

Dabeli, an appetizing delicacy

A popular evening snack of the Gujrat region, Dabeli, gradually became a favorite street food all over Western India. As the night pulls down its curtains one may witness hawkers arranging their stalls with all mouthwatering Gujarati cuisine like Dhokla, Khaman and various other light snacks.

Well served with namkeen, the aroma of the special Dabeli spices used in its preparation will certainly get you hooked over the stall for some more of it.

Bombil Fry (Bombay Duck)

An all time favorite seafood that is widely relished only in the streets of Mumbai is actually a type of white fish that is exclusively available on Mumbai's Coasts. A Goan inspired cuisine, Bombil or Bombla is certainly an ideal street food for sea food lovers.

For the ones, who are just in the early phases of experimenting with sea foods, we recommend to stay away while your dish is being cooked. As they do not smell good while frying but what matters is the end result on your plate...that is certainly just amazingly delicious.