You are walking through the streets - the aroma of sizzling pakodas, spicy chutneys, to irresistible pani puris. The vibrant colours, the laughter of people gathered around the street food vendors not only describe the delicacies but also an experience which, every time, wins over fine dining. Indian street food isn’t just about filling your stomach, but it's a symphony of flavours, making you sink into the aroma and make each bite adventurous with a burst of flavours! 

Today, Foodism is not here with some recipes but we are here with the nostalgia of your childhood, infact, till date. Come, let’s explore the Indian street food supremacy together - 

Pani Puri with Aloo Chana Filling

Ingredients:

For Puri:

Ready-made puris or homemade puris using semolina and flour

For Aloo Chana Filling (for pani puri):

2 boiled potatoes (for the aloo chana)

1 cup boiled black chickpeas

Chaat masala, salt, chopped coriander

For Spicy Pani (for pani puri):

Mint, coriander, green chilli, tamarind, roasted cumin powder, black salt, chilled water

Method: 

To make pani puri with aloo chana filling - 

Mix mashed potatoes and chickpeas to make the aloo chana for pani puri.

Blend all pani ingredients and chill them well.

Crack open each pani puri, stuff with aloo chana, and pour the spicy mint pani. Enjoy your homemade pani puri!

• Tip: Use ice-cold water for the pani puri pani to enhance the refreshing flavour.

 

Aloo Tikki Plate

Ingredients:

• 4 boiled potatoes
• Cornflour, chilli powder, salt, cumin
• Oil for frying
• For toppings - tamarind chutney, green chutney, whisked curd, chaat masala, sev, coriander

Method:

To make aloo tikki plate - 

• Mash potatoes, mix in spices and cornflour, shape into round aloo tikki.
• Fry the aloo tikki until crispy and golden.
• On a plate, place aloo tikki, drizzle with chutneys, curd, and garnish. Your delicious aloo tikki plate is ready!

Tips: 

• Use leftover or day-old boiled potatoes for firmer tikkis.
• Add a little grated ginger and chopped green chilli to the tikki mix for more zing.
• For extra crispness, double shallow fry: fry once till lightly golden, rest, then fry again before serving.
• Serve tikkis hot, and only pour curd and chutneys before serving to avoid sogginess.

Bhel Puri Chaat 

Ingredients:

• Puffed rice, sev, chopped onion, tomato, boiled potato
• Tamarind chutney, green chutney, chaat masala

Method:

To make bhel puri chaat - 

• Mix puffed rice, sev, veggies, chutneys, and spices.
• Serve bhel puri chaat immediately to retain its crunch.
• Garnish with extra sev and coriander to make your bhel puri chaat even more appetising.

Tips: 

• Use dry puffed rice—roast it lightly in a pan before using if it's soft.
• Add a dash of mustard oil or raw mango pieces for a tangy street-style twist.
• Keep dry and wet ingredients separate until ready to serve your bhel puri chaat to retain crunch.

Aloo Chaat Street Food Style

Ingredients:

• Cubed boiled and fried potatoes (for aloo chaat)
• Chaat masala, lemon juice, tamarind chutney, chopped coriander

Method:

To make aloo chaat street food style - 

• Fry potatoes until crispy for your aloo chaat.
• Toss fried aloo with spices, chutneys, and lemon juice.
• Serve the aloo chaat hot with a sprinkle of fresh coriander.

Tips: 

• For crispier results, air fry or bake the potato cubes instead of deep-frying.
• Sprinkle a bit of black salt and lemon juice immediately after frying for maximum flavour absorption.
• Add pomegranate seeds or chopped raw mango for bursts of sweet-sour contrast.

Aloo Kathi Roll

Ingredients for Aloo Kathi Roll:

• Spiced mashed potatoes, chopped onions, coriander, garam masala
• Paratha or whole wheat wrap

Method:

To make aloo kathir roll - 

• Sauté the potato filling until fragrant for your aloo kathi roll.
• Spread it on a paratha, add onion and chutney.
• Roll it up and serve the aloo kathi roll hot with mint chutney.
• Tip: Add pickled onions or a vinegar-onion slaw inside the roll for acidity.

Papdi Chaat

Ingredients:

• Papdi (crispy wafers), boiled potatoes, chickpeas
• Curd, tamarind chutney, green chutney, sev, pomegranate

Method:

To make papdi chaat - 

• Arrange papdi on a plate for your papdi chaat base.
• Add toppings and drizzle with curd and chutneys.
• Sprinkle with sev and pomegranate to complete your papdi chaat masterpiece.
• Tip: Use thick curd whisked with a little sugar and salt for balance.

Dosa and Chaat Fusion

For Dosa and Chaat Fusion:

• Dosa batter (rice and urad dal)
• Masala aloo filling (like in masala dosa)
• Chaat toppings: curd, chutneys, sev

Method:

To make dosa and chaat fusion - 

• Prepare dosa and stuff with spicy mashed potatoes.
• Drizzle curd, chutneys, and serve on top for a dosa and chaat experience.
• Serve your fusion dosa and chaat warm and creatively!

Tips: 

• Use a non-stick pan or seasoned cast iron tawa for crispy dosas.
• Cook dosas on medium-high heat and do not flip; let them crisp on one side.
• Mix leftover aloo tikki masala as the filling for a fun twist.

Sev Puri Chaat 

Ingredients for Sev Puri Chaat:

• 10 flat papdis (store-bought or homemade for sev puri chaat)
• 1 boiled potato, chopped (for sev puri chaat base)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Green chutney and tamarind chutney (2 tbsp each for sev puri chaat)
• Chaat masala, salt
• Nylon sev (a must for sev puri chaat topping)
• Coriander leaves, pomegranate seeds

Method:

To make sev puri chaat - 

• Arrange the papdis on a plate to start building your sev puri chaat.
• Top each papdi with chopped potato, onion, and a dash of salt and chaat masala.
• Add green and tamarind chutney on each piece to layer the flavours of sev puri chaat.
• Finish with a generous sprinkle of nylon serve and coriander.
• Garnish sev puri chaat with pomegranate for colour and freshness.

Tips:

• Always assemble sev puri chaat just before serving.
• For extra tang, squeeze lemon juice over your sev puri chaat.
• Use chilled chutneys to make the sev puri chaat refreshing.

Vada Pav 

Ingredients:

• Pav buns (4 for vada pav)
• 3 large potatoes, boiled and mashed
• Ginger-garlic paste, green chilli, mustard seeds
• Besan (for vada pav batter)
• Oil for frying
• Dry garlic chutney

Method:

To make vada pav - 

• Make the potato filling by tempering mustard seeds, ginger-garlic paste, and green chilli. Add mashed potatoes and salt. Let it cool, then shape into balls for vada pav.
• Make a thick besan batter with salt and turmeric.
• Dip the potato balls into the batter and deep-fry to make the vada for vada pav.
• Toast pav buns, spread dry garlic chutney, and sandwich the vada.
• Serve vada pav hot with fried green chilli.

Tips:

• Use dry garlic chutney generously—it defines vada pav.
• Add finely chopped coriander and lemon juice to the filling for a vibrant vada pav flavour.

Pav Bhaji 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed vegetables (potato, cauliflower, peas, carrot)
• 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 capsicum (finely chopped for pav bhaji)
• Pav bhaji masala, butter, salt
• Pav buns

Method:

To make pav bhaji - 

• Boil and mash vegetables to make the pav bhaji base.
• In butter, sauté onion, capsicum, tomatoes, and masala. Add mashed vegetables and water.
• Simmer for 15 minutes, mash constantly.
• Toast pav buns in butter.
• Serve pav bhaji with onions, lemon wedges, and a big dollop of butter.
• Tip: Simmer longer for a richer pav bhaji flavour.

Kanda Bhaji (Onion Pakora) 

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup besan
• Ajwain, turmeric, chilli powder, salt
• Oil for frying

Method:

To make kanda bhaji (onion pakoda) - 

• Add salt to onions and let sit for 10 minutes. This releases water for binding the kanda bhaji.
• Add besan and spices; mix into a sticky dough.
• Fry a spoonful in hot oil till crispy.
• Serve kanda bhaji hot with chutney or ketchup.

Masala Corn Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups boiled sweet corn
• Butter, lemon juice
• Chaat masala, chilli powder, salt

Method:

To make masala corn recipe - 

• Toss hot corn with butter, salt, chaat masala, and chilli powder.
• Add lemon juice just before serving.
• Serve masala corn in paper cups or cones.

Tips:

• Use American sweet corn for juicy masala corn.
• Add a pinch of black salt to elevate your masala corn flavour.

Moong Dal Chilla 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup moong dal (soaked 3–4 hours)
• Ginger, green chilli
• Onion, coriander
• Oil for cooking

Method:

To make moong dal chilla - 

• Blend dal with ginger and chilli into a smooth batter.
• Add chopped onions and coriander.
• Pour onto a non-stick pan like a dosa and cook with a little oil.
• Serve moong dal chilla with chutneys.

Pulao Chaat 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups cooked basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
• 1/2 cup mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn) for the pulao chaat base
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tamarind chutney
• Green chutney
• 1 teaspoon chaat masala
• Sev for garnish
• Fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds for garnish

Method: 

To make pulao chaat - 

• Heat ghee or oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, and sauté until fragrant. Add mixed vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, chaat masala, and salt. Let the rice absorb all the spices for your pulao chaat base.
• Place the rice mixture in a bowl. Drizzle tamarind chutney and green chutney over the top of the rice.
• Top your pulao chaat with sev, fresh coriander, and pomegranate seeds for an extra burst of flavour and colour.
• Pulao chaat is best served fresh and can be enjoyed as a main dish or snack.

Tips: 

• Make the rice a day ahead (or use leftover rice) to enhance the flavours of your pulao chaat.
• You can add fried onions or crispy papdi for added texture in your pulao chaat.
• If you prefer a more tangy pulao chaat, add extra lemon juice or use raw mango powder for a seasonal twist.

Dhokla Chaat

Ingredients: 

For dhokla: 

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ginger-chilli paste
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Salt to taste
• Water as needed

For chaat toppings: 

• 1/4 cup tamarind chutney
• 1/4 cup green chutney
• 1 tablespoon roasted cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon chaat masala
• 1/2 cup whisked yoghurt
• Fresh pomegranate seeds (for garnish)
• Nylon sev
• Fresh coriander leaves (for garnish)

Method:

To make dhokla chaat - 

• In a bowl, mix besan (gram flour), yoghurt, ginger-chilli paste, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add water until the batter reaches a smooth, pouring consistency.
• Grease a steaming tray and pour the batter into it. Steam for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool before cutting it into squares for the dhokla chaat.
•  Arrange the cooled dhokla pieces on a serving plate.
•  Pour tamarind chutney and green chutney generously over the dhokla pieces.
• Spoon whisked yoghurt over the dhokla and sprinkle roasted cumin powder and chaat masala.
• Top your dhokla chaat with nylon sev, fresh pomegranate seeds, and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.

Tips: 

• Make sure the dhokla is steamed perfectly: It should be soft and spongy but not wet. If over-steamed, it can become dense, which might affect the texture of your dhokla chaat.
• Balance the chutneys: For the perfect dhokla chaat, balance the sweetness of the tamarind chutney with the spiciness of the green chutney.

Indian street foods are a reflection of diverse Indian culture and the vibrant spirits of people. Dishes tell a saga, and flavours describe remembrances. If you have any street food with your twist, then do share with our vibrant food community. Download Foodism now and share your creations.