There's More to South Indian Street Food Than Dosas and Idlis! If You Enjoy These Then Here are 16 Dishes That You Should Try When in South India (2019)

The street food delicacies of South India is a feast for the senses and are equally impressive in taste. Right from the simple dish of Sambhar Vada to the masterpiece of Dosa, you will delight in everything. It’s the diversity of delicacies that will make your food journey in South India memorable.

The South Indian street food delicacies have everything – it practically satisfies people of all budgets and palates. The street food found in South India today reflects the influence of regional and global cultures with their own distinct local variations. Delicacies can be as simple as puffed rice or peanuts or a riot of flavors such as chaat. Idli sambar is quite renowned and is favorite among the natives of Chennai, though vadas and uttapams are not far behind. It is the sheer diversity in the South Indian street food delicacies that make your stay in South India so deliciously rewarding.

In order to savor the best food that a country has to offer, sometimes, it’s best to forego the hottest new restaurants and star ratings. So, then, where should we go to? Why, it’s street food, of course. Make no mistake, it has less to do with quality, rather it is the assault of flavours that these street foods honour.

Atho is quite a renowned street food of South India, but it has its origins in Burma. Atho is basically a mixture of spicy noodles, which is seasoned with shredded cabbage, onions, and chilies. A variety of garnishing can also be added to the dish - tamarind chutneys, garlic, ginger and such.

Where to eat - You are not going to find Atho anywhere in India, except in Tamil Nadu. You can head over at Burma Bazar in Chennai to get a taste of this scrumptious dish.

Now, this street food needs no introduction. It is pretty much a straight forward dish - it contains a hard-boiled egg, which is then slit open and then, filled with a mashed stuffing consisting of garlic, onion, and salt. Pop it into your mouth at one go - that's how you eat this dish.

Where to eat - You can pretty much find the Burmese Egg Masala on every street of Tamil Nadu, but the one place you should head for is 'Burma Bazaar', located in Chennai.

Also known as breadfruit pakoda or Breadfruit fritters, Jeegujje Podi is in fact quite popular with the locals of Karnataka. The process of making this street food is quite simple. Breadfruit is taken and which is cut into thin pieces. They are then coated with spicy gram flour paste and salt and chili strips are sprinkled on them before deep frying in the pan.

Where to eat - The Jeegujje Podi is quite famous and you will be able to find it on any streets in Karnataka, but for the best - you can head over to Balli's Shop, located at Car Street, Bhavathi, Bunder, Mangaluru, Karnataka.

Punugulu is one of the most famous street snacks that you can find in Hyderabad. In fact, Punugulu is almost similar to that of a dosa, with a few differences. The differences being - apart from the usual batter of the dosa, a few other items are added to the list such as chopped onions, coriander, and yogurt. The batter is then deep fried until it starts to show a deep golden brown color.

Where to eat - You can head over to any of the street food stalls located at Ruchi Dosa at Beach Road, Beside Defence Quarters, Kirlampudi Layout, Chinna Waltair, Pedda Waltair, Visakhapatnam.

Like the Burmese Egg Masala, Mohinga is another street food that can be found in Chennai and which has its origins in Burma. Mohinga is a fish and rice-noodle soup. It is garnished with ginger, garlic, fried onions and then a core of a plantain stem is added.

Where to eat - You can find Mohinga at Burma Bazar, located in Chennai.

There's something almost heavenly about the smell of fried fish, as though biting into fried fish will set everything up in your life. If that's what you want to feel, then, you have to come to the streets of Kerala.
Here, in Kerala, in all the streets, you are going to find deep-fried fish. First, the fish is marinated with the choicest of spices and then, they are deep fried in a pan until they turn into a deep brown. Pick out a lime, and sprinkle over the fried fish, and you are good to go.

This street food is best enjoyed when it is scalding hot - a time when it is the crunchiest.

Where to eat - You can have a taste of this scrumptious street food at Pani Puri Street Shop, located at KV Nagar, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi, Kerala.

Also known as Dal Vada, Parippu Vada is something like dal fritter. To make this street food, first, dal is ground. Then, seasonings such as onion, garlic, ginger, and coriander are added. The ground dal are then rolled into little balls and deep fried in the pan until they turn dark and crispy on the outside.

Where to eat - You can find Paripuu Vada at Annan Street Food, Kannigapuram, Vivekananda Nagar, TNHB, Avadi, Tamil Nadu.

Also one of the most famous street food of South India, Thattu dosa is just like any other dosa, but plain and smaller in size, almost the size of a palm. Thattu Dosa is best taken with tamarind or chilli chutney. Off late, it is seen that Thattu Dosa is being sold while paired with two omelettes. We Indians are pretty much well known for culinary innovations when it comes to our food delicacies!

Where to eat - You can eat Thattu Dosa at Dosa 360, located near Aashirvad Apartment, 27th Street, Thillaiganga Nagar, Nangainallur, Chennai.

This street food will probably make you think twice before you order the KFC Burger. The main item of this street food is chicken. To make this street food, chicken is first marinated in coriander powder, chili powder, ginger & garlic paste, and salt. After a few hours, the chicken is deep fried and kept aside. Now, green chilies, cumin seeds, curry leaves along with tomato sauce is heated on a pan with some oil. Then, the deep fried chicken is tossed in the mixture of condiments and mixed well.

Still, want to order that KFC Burger?

Where to eat - Kozhi Porichathu can be found on the Murugesan Street, Jafferkhanpet, located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Pazhampuri is basically a street food which honors bananas. Given their penchant to go for bananas in just about everything, trust them to get this street food right.

The street food 'Pazhampuri' is quite easy to make. Just take a few bananas, slice them up and dump them in batter and deep fry them. The batter though consists of flour, egg, water sugar, oil and of course, salt to taste.

Where to eat - Pazhampuri can be found at Chaithanya Tea Shop, located in Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala.

Like the Thattu Dosa, Iddiyappam is also quite famous as street food in South India. Also known as string hopper, this street food is made from rice flour and which is put through a pressure cooker. Doing this will push out the rice flour in long noodle-like strands that are later steamed and served along with the spicy chicken.

Where to eat - Iddiyappam can be found on the Srinivasan Road in T Nagar, Chennai.

Also known as Tamarind Rice, this street food is quite renowned on the streets of Andhra Pradesh. For this street food, rice is served along with tamarind. It is this tamarind that makes the dish sweet, tangy and sour.

Where to eat - You can find Pulihora Pulusu at Malkapatnam, RTC Colony, Machilipatnam, located in Andhra Pradesh.

You may know Goli Bhaje by its other name - Mangalore Bajji. Goli Bhaje is actually little snacks which are spiced up by curry leaves, chillies, onion, and ginger. That being said, one of the most important ingredients of this street food is 'sour buttermilk' and it is this ingredient which lends the batter a fermented flavour. These little snacks can be taken in the evening with a hot cup of tea.

Where to eat - You can eat Goli Bhaje at Jannal Kadai, located in Mylapore.

This is one street food which you will find in all the streets of South India. Parotta is basically a layered flatbread and is best served with egg, chicken along with a spicy sauce called 'salna'.

Where to eat - Parotta can be found in almost all the streets of South India, but Thambi, Vilas, located in Chennai serves the best parottas.

Balekai Podi is a street food which is quite similar to Pazhampuri, in the sense that they both use banana fritters. The raw bananas are seasoned with the choicest of ingredients such as chilli powder, carom seeds and salt and mixed with a gram or chickpea flour. The batter is then dumped in oil and then, deep fried.

Where to eat - You can have a taste of this scrumptious street food at Narayana, Mangalore in Karnataka.

Also known as Murukku, this is one of that street food which can be enjoyed during the festivals. Minapa Jantikalu is made from moong dal or rice flour. You can add this street food to basically any dish you think of. It will add a delicious and textural crunch to just about anything. You can even add this street food over sambar-rice by crushing it when the poppadums are long over.

Where to eat - You can find the Minapa Jantikalu at K Street Food Junction, Malkapatnam, RTC Colony, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Paradise for street food – that’s what South India is known for. Take a walk through the streets and you will know – the pleasant aroma of the dishes that are prepared, will surely leave you in awe. No less tasty than the cuisines served at the restaurants, the South Indian street food has a charm of its own. One thing is for sure, the experience of eating South Indian street food is second to none and will surely be an experience that you are going to cherish forever.