Bring the Flavours of the Best Indian Street Food to Your Kitchen: Recipes with Ingredients and Step-by-Step Instructions for the 10 Most Popular Street Foods from India (2019)

Veg Hakka Noodles

• Ingredients:
• 200gms of Hakka Noodles
• 3-4 medium sized onions, chopped finely and few to be used for garnishing
• A small/medium carrot, finely chopped or julienned
• Finely chopped 8-10 French beans
• Finely chopped 5-8 Button mushrooms
• A small/medium bell pepper (red/green/yellow), finely chopped
• 1½ tsp garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 dry red chilies, broken & de-seeded or fresh green chili chopped finely
• 1 tsp finely chopped celery
• 200 gms of Hakka Noodles
• ¼ tsp white or rice vinegar
• ½ tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ tbsp. oil to coat the noodles
• 2 tbsps oil for stir-frying
• Salt, pepper & water as required



• Method:
• Heat enough water in a pan with salt & few drops of oil and boil it. Add the Hakka noodles and cook them according to the instructions on the package. Whilst the noodles cook, rinse & chop the veggies. Once the noodles are done, drain & rinse them in running water, and then add oil to them, mix gently to coat the noodles and keep them aside.


• Heat oil in a pan and on medium heat, begin by adding the dry red chilies and garlic. Saute for a minute and then add the spring onions and French beans to it. Stir fry the mix on high flame for 3 minutes, and then add the carrot, bell pepper, mushroom and celery. Stir fry all the veggies on a high flame till they turn dull brown on the edges, which is going to be approx. 5-6 minutes.


• Add the soy sauce and stir, add the noodles, and tossing them well, stir fry for a minute on high flame. Season the dish with salt and pepper, add the vinegar and continue tossing and cooking the noodles on high flame for another minute. Toss the entire mix well one last time and then garnish with chopped onions before serving.

Recipe for Chole

Ingredients:

• For pressure cooking:
• A cup of dried white chickpeas, water as required for soaking
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 cups water for pressure cooking
• A pinch of baking soda (optional)


• For the gravy:
• 2-3 tbsps oil or ghee
• ½ tsp haldi
• ¼ tsp lal mirch
• 1 tsp dhaniya powder
• A pinch of hing (optional)
• 1-1½ cups of water
• Salt as required
• A slit green chili
• 1 tsp amchur, and
• 1 tsp of garam masala or chole masala


• Whole garam masala (spices) for chole: 1 tsp jeera, 1 large bay leaf, 2” dalchini, 2-3 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 2-3 black peppercorns


• Grind into a paste: 1 medium onion chopped, 2 medium tomatoes chopped, 1” ginger chopped, 4-5 medium chopped garlic cloves and 1 green chili chopped.

How to make it:

• Pressure cook: rinse the chole a few times in water, soak them in enough water and leave aside overnight or 7-8 hours. Then drain all the water and cook the chole with water and salt in a pressure cook, with a pinch of baking soda. Once cooked, drain the excess water and keep the chole aside.


• Gravy for the chole:
• Blend the onion, tomatoes, ginger, cloves and green chili in a grinder to a fine paste. Heat a pan with 2-3 tbsps oil and add the Whole Garam Masala spices mix to it, frying it till the oil becomes fragrant, do not let it burn. Add the ground paste and saute till the oil starts separating from the masala paste.


• Stirring frequently, saute the mixes for 7-8 minutes and stirring so the paste doesn’t stick to the pan. Next, add all the dry spice powders of haldi, red chili powder, dhaniya powder, hing and amchur. Mix them all and saute for a minute, now add the cooked chole to the mix and stir. Add 1.5 cups of water or as required with salt to taste and mix it all well. Simmer the chole gravy on low flame for 12-15 minutes or till the gravy thickens, stirring occasionally without covering the pan. You can mash a few chickpeas with the back of a spoon to thicken the gravy. Finally, add a slit of green chili, 1 tsp garam masala powder/chole masala powder, mix well and simmer for a minute or two. Serve chole, garnished with coriander leaves and serve with Bhature, onion slices & lemon wedges.

Recipe for Bhature

• Ingredients you’ll require are:
• 1½ cups of atta
• 3 slices of regular whole wheat bread
• A tbsp of raw sooji (not roasted)
• 1 tbsp curd
• Water & salt as required
• Oil for frying


• Method:
• Mix the atta, sooji, salt, oil, curd and crumbled or fine pulp of the bread into a bowl and knead it all into a dough. Cover and keep the dough aside for approx. 30 minutes at room temperature, and knead it gently again before use, making medium sized round balls from it. Apply a little oil on each ball before rolling into a 4-6” diameter. To fry, heat the oil and once moderately hot, slide the bhatura to deep fry. With the aid of a slotted spoon, nudge it gently to puff the bhatura up and then turn it over to fry the other side. Drain the excess oil off the bhatura by soaking it in a paper towel and then serve with the chickpea curry.

Matar Kulcha

Ingredients:

• For the filling:
• 1¼ cups of dried white peas
• 3-4 cups of water for pressure cooking the peas
• A tbsp of oil
• ½ tsp jeera
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• ½ tsp bhuna jeera powder
• ½ tsp amchur
• ¼ tsp lal mirch powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder


• For the chutney:
• ¾ cups of fresh mint leaves
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 tsp saunf
• Seeds of one black cardamom (without its shell)
• A de-seeded dry red chili
• A pinch of hing
• 1 tsp kala namak
• 5-6 whole black pepper
• ½ tsp amchur
• 1 tbsp seedless tamarind
• Water as required for grinding


• For the pea topping:
• A small onion finely chopped
• A finely chopped medium sized tomato
• 1 chopped green chili
• ½ inch ginger, julienned
• A quarter lemon and some coriander leaves


• For the kulcha:
• 2 ½ cups of maida
• 4 tbsp curd
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Water for kneading as required
• 2 ½ tsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 ½ tbsp oil or ghee
• Butter for frying
• Extra flour for dusting, and
• Some kalonji

How to make it:

• Cooking white peas: Soak the matar overnight, drain the excess water and pressure cook them with 3-4 cups of water till the peas are completely cooked. Mash the matar with a wooden spoon gently.


• Jaljeera chutney: Grind all the chutney ingredients together with ¼ cup water to a smooth paste and keep aside.


• Making matar (pea) curry: Heat oil in a pan on low flame and begin by sautéing the jeera. Remove the pan from the flame and then add the dry spice ingredients one by one (chat masala, roaster jeera powder, amchur powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder), stir & pour this mix into the cooked peas instantly. Light the flame again and heat the pan with peas for 3-4 minutes. Add the jaljeera chutney to it and stir now. If the matar mix looks dry, you can add some water. Keep cooking till the flavors blend in well (2-3 minutes approx.), check for seasoning or kala namak before serving.


• Cook the kulcha: mix the maida, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda in a bowl, make a well in the center of it all, and add curd, oil and water to the mix. Mix the flour with the liquids and then knead it gently into a dough. Keep it aside by covering it with a wet kitchen napkin and let the dough ferment for a couple of hours.
• Make small balls of the dough, sprinkled with some kalonji on the round balls, with a rolling pin, flatten the balls and shape each of them into an appropriately sized kulcha. Heat the tava and place the kulcha on it. Cook one side of the Kulcha till its cooked 1/4th and then cook the other side till its ½ cooked. Apply ghee or oil on both sides of the bread while cooking, and continue till the kulcha gets its golden spots and is evenly cooked.


• Serve the matar with a side topping of chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, chillies and squeeze some lemon juice, mix it all, garnish with coriander and serve it with Kulchas.

Paneer Malai Tikka

Ingredients:

• Tikka marination:
• 5 tbsp hung curd or thick curd
• 1/3 cup low fat cream
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• ¼ tsp ajwain
• ¼ tsp black or white pepper powder
• ½ tsp dhania powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• A pinch or two of crushed kasuri methi
• ½ tsp lemon juice and salt as required


• Other ingredients:
• 1/3 cup square cut onions
• 1/3 cup bell pepper cut in squares
• 250 gms paneer, and
• Oil as required

Method:

• Preparing the marinate: In a bowl, take 5 tbsps of thick/hung curd and whisk for a minute or until smooth. Then add the low fat cream and blend well. Add the ginger-garlic paste and all the powdered spices with salt into the mix with crushed kasuri methi, adding the lemon juice in the end, mix it all up well. Then add the onions, bell pepper and paneer cubes, gently mixing them with a small silicon spatula, taking care not to break the paneer cubes. Cover the bowl for about 30 minutes and let it marinate.


• Making the tikka: Thread the onion, bell pepper and paneer cubes together on bamboo skewers and place them on a pan which is lined and wrapped with aluminum foil. Before you grill them, pre-heat the oven at 240 degrees for 15 minutes and then grill the paneer at the same temperature for 15-20 minutes. Once the paneer gets its top to a light brown crust, remove and turn the skewers, brushing oil on the tikkas. Keep them back inside to continue grilling till the edges of a few paneer cubes and onions are slightly charred. Serve them hot with a side portion of onions, lemon wedges and mint chutney.

Misal Pav

Ingredients:

• Ingredients for misal:
• 3-4 tbsps oil
• ½ tsp jeera
• Finely chopped - 1 medium onion, 1 medium tomato
• ½ tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3 tbsp coriander leaves
• ¼ tsp haldi
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp goda/kala masala
• 200 gms moth beans sprouts
• Water as required
• 1 tsp tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp water
• ½ tsp jaggery powder
• Salt as required


• Toppings for the misal:
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• A bowl of chiwda
• A quartered lemon
• 10-12 pavs, and
• Some chopped coriander for garnishing

Method of preparation:

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the jeera to it, letting the seeds splutter. Then add the chopped onions and saute until they turn translucent on low/medium flame, next add the ginger-garlic paste and coriander leaves, mix them well & saute till the raw aroma of the paste goes. Add the tomatoes next and mix well, saute for about 2-3 mins on low/medium flame till the tomatoes soften.


• Add the spice powders now and mix them all well, saute till you see the oil separating from the paste. Next, add the sprouts (after you’ve rinsed them well in water and drained the water) with about 2 ½ - 3 cups of water, season with salt and mix well. Now, cover the pan with a lid and cook till the sprouts are done. Keep checking on them for any additional water.


• To check if the sprouts are cooked, try mashing them with a spatula. Ideally it’ll take about 20-25minutes for the sprouts to be cooked well. Next, add the imli pulp, jiggery and simmer the mix without the lid for 3-4 minutes till the raw aroma of the imli goes away. Then turn off the flame and check for taste and salt. Serve the misal hot in a bowl with chopped onions on the top and a squeeze of the lemon juice, garnished with coriander, chiwda and pao on the side.

Dahi Ke Kebab

• Ingredients:
• ½ cup fresh chilled curd or 200 gms of hung curd
• 5 tbsp besan
• Finely chopped: ½ tsp ginger, 2 tbsp onion, ½ tsp green chillies, 1 tbsp coriander leaves
• ½ tsp jeera powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• ¼ tsp kalci mirch powder
• Salt as required
• 2 tbsp oil


• Method:
• Preparing the hung curd: keeping a strainer on a bowl, lining a muslin cloth or cotton napkin on the strainer, add ½ cup of fresh chilled curd (creamy and thick is important) and bring the edges of cloth/napkin together tying the edges tightly, and then place a heavy weight or bowl on it, leaving it aside overnight. Next day, remove the hung curd from the cloth in a mixing bowl and refrigerate it till further steps.


• Preparing the kebab mix: heat a pan and add besan to it, stir it and roast the besan on low flame till you get a fragrant aroma and see it changing color, but don’t let it burn. Roast for about 4-5 minutes and keep aside. Now, add the chopped ingredients and the spices together with the roasted besan with black pepper powder and salt. With a small wired whisk, stir and mix all the ingredients together till there are no lumps to the mix. Pass the besan mix with the hung curd mix through the sieve and then refrigerate the mix for a couple of hours to firm up the kebab mix.


• Making the kebabs: heat 2 tbsp of oil on a tawa at low/medium flame. Now with a little oil in your palms, take a portion of the kebab mix and shape it into a round ball and then flatten it gently. Continue making other kebabs and once done shaping, place the kebabs in the hot oil, letting them fry till they become golden brown from the base and then flip them, allowing them to turn the same shade on the other side. Flipping them over a few times, without letting them burn, take off the kebabs once you get a nice golden even crust on them and draining any excess oil, serve the Dahi ke Kebab with a mint chutney and onion slices.

Khasta Kachori

Ingredients:

• For the kachori dough:
• 2 cups of maida
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup ghee
• ½ cup water


• For the kachori stuffing:
• ½ cup moong dal
• ½ tsp ghee
• ¼ tsp haldi
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp jeera powder
• ½ tsp saunth powder
• 1 tsp dhania powder
• 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
• 1 tsp aamchur and salt as required
• Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

• Make kachori dough: in a bowl, take the maida and add ghee, mixing it into the flour till you get a breadcrumb texture, then add some water and knead it into a dough till it turns soft. Next, cover the dough with a moist muslin cloth or kitchen towel and leave it aside for about ½ hour.


• Make moong dal stuffing: rinse the moong dal in a bowl, soak it with enough water for about 2 hours. Then drain the excess water and put the soaked lentils in a grinder jar, grinding it to a coarse mix. Next, heat a pan, and add ½ tsp ghee. When the ghee melts, reduce the flame to low flame and add all the spice powders for the stuffing one by one. Mix them well and stir to keep them from burning. Now, add the coarse moong dal with a pinch of hing and salt to the mix in the pan and continue mixing it on low flame. Saute with continuous stirring for 3-4minutes and check for any additional seasoning. Once cooked, allow the mix to become warm/cool down.


• Making kachori: Make small doughs of the moong dal mix and keep aside. Once the dough has set after 30 minutes, reknead it and then roll the dough into a log, cutting it in equal proportions according to the number of moong dal balls you made. Take a portion of the cut dough, flatten it with your fingers, keeping the edges thin. Now place the moong dal stuffing balls on the dough and flatten it. Bring the dough edges together, joining them at the center, pinching off any excess dough and removing it.


• Now, heat a fan with oil for deep frying keeping it on low flame, and then add the kachoris. When they start puffing up, gently nudge the kachoris with a spoon to allow them to puff up well. When the base turns light golden, gently turn them over and fry for about 7-9 minutes. Continue cooking them on low/medium flame till they turn golden and crispy. Once done, drain any excess oil off the khasta kachoris and serve them with chilly garlic chutney.

Bread Pakoda

Ingredients:

• For the stuffing:
• 3 boiled potatoes, boiled and mashed
• A finely chopped green chili
• 1” ginger finely chopped
• ¼ tsp red Kashmiri chili powder
• ½ tsp aamchur
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• ½ tsp chaat masala
• ¼ tsp salt


• For the batter:
• 1 cup besan
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• ¼ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ tsp salt
• A pinch of soda, and
• Water as required


• Other ingredients:
• 4 slices of white/brown bread
• 4 tsp green chutney
• Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation:

• Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, mix the besan, rice flour, red chili powder, salt, pinch of soda and mix it all with water making it into a smooth batter.


• Making and filling the stuffing: In a large mixing bowl, take the 3 mashed potatoes and add the green chili, ginger, coriander, chili powder, aamchur and chaat masala, mixing them all together well. Spread a tsp of green chutney over the slice of bread and cut it into half, spread a tsp of the stuffing over the cut slice and cover it with the other half of the bread, dipping all sides of the bread slice in the besan batter.


• Making the bread pakoda: Deep fry the bread immediately into the hot oil and splash some oil over the bread pakoda, frying it on medium flame, flipping it occasionally. Fry it till the bread pakoda turns golden and crispy. Continue with the other pieces. Drain any excess oil from the break pakodas on a kitchen towel and serve them with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Stuffed Mirchi Bhajji

Ingredients:

• For the batter:
• 1 cup besan
• ¼ cup rice flour
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ tsp haldi
• A pinch of hing
• Salt to taste
• Water as required
• Pinch of baking soda


• For the stuffing:
• 2 potatoes boiled and peeled
• 1 green chili chopped finely
• 1” grated ginger
• 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• ½ medium sized onion finely chopped
• ¼ tsp haldi, salt to taste
• ½ tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ tsp jeera
• A pinch of hing
• ½ tsp aamchur powder


• Other ingredients:
• 4 large chilies (bhavnagri mirch/green bullhorn chilies)
• Oil for deep frying.

Method:

• Making the batter: In a bowl, add besan, rice flour, chili powder, haldi, hing and salt and mix it all well. Add water to it and make a smooth batter, add a pinch of baking soda and mix gently.


• Making the stuffing: Take the potatoes and mash them well, add green chilies, ginger, chopped coriander and chopped onions, mix them. Now, add haldi, red chili powder, jeera, aamchur powder, salt and hing and mix it all well.


• Make the mirchi stuffing: Slit the large green chilies at the center and de-seed them all. Now, fill the chilies with the stuffing, heat oil in a pan and coating the chilies in the batter, deep fry till they turn golden brown. Once cooked, serve the mirchi bhajjis with mint chutney on the side.

Tandoori Momos

Ingredients:

• For dough:
• 1½ cup maida
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp oil
• ½ cup water


• For stuffing:
• 2 tsp oil
• Finely chopped - 1 garlic clove, ½ onion
• 1 carrot grated
• 2 cup grated cabbage
• ½ tsp crushed pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander


• For tandoori marinate:
• ½ cup curd
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• ¼ tsp haldi
• 1 tsp Kashmiri lal mirch powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp kasuri methi
• 1 tsp oil
• ¼ tsp salt


• Other ingredients:
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 pieces red-hot charcoal
• ½ tsp ghee
• ½ tsp chaat masala
• ½ tsp finely chopped coriander

Method of preparation:

• Making the Dough: In a large bowl, take the maida, ¼ tsp salt & 1 tsp oil and mix them well. Add ½ cup water to it and knead it into a dough for 5 minutes, set it aside for about 30mins.


• Making the stuffing: Now, in a large pan, heat 2 tsp oil and saute 1 garlic clove, add ½ onion to it and saute till it turns translucent. Then add the grated carrot and cabbage to the mix and saute well till it all shrinks slightly. Next, add pepper, ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp chopped coriander to it, mix well and allow it all to cool down.


• Shaping the momos: After 30 minutes take the momos dough and reknead it for a minute. Now, pinch a small ball and flatten, dusting with some extra maida, start rolling it with a rolling pin, to a medium sized thin circle, about 4”-5” in diameter, rolling from the sides, keeping the center a bit thick. Now, using a small cup, cut it into a small circle and brush some water on the sides, place a heaped tbsp. of the cooked stuffing in the center and start pleating the dough around the edges, gathering it all. Press it in the center and seal the momo forming a bundle. Continue making other momos in similar manner.


• Steaming the momos: Boil water in a pressure cooker, grease a pan and arrange the momos, spaced out properly. Keep the pan over the cooker and cover it, steaming the momos for around 10-12 minutes or till a shiny sheen starts appearing over them. Let them cool down completely, as they’ll be delicate to touch.


• Making tandoori momos: In a large cup take curd and add the ginger-garlic paste, haldi, chili powder, garam masala powder, kasuri methi, lemon juice, 1 tsp oil and ¼ tsp salt. Mix all ingredients well blending the spices together. Now, coat the momos with the cooked marinate paste and set them aside for an hour. Then, heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil and place the marinated momos in it, cook for about 2 minutes on medium flame, flip over and cook well on each side, now, placing a small cup in the center, keep 2 pieces of the red-hot charcoal, pour ½ tsp ghee on the charcoal and cover with a lid. Allow it to rest for 2-3minutes, and then serve the momos, sprinkled with some chaat masala and a garnish of coriander leaves with a garlic chutney.