Easy Indian street food recipes to try at home

I think it’s a general opinion when I say that with the lockdown underway, the most people are missing right now is the good ol’ Indian Street style food. And inspired by this though, I have curated a list of 4 tried and tested recipes of the most popular street food that you can make and enjoy in the safety of your own home. So, without waiting any further, check out the following step by step instructions to make your favorite street food and satiate your cravings.

1. Chole Bhature

Ingredients:

For chole:

• 2 cup chickpeas (channas)
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
• 1 Cinnamon stick (dalchini)
• 3-4 cloves (laung)
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)
• 3 Green cardamom (choti elaichi)
• 2 Black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 tsp chili powder (lal mirch powder)
• 1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
• 1 tsp cumin powder (zeera powder)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (zeera)
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
• to taste salt
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp ajwain
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter

For the bhaturas:

• 2 cups maida (refined flour)
• 1/2 tsp yeast (dissolved for 10 minutes in lukewarm water)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• A pinch of salt
• Water (to knead)
• Oil (for frying)

Instructions:

• In a pan add oil, bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cloves, whole peppercorns, green and black cardamom.
• After it gets brown add chopped onions and saute it. Now add chopped ginger and garlic.
• Followed by turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, asafoetida and salt, fry the ingredients together well.
• Add a little water to thicken the gravy
• Now add the chole (soaked overnight and pressure cooked) to the masala.
• After stirring well add tomatoes, little sugar and salt to the chole.
• Now add ajwain, chopped green chilies and water for the base.
• Simmer the chole gently for an hour and cover it.
• Add lime juice and a dollop of butter to it.
• Garnish the chole with coriander and butter and your chole are ready.
• Knead the whole wheat flour, maida and salt together with adequate amount of water.
• Sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave it for 2-3 hours for the yeast to work.
• Divide it into equal portions. Roll out in an oval or round shape.
• Deep fry till golden brown, like a puri.
• Serve with chole and enjoy.

2. Aloo Tikki Chaat

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups boiled, peeled and grated potatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves (dhania)
• 2 tsp finely chopped green chilies
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• salt to taste
• oil for deep-frying
• 1 cup curd (dahi)
• 2 tsp powdered sugar
• 8 tsp imli ki chutney
• 8 tsp green chutney
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
• 1/2 tsp of chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp of black salt
• 4 tbsp nylon sev
• 4 tsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
• 4 tbsp pomegranate (anar) 

Instructions:

• Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and mix well.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions.
• Roll and shape each portion into a round flat tikki.
• Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan and deep- fry 4 tikkis at a time, till they turn golden brown in color from all the sides.
• Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.
• Combine the curds and sugar in a deep bowl, mix well using a whisk. Keep aside.
• Place 2 aloo tikkis on a serving plate.
• Spread ¼ cup of curd-sugar mixture, 2 tsp of imli ki chutney, and 2 tsp of green chutney evenly over it.
• Sprinkle cumin seeds powder, chaat masala and black salt evenly over it.
• Finally sprinkle 1 tbsp of nylon sev, 1 tsp of coriander and 1 tbsp of pomegranate evenly over it.
• Serve immediately. 

3. Pav Bhaji

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sizes potatoes- peeled and chopped
• 1 to 1.25 cups chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• 2.25 to 2.5 cups water for pressure cooking
• 3 tablespoons butter.
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
• 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped capsicum- finely chopped
• 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes.
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder.
• 2 to 3 tablespoons pav bhaji masala.
• 1.5 to 2 cups water
• salt as required
• 12 pavs for serving with the bhaji
• 1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
• 1 lemon or lime, chopped in wedges
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

• Rinse, peel and chop cauliflower, carrot, and potatoes. You can also add any veggies of your choice.
• Add all the above-chopped veggies in a pressure cooker. Also add 1 cup green peas.
• Add 2.25 to 2.5 cups water and pressure cook the veggies for 5 to 6 whistles or for about 12 minutes on medium flame.
• When the pressure settles down on its own, open the cooker and check if the veggies are cooked well. Cool them down and then mash them completely.
• Heat a pan or kadai. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons butter.
• As soon as the butter melts, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Let the cumin seeds crackle and change their color.
• Then add ½ cup finely chopped onions and sauté on a low to medium flame till the onions are translucent.
• Then add 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste. Mix and saute till the raw aroma goes away.
• Then add chopped green chilies. mix well.
• Now add 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes and salt. mix very well.
• Sauté till the tomatoes become soft and mushy and you see butter releasing from the sides.
• When the tomatoes have softened, then add ½ cup finely chopped capsicum (green bell pepper). Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder.
• Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons pav bhaji masala. mix very well.
• Add the cooked veggies. add all of the stock or water from the pressure cooker in which the veggies were cooked. mix very well.
• Then season with salt again.
• Keep on stirring occasionally and let the bhaji simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
• If the bhaji becomes dry and then add some more water. The consistency is neither very thick nor thin.
• Do stir often so that the bhaji does not stick to the pan. When the pav bhaji simmers to the desired consistency, check the taste. Add salt, pav bhaji masala, red chili powder or butter if required.
• When the bhaji is simmering, you can fry the pav so that you serve the pav with hot bhaji. Slice the pavs.
• Heat a tawa or a shallow frying pan. Keep the flame to a low and then add butter.
• Then place the pav on the butter.
• Rotate the pav all over the melted butter so that the pav absorbs the butter.
• Now take the bhaji in a serving plate or a bowl. Top it up with one to two cubes of butter.
• Place a side of finely chopped onions, lemon wedges and finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve bhaji with the lightly pan-fried and buttered pav and enjoy.

4. Pani Poori/Golgappa

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semolina
• water as required
• 3 tablespoon cumin powder
• 5 green chilli
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• refined oil as required
• 1 1/2 tablespoon black salt
• 4 tablespoon crushed jaggery
• 1 cup boiled chickpeas
• tamarind chutney as required
• 1 cup tamarind paste
• 3 tablespoon roasted cumin powder
• 1 cup coriander leaves
• 1 cup wheat flour
• salt as required
• 1 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 2 tablespoon boondi
• 4 boiled, mashed potato
• green chutney as required
• black pepper as required

Instructions:

• Take a large bowl, put semolina, wheat flour, baking soda along with a little salt and water as required and prepare a stiff dough with the help of the said ingredients. Then, cover it with a muslin cloth, let it remain aside for about half an hour.
• Once done, roll out few small sized balls from the prepared dough. Next, place the balls on a flat surface and with the help of wheat flour, flatten and make them thin enough as to give them the appearance of very small, round rotis.
• Now place a pan on medium flame and pour refined oil. Once the oil is sufficiently hot, fry the prepared round puris.
• Once well-cooked, take them out immediately and place them on a paper towel in order to get rid of extra oil. Let them cool and keep aside.
• In a blender, put green chilies, coriander along with mint leaves and blend until smooth. Once done, transfer the chili-mint paste to a jug and stir-in tamarind paste, 4 cups of water, boondi, black salt, crushed jaggery, roasted and raw cumin seeds. Mix the mixture thoroughly.
• Then, make the prepared pani go through a sieve in order to remove the coarse particles. Once done, put it in the refrigerator to chill.
• Take a bowl and combine mashed potato along with chickpeas. Add salt and pepper according to your taste. Set aside.
• Take the puris and make a small hole in each using your thumb. Stuff the chickpea-potato mixture in equal portions. Add a layer of green and tamarind chutney in them and serve alongside chilled mint pani and enjoy.

FAQs

1. How to prevent the bhaturas from becoming hard?

A: Make sure that the dough is kneaded until smooth, do not roll it too thin. Also, make sure that the Bhatura is fried on a medium flame, do not let it get a deep brown color.

2. How to make Imly Chutney at home?

A: Soak the tamarind in 3 cups of hot water for 20 minutes. Mash it using hands and strain it through a soup strainer. Discard the tamarind pulp and keep the water. Add the tamarind water in a pan. Add jaggery and all the remaining ingredients except raisins. Cook the mixture on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Add raisins and cook the chutney for another 15–20 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Remove the pan from heat and keep on the counter until it is cooled properly. Transfer in a clean glass jar and refrigerate up to 3 months.

3. Is it necessary to add capsicum in Pav Bhaji?

A: No, the choice of veggies is totally up to you. Capsicum is used to add a bit of a crunch to the otherwise mashed bhaji. You can either replace it with French beans or totally skip adding it.