The enormous variety of street food defines the culinary adventure India is. We love gorging on Bhel Puri, Papdi Chaat, pakoras, Dabeli, momos... the list is exhaustive. There are lots of lesser-known snacks too! Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com takes you on a tour.
A deliciously spicy cold noodle dish, Laping is popular on Gangtok streets. The tasty filling of crushed Wai Wai noodles (the Maggie equivalent, especially popular in Nepal), vegetables, soya granules or minced chicken make for a satisfying bite.
Fish Kabiraji is deep-fried river fish Bhetki presented in a very novel way. The fish fillet is covered in a crunchy net of egg which gives it a very attractive look. It is served with kasundi, the Bengali spicy mustard sauce.
The street food scene of Nagpur is truly hatke. Have you had the hot, crispy samosas dunked in a creamy, tangy kadhi? For that extra zing, a true Nagpurkar would ask for a generous serving of rassa (spicy gravy) over that plate of Kadhi Samosa Chaat.
Aloo Chaat is passe. Sweet Potato Chaat is the real deal! Roasted over coals and then tossed with dry spices, fresh green chillies, lemon juice, this chatpata chaat is a filling snack while roaming around the Ganga ghats of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
Don't mistake this for a giant momo! Siddu/Sidu is a fermented steamed bread of wheat flour, stuffed with split urad dal, ginger, chilies, walnuts, spices. A winter speciality -- common in Himachali households -- you are lucky if you find it at a roadside stall. Pro tip: Do not shy away from a generous helping of ghee and chaat masala smeared on your Siddu. It tastes divine!
A popular breakfast in Madhya Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh, the sweet and sour combination of unsweetened dahi and crispy jalebis is sure to tickle your tastebuds.
Hundreds of pithas are found in both Assam and West Bengal. But the half-moon Sutuli or Xutuli Pitha is reserved for festive occasions in the North Eastern state. A fried, crunchy snack, its covering is rice flour, while the filling is crushed black sesame seeds and jaggery.
Khajoor, also called Rotana, is a traditional cookie-like fried snack of wheat flour, suji (semolina), milk, jaggery. It is typically served as prasad and at cultural events in Uttarakhand. But you can also find it at a local sweet shop.
Unnakaya or Unnakai is a sinfully sweet banana-based dessert from the Malabar region of Kerala. It is served at weddings and other cultural events in Kerala.
A dish close to the hearts of Gujaratis, Locho is a delicious snack made from mushy, slightly undercooked Khaman batter. It is best enjoyed with a generous serving of crispy sev, chutney, raw sliced onions.
A unique blend of soaked chana dal, rice flour and a few simple spices, Dal Farra is a winter delicacy served up on the rasta in Uttar Pradesh, as well as parts of Bihar. Fried or steamed, this tasty snack goes well with a side of khatti-meethi tamatar ki chutney.