Indian Street foods

1.     Biryani

What It Is: An aromatic rice dish cooked with several spices, notably saffron, and a protein (typically chicken or mutton) that’s been marinated.

Perfect For: A huge family dinner.

Feels Like: Hearing the neighbourhood mosque sound its azan for evening prayers.

2.     Idli

What It Is: A heavy South Indian breakfast food. A fermented batter of ground rice and lentils, steamed in little circular moulds.

Perfect For: When you’re done sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

Feels Like: Being woken up by the smell of cooking.

3.     Chole Bhature

What It Is: A spiced, curried chickpea dish served with a fried flour bread.

Perfect For: A Sunday brunch.

Feels Like: Seeing your family all dressed in new clothes on a festival day.

4.     Gulab Jamun

What Is It: Small balls of dried milk, slow cooked and boiled in a sugar syrup.

Perfect For: When you’ve already had a delicious meal and have just enough room for dessert.

Feels Like: Playing hide-and-go-seek with your cousins at a family reunion way, way past your bedtime.

5.     Momos

What It Is: A variation on the traditional dimsum, native to the North Eastern states that border Nepal (where the dish originated), eaten with a fiery red chutney.

Perfect For: A quick mid-evening snack.

Feels Like: Kicking your shoes off after a long day and settling into your couch for hours of TV.

6.     Kati Roll

What It Is: A traditional street food popular across India (and abroad). A wrap of kebabs, eggs, vegetables, and spices rolled into paratha (a type of flat bread).

Perfect For: When you need a meal on-the-go. Also a great way to use up leftovers.

Feels Like: Standing on a dusty Kolkata street-corner at dusk, watching families go home through rush hour traffic.

7.     Nethili varuval

What It Is: Anchovies dipped in a paste of turmeric and red chilies and fried, native to the South Indian region Chettinad.

Perfect For: A crispy, spicy appetizer.

Feels Like: Temple bells

8.     Panipuri

What It Is: A small crisp hollow round bread filled with spiced water, tamarind paste, potato, onion, and chickpeas.

Perfect For: When you’re craving a thousand flavors at once.

Feels Like: Drunkenly challenging your best friend to a contest of who can eat more of these, and then feeling like your mouth is on fire.

9.     Tandoori Chicken

What It Is: Chicken marinated for hours in a paste of yogurt and spices, and then roasted (traditionally) in a clay oven called a tandoor.

Perfect For: Wowing your dinner guests with minimal effort.

Feels Like: Making a pitstop at a roadside diner three hours into a family roadtrip.

10.     Rajma

What It Is: Kidney beans in a thick gravy popular across North India.

Perfect For: An accompaniment for rice, particularly delicious when served piping hot in the winter.

Feels Like: Summer holidays at your grandparents’ house