Walk down any street in India, and one will definitely see chaat outlets, chat vendors and chai (tea) stalls selling chai, its variants, sev puri, pani puri among others. No matter how busy the street, there is always place for chaat vendors and chaiwallas.
So, while some of these snacks are not just a stopover from your shopping trip or when returning from office, they are great as tea-time snacks too.
Talking of some of the most popular street foods and beverages, a mention ought to be made of some of the yummiest foods and soothing drinks
Pani Puri
Phuchka, gupchup, golgappa, or pani ke patashe, known by different names across the country, this street food is the favourite of most women. Just the mention of ‘pani puri’ and one begins to think of sweet, spicy, tangy pani puris.
For pani puri lovers and Thai food aficionados, here’s one exciting recipe that you must try. Get ready to be bowled over by the heady fusion.
Samosa
‘Sanbosag’, that’s Samosa as we know it today, is a food that was eaten in the royal courts of the Mughals that initially had a meat stuffing. It then underwent transformations and finally we have this potato-based savoury preparation that we all love. In Kolkata, the samosa is called Singhara, which has a thin cover, unlike the samosa.
Infact, the transformations continued and thus we have Pizza Samosa, Paneer Tikka Samosa, Spicy Noodle Samosa and Mexican Samosa among others. For now, how about a Spicy Noodle Samosa?
Chaat
Chaat, the broad term for spicy, tangy, sweet street-side snacks, that are not usually made at home. Yes, we love it at the street-side vendors only, don’t we? Even when you pass the chaat vendors, you can smell the wonderful aromas of the chutneys, spices, oh yes, and onions/coriander too. Needless to say, it does make us stop and gorge. Interestingly, chaat was developed to counter an epidemic during the Mughal times.
Craving a new option in chaat? How about a simple chaat for papad lovers? You read it right. It’s Papad Chaat and not Papdi Chaat. Try it.
Masala Chai
Chai (tea) or Masala Chai, is synonymous with relaxation, office breaks or simply just a go-to drink. From what was a simple brew with spices (minus the tea leaves) usually consumed as a herbal medicine, then later gradually saw the introduction of tea leaves for the first time followed by milk more recently, the masala chai has had a fascinating past.
What’s masala chai without it being served in small clay pots, called kulhads. Really, weren’t we environment friendly since ages? So here’s this recipe for that perfect Masala Chai.
I am sure you will definitely agree that chats and tea is a wonderful combination.
Comments