Street Food and Chaat

Pav bhaji is a much-loved street food that rarely lives up to the hype when made at home. It is made of a rich, spiced vegetable mash and served with a warm, buttery roll. This recipe faithfully reproduces the pav bhaji from the street of Mumbai, and it is not difficult at all. About Pav […]

Sev puri, a beloved Bombay street food, was once described by a friend of mine as “a party in your mouth.” It is a classic Bombay street food with delightful flavors and textures. The interplay of two classic chaat chutneys adds to the taste adventure – the tangy tamarind sweet and sour chutney beautifully contrasts […]

Cut Mirchi is a crispy chili fritter stuffed with a tangy filling and served with onions and chaat masala. It is a very popular Andhra street food that is double-fried. Even though Andhra food is known to be very spicy, cut mirchi is most often made with a milder chili. About this Recipe This was […]

Onion pakora is crunchy, deep-fried onions coated with besan and seasoned with Indian spices. They can be air-fried for a healthier snack with a similar texture, using very little oil. Onion pakora adapts very well to the air fryer, but you can also use this recipe for deep-fried pakora. About the Recipe Onion pakora is […]

Masala soda, or ”nimbu masala soda,” is a lemon-flavored spiced soda popular in India in the summer. It is often served on the street. It is a refreshing treat during the hot, humid summers.  It’s a great non-alcoholic option. It is refreshing, flavorful, and easy to make. Serve it with street foods and chaat like […]

These pakoras are made with spice-rubbed paneer dipped in a flavorful, crispy batter for a delicious afternoon snack. I’ll show you how to make the simple kind and the stuffed, sandwich-style paneer pakora. Sandwich paneer pakoras are double-layered and stuffed with cilantro-mint chutney. Why Make this Recipe Pakoras, or bhajiya, are a bite-sized snack made […]

Pani Puri is made from some very basic ingredients, garbanzo beans (chana), moong beans and potato. You can substitute other beans that you have on hand as well. You place these in a puri (a crunchy shell) and add chutney and “pani.” Pani means water, but in this case, it is a flavored water. Pani […]

Savory Semolina Crepes with Potato Curry and Coconut Chutney Traditional dosa are made with a rice and lentil batter that needs to first be soaked overnight, then ground into a batter and then fermented overnight. Rava dosa is simpler because it doesn’t have to be fermented. I love the flavor and how easy they are […]

If you want a way to spice up your eggs, try Egg Bhurji. Also called “Anda Bhurji,” egg bhurji is similar to scrambled eggs but punched up with Indian spices and flavor. Commonly found in roadside stalls in India, Egg bhurji is especially common in Maharashtra. It is also a quick and easy dish to […]

These Masala Cheese Toast Sandwiches are a simple combination of boiled potato, cilantro chutney and cheese on bread.  There is a delicate crunch to the bread, with a soft interior of savory potato, and just the right amount of gooey cheese. These masala sandwiches are served with sweet and tangy ketchup and a spicy cilantro […]

The best way to travel in India has to be by train. The one positive thing everyone can agree British Colonialism did for India was building the extensive railway system in the second half of the 19th century. The Indian Railway runs over 10,000 trains everyday. Express trains that go over long distances are nothing […]

Bhel puri is another fun Indian snack food from Gujarat. It is a fun treat made from a balance of sweet, tart, salty and spicy, a common combination in Gujarati food. Gujaratis love to add sugar to savory foods. The other brilliant thing about bhel is the texture. It has just the right combination of […]

These spicy potato fritters are one of my go to recipes when I’m cooking for a crowd. I made them recently for my birthday party. They are an easy to eat finger food and taste great served warm or at room temperature. There are two ways I like to make them: Mumbai style with garlic […]

Whenever anyone asks me where they should go when they visit India, one place I like to suggest is McDonald’s. I usually get a confused expression looking back at me. “No, seriously,” I have to insist. The McDonald’s in India are so different from anywhere else in the world, they have to be experienced, especially […]

Kulfi is the Indian version of ice cream. It’s made in a very similar way to ice cream, except you don’t churn it as you freeze it. Instead, you whip up your milk and cream mixture ahead of time and then just freeze it. It comes out a little more dense than ice cream. The […]

Steve and I are not big fans of leftovers. Although, he’s not as picky an eater as me, we are both terrible at eating what’s in the fridge.  When we’re hungry, we open the fridge, glance at the leftovers, ignore them, and cook something fresh instead. At our house, leftovers often end up in the […]

For me, jalebi is one sweet that instantly triggers deep feelings of nostalgia. I grew up always eating them to celebrate our parents wedding anniversary. This jalebi recipe has rhubarb, one of my favorite ingredients. The rhubarb adds a tartness to balance the sweetness of the cardamom syrup, similar to the more typical sour-apple flavor. […]

I often think of eating warm corn on the cob or Bhutta as we call it in Hindi on cloudy, rainy days. I know it seems weird because here in America, we often associate corn on the cob with summer and barbecue. But in India, fresh corn becomes available in the rainy season. When the […]