Street Food as India's Culinary Heartbeat
To truly understand India, one must start not with its monuments but with its streets. In Mumbai's bustling lanes, vendors skillfully assemble vada pav, a snack that embodies the city's quick, humble, and resilient spirit. Delhi's crowded bazaars offer aloo tikki, golgappe, and chhole bhature, each recipe carrying generations of tradition. Kolkata's streets come alive with kathi rolls, puchkas, and jhal muri, while Ahmedabad's evenings transform into celebrations with fafda-jalebi, khaman, and dabeli.
Regional Flavors and Monsoon Comforts
Lucknow whispers tales of royalty through melt-in-the-mouth galouti kebabs and rich chaats, while Indore turns every night into a food festival featuring poha, sabudana khichdi, and bhutte ka kees. With monsoon season in full swing, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi notes, "There's nothing more comforting than a plate of pakoras paired with a hot cup of chai." This inspiration led to his creation of kanda bhajiya bread rolls, a delicious spin on the beloved classic.
Kanda Bhajiya Bread Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- Mozzarella and cheddar cheese: 1 cup
- Green chilli (chopped): 1 tsp
- Coriander powder: 1 tsp
- Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
- Garam masala: 1 tsp
- Chaat masala: ½ tsp
- Onion (sliced): 1 cup
- Bread slices: 6
- Green chutney: ½ cup
- Gram flour (besan): 2 cups
- Rice flour: 1 cup
- Turmeric: ½ tsp
- Carom seeds (ajwain): 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds (jeera): ½ tsp
- Salt: To taste
- Water: As required
- Oil: For frying
- Chaat masala: For sprinkle
Method
- In a bowl, combine mozzarella-cheddar cheese, green chilli, coriander powder, red chilli powder, and garam masala. Add salt if required.
- Take a slice of bread and flatten it gently using a rolling pin. Spread a layer of green chutney evenly over the surface.
- Apply the prepared cheese mixture on one end of the flattened bread and roll it tightly into a cylinder. Seal the edge gently to keep the roll intact.
- In another bowl, add gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, carom seeds, cumin seeds, salt, and sliced onions. Gradually add water and whisk well to make a smooth, thick batter.
- Dip the prepared bread roll into the batter, ensuring it is coated evenly on all sides.
- Heat oil in a karahi over medium heat. Carefully place the batter-coated bread rolls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain excess oil. Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve hot with green chutney.
— The writer is a celebrity chef and entrepreneur
