Street food options have now made their way into fine dining. Although restaurants can't quite recreate the sights, smells and sounds of the no-frills experience on the streets, some operators are trying to capture its inherent charms through their presentations.
While some design a street-vendor-style cart to serve dishes, others convert the restaurant in a street style format. The idea is the same – to evoke the street temptations of dining.
Chefs across the country enjoy dreaming up innovative ways of spreading the street-food gospel. So here are some popular street foods in their ‘restaurant avatar'.
Kolkata Jhalmuri
Mayank Kulshreshtha, Executive Chef, ITC The Sonar, Kolkata
Ingredients
Puffed rice 100 gm
Chopped onion 25 gm
Chopped green chilli 5 gm
Mustard oil 10 ml
Chopped cucumber 20gm
Chopped coriander 15gm
Sev bhujia 20gm
Lemon 1
Method: In a mixing bowl mix all the ingredients just before serving. Toss with a little lemon juice. Garnish with sev bhujia and serve.
Jalebi
Nimish Bhatia, Regional Executive Chef-South, The Lalit Ashok, Bbengaluru
Ingredients
Self raising flour 300 gm
Baking powder 5 gm
Yoghurt 250 gm
Oil for deep frying
Sugar 250 gm
Saffron 5 gm
Cardamom powder 5 gm
Rose water 30 ml
Method: Make a batter with flour, baking powder and yoghurt. Keep aside for 24 hours to ferment.
To make sugar syrup: Mix sugar and rose water and boil to get a one thread consistency. To check for one thread consistency, dip tip of your index finger in the syrup. Touch your finger and thumb together and gently tease apart. If one thread is formed between your finger and thumb, the syrup is done. Turn off fire, add saffron strands and cardamom and stir.
Heat oil in a deep wok. Keep flame on medium to ensure the jalebis are well cooked. Pour batter into a muslin cloth and squeeze batter into the oil into random figure of eight. Squeeze out several at a time. Fry till light gold; then remove and put directly into sugar syrup. Allow to soak for 2-3 minutes and remove. Serve hot.
Dhaba Chicken Curry
Manav Sharma, Ignis Kitchen, New Delhi
Ingredients
Whole chicken 350 gm
Brown onion paste 20 gm
Tomato 80gm
Cloves 3 gm
Small elaichi 3 gm
Bay leaf 1 gm
Cinnamon 3 gm
Ginger 15 gm
Garlic 15 gm
Dhaniya powder 5 gm
Degi mirch 5 gm
Salt 1 gm
Method: Clean chicken and cut it into pieces. Heat oil in a wok and fry sliced onion till golden brown. Grind and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaf, clove, small elaichi and cinnamon. Fry lightly. Now add brown onion paste, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Add chicken and let it cook for 15-20 min. Now add dhaniya powder and degi mirch. Cook properly. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Mumbai Masala
Chef Sumant Vikas, Executive Chef, Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai
Ingredients
Boiled potato 100gm
Onion 100gm
Sago 100gm
Gram flour 200gm
Cumin powder 50gm
Asafoetida 20gm
Mustard seeds 20gm
Garlic 20gm
Curd 150 gm
Green chilli 100gm
Coconut powder 100gm
Chilli powder 50gm
Chilli 100gm
Coriander 100gms
Mint leaves 100gms
Onion 200gms
Lime 2
Seedless tamarind 500 gm
Seedless dates 250 gm
Chaat masala 20gm
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil for frying
Method: For the batata wada, Heat oil in a pan, add curry leaves, mustard seeds, chop onion, garlic, spices and boiled potato cubes. Cook till the potatoes are soft. Cool and mould into patties.
For sabudana wada, soak sago for 30 minutes. Drain and add green chilli, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, salt and sugar. Roll into patties and keep aside
For kanda bhajiyya, slice onions. Mix gram flour, chilli powder, turmeric, salt, cumin powder into a thick batter. Add sliced onions and mix well. Deep fry by adding a spoonful at a time in hot oil. Drain and keep aside.
Dip potato patties in batter and deep fry. Drain and keep aside. Deep fry sago patties till golden brown. Keep aside.
Arrange batata wada, sabudana wada and kanda bhaijiyya in a platter. Serve with fried green chilli, mint chutney, and tamarind chutney.
Kurlio Kodi (Goan Crab Masala)
Rajesh Variyath, Corporate Executive Chef, Radisson MBD Hotel Noida
Ingredients
Crabs 6 large
Onions 3 Medium
Peppercorns 12
Cinnamon 2½ cm
Oil 1 tbsp
Tamarind 10 gm
Grated coconut 2 cups
Garlic Flakes 6
Cloves 6
Red Chillies 6
Coriander seeds 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Method: Clean the crabs. Cut into four pieces and remove legs. Cut two onions fine. Pour two cups water into a deep cooking pot and boil crabs and onion. Cut one onion lengthwise and keep aside.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry cloves, garlic, cinnamon and peppercorns. Stir-fry coriander seeds and red chillies till coriander turns brown. Remove this roasted mixture from the pan. To the same oil, add the onion cut lengthwise and fry till it turns brown. Now add grated coconut and stir-fry till coconut also turns brown. Keep aside.
Grid coriander and chillies along with cloves, garlic, cinnamon and peppercorns to a fine paste. Keep aside. Now grind the roasted coconut to a fine paste along with tamarind. Add ground coriander masala and turmeric powder to boiled crabs and boil for another two minutes. Add 1-cup water, ground coconut and salt to taste. Boil for three minutes or until the gravy thickens. Serve with bread or roti or as side dish to meal.
Chilli Bhajji
Chef Vikram Kumar, Executive Sous Chef, Clarion Whitefield, Bengaluru
Ingredients
Picaada chilies 10preferably big ones
Chickpea flour 100 gm
Rice flour 1 tbsp
Large potato 1 cooked and mashed
Tamarind paste 1/2 tbsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing) 1 pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Method: Make thick batter with rice flour, chickpea flour, cumin powder, asafoetida powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Slit the chillies keeping tail-end intact. Remove the seeds.
To prepare stuffed chilli bhajjis, mix tamarind paste and mashed potato with a little salt. Fill each chilli with the mixture and close. Dip chillies in batter and deep-fry. Serve with tamarind sauce.
Hyderabad Haleem
Executive Chef Sahil Arora, Courtyard By Marriott, Gurgaon
Ingredients
Lamb 150 gm
Red lentil 25 gm
Broken wheat 25 gm
Channa dal 25 gm
Urad Dal 25 gm (washed)
Arhar dal 25 gm
Ginger garlic paste 30 gm
Pure ghee 50 ml
Turmeric powder 5 gm
Curd 30 ml
Green cardamom 10 gm
Onion 50 gm
Almond 15 gm
Chirongi 15 gm
Khus khus 15 gm
Green chilli 15 gm
Refined oil 15 gm
Salt 5 gm
Method: Wash lentils. Add turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste and boil until soft. Wash broken wheat and soak for 45 minutes. Cook along with lentils. Roast almonds, chirongi, khus khus and grind to smooth paste. Add to lentils.
Sauté meat with oil, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and curd. Cook till it is tender. Cool and shred into thin threads.
Heat pan add sliced onions and sauté till brown. Add ginger- garlic paste and cook further. Add lentil paste and shredded lamb and cook it on slow flame for 30 minutes till the oil floats on top.
Add ginger juliennes, browned onion, and slit green chilli as garnish and serve hot.
Sharmila Chand is a Delhi-based lifestyle and travel writer.
