Even though I get intimidated and concerned about the hygiene, street food has always managed to pull me towards it. There are no table manners or no formal attire but the air is always casual and it’s only about food. Call it fast food or junk food, street food has managed to win a lot of hearts.
Whenever we visit Kolkata, eating out and enjoying street food is always a part of my plan. We would dedicate our evenings eating lots of Puchka and on other days, it would be all about the crispy fried Fish Finger, Chop or Eggroll. At times, we would like to go healthy and enjoy some Steamed Momos or something as plain as Bhel Puri. The options are endless and there is always something new to try.
I’ve visited Kolkata several times but I am pretty much sure I haven’t tried all the street food that the city has to offer. Every little lane, every little corner in the city will have at least one tiny spot where you can find a food cart ready to fill your appetite!
During our last trip, we walked by those lanes several evenings, capturing some moments as we shop, ate and click.
One of my all time favorites – Puchka!
A very light snack bite made with puffed rice and some spice mix.
I tried this particular snack for the first time. Not sure what it’s called but it tasted amazing. Like I said before, there is always something new to try 🙂
I wouldn’t recommend eating street food everyday but once in a while, it’s fun to hop around from one vendor to another. Get mesmerized with the aroma, filled by the warmth.. forget hygiene for a while and enjoy what they have to offer.
She was adorable and kept smiling as she fried those fritters.
After all that eating, we all need to quench our thirst!
This green color machine you see in the picture below is used to crush the ice which is then used to make Gola something like shaved ice.
We love masala tea and at the end of a busy day, there is nothing more relaxing than a hot cup of tea!
Comments are closed.
Manu
January 16, 2012 at 9:40 PMBeautiful post! I too ADORE street food… everywhere in the world. I tend to forget about hygiene as well as I just cannot resist!!! hehehe Indian street food is among my favourite!! I still remembering eating the best bhajis in Calangute, near the beach! SIGH!
Ambika
January 16, 2012 at 9:48 PMSuch a wonderful post! Only Indian’s can understand the true significance of street food!!
sangeeta khanna
January 16, 2012 at 10:14 PMWhat lovely pictures…Loved the sigdi pic just too much 🙂
I avoid just one thing out of these, the ‘gola’…Calcutta street food has been like a heaven for me too. You missed one thing, the small daal fritters the sell on the ‘Thelas’ with a tangy hot chutney.
There are so many other things one finds only in Calcutta and so dirt cheap, isn’t it? The jhal muri is so so delicious there. I can go on and on you see 🙂
sayantani
January 16, 2012 at 10:35 PMbeautiful clicks Kankana.
Nash at plateful
January 16, 2012 at 10:54 PMI heart street food. My love for them wins over the care for hygiene, at least most times 🙂 Those fritters and masala chai shots are making me crave badly. Beautiful!
Priya Sreeram
January 16, 2012 at 11:00 PMnice post kankana
Rosa
January 16, 2012 at 11:17 PMGorgeous! I wish we had such amazing food here. Street food here is pretty much inexistant or boring.
Cheers,
Rosa
Raji
January 16, 2012 at 11:30 PMYour post have transported me back to India..love the shots..beautiful. And I love the road side bhelpuris, aaloo chaat and what not.
layla
January 17, 2012 at 12:43 AMEgypt has some nice street food also.. falafel and kosheri .. homemade potato chips.. yams and corn cooked on a fire.. really awesome.
Notyet100
January 17, 2012 at 1:25 AMEven I luv street food,.and thatwhat I am going to enjoy this Delhi trip 🙂
Priyanka
January 17, 2012 at 1:27 AMLovely post sis….beautiful photos 🙂
Meri
January 17, 2012 at 1:56 AMLovely photos. I love street food. It looks absolutely great. Nothing to do with the street food that I find here in Spain.
Kiri W.
January 17, 2012 at 3:15 AMThese are some of the most stunning pictures I’ve seen in a while – also the portraits! I can just feel like I’m walking the streets with you 🙂
I’d love to try pretty much all of these dishes, since I’ve loved street food in many places and bet these would be incredibly tasty as well.
nisha
January 17, 2012 at 3:45 AMi splurged on street food this time as well and inspite of the stomach problems i had, it still makes me wanna go back and enjoy some more.
Sandhya
January 17, 2012 at 6:02 AMI like !! Like !! I can thrive on chat…
Hygiene is a concern… but when I look at them.. I end up drooling.. and having a goo.. Not bothered of the consequence then.
Soma
January 17, 2012 at 6:12 AMI do not want to look at these.. WAAAAH! making me so very homesick.
Sandra's Easy Cooking
January 17, 2012 at 6:24 AMVery beautiful photos Kankana, but I also love how you described every single detail! Very well done…
Wishing you awesome Tuesday!!
Tes
January 17, 2012 at 7:02 AMI am a die hard street food fan 🙂 This post is so special to me 🙂 Lovely shots 🙂
Sukanya
January 17, 2012 at 8:00 AMHe..he..I can see how you have enjoyed Kolkata’s phuchka and tele bhaja…its been ages I had them…am too a street food fan…nice shots
Cilantro
January 17, 2012 at 9:07 AMI love the street food too. Beautifully captured and love the smile on the vendors.
Malli
January 17, 2012 at 9:15 AMGorgeous photos!! No matter what I agree with you. I can never get enough street food when I go to Kerala and nothing beats the taste of this food. There are some real good cooks out there on the street who are not given enough recognition… and I love that you gave these folks some credit:) thanks.
Vijitha
January 17, 2012 at 9:15 AMGorgeous pictures!!! Reminds me of my trip to Kolkatta about ages ago. I love the chaats there and with regard to shopping, I enjoyed walking through the streets and checking out the colorful platform shops.
Kitchen Belleicious
January 17, 2012 at 10:12 AMI love street food too but I am loving your amazing photography talent just as much! these pictures are amazing
My Wandering Spoon
January 17, 2012 at 11:27 AMWhat an amazing post. It is like segment for Food channel shows. Thank you for posting. I am big fan of street food, great flavors and different combinations:)
jules @ bananamondaes
January 17, 2012 at 12:10 PMGreat photos. The food looks sensational.
Anna
January 17, 2012 at 12:25 PMBeautiful post! The only street food I ever tried was gyros or kebabs in Europe. They are very good and since then I have been trying to recreate it at home. There is something special about wondering the streets of a city while enjoying the food.
Shumaila
January 17, 2012 at 12:47 PMDO I love you for transporting me back to India and all the spicy ‘chatpata’ food that is available there or do I hate you for making me miss it so much right now and making me curse my luck that I do not have access to it? Lovely photos as always, Kankana!
Juliana
January 17, 2012 at 3:13 PMGreat pictures Kankana…I haven’t had street food for a while.
Thanks for sharing them.
Hope you are having a great week 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
January 17, 2012 at 3:54 PMI love masala tea too, but that gola has my name all over it. Need some, now 😀
sally
January 17, 2012 at 5:50 PMLooks like a fun and tasty activity to do in Kolkata! Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos!
Amrita
January 17, 2012 at 6:04 PMStreet food, though unhygienic, is one of the best tasting in India…no one can beat the bhel puris, channa bhaturas served by roadside dhabas and vendors. I miss Indian street food!
a spoonful of yumm
January 17, 2012 at 10:50 PMgreat captures !! 🙂
Charles
January 18, 2012 at 4:44 AMWow, so much food!!! I feel sad because France doesn’t really *do* street food. The most you will find is a crêpe stand selling pancakes with nutella and banana – which is nice, but sometimes I feel like hotdogs or even more varied things like the delicious stuff you’ve posted here!
Maja
January 18, 2012 at 8:10 AMAmazing photos Kankana! I love street food too, but here everything looks delicious!
Nami | Just One Cookbook
January 18, 2012 at 10:56 AMKankana, you take amazing pictures and post processed them perfectly. It’s hard to believe you don’t have any professional background in photography! Thanks for sharing all these pictures. I really, really enjoyed them. I’m sure you got inspired by delicious street food to make something at home? 🙂
Sudha
January 18, 2012 at 12:53 PMDear Kankana,
Your post made me so nostalgic – my dear ol’ Kolkata and its amazing amazing street food!I really miss them and everytime I’m home,the first thing I do is gorge on ‘Phuchkas’ throwing hygiene to the winds!:)Lovely pictures and I know that I’m going to come back again and again to this post – thanks for visiting my place – loved to have you there:)
Magic of Spice
January 18, 2012 at 3:46 PMWhat a fabulous post! These pictures are amazing, would love to do this sometime 🙂
Radhika | Just Home Made
January 18, 2012 at 4:16 PMBeautiful!
You got me drooling for all the road side chaats!
Asmita
January 18, 2012 at 5:20 PMLove street food and really pig out on it when i go back home . I wish i could have a kala khatta gola right now. Yum!!!
Another favorite of mine is sugarcane juice. I need a. Tripback home soon.
Lovely pictures kankana.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen
January 18, 2012 at 6:01 PMI love all your photos, they transport me there and make me hungry! Really beautiful.
Ann
January 18, 2012 at 9:52 PMWhat a fantastic post! I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to sample street food, but what I DID have was amazing! They carve out a small space and make food that is nothing short of magnificent!
Christine
January 18, 2012 at 10:06 PMLovely post. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to try street food. Nice photos.
Alyssa
January 19, 2012 at 1:26 AMWhile, I agree, hygiene is a concern of mine when it comes to street food, but who’s to say that the person cooking in a 5 star restarant has washed their hand wither 🙂 I think anytime you are at a place that has such great street food, you’d be missing out not to try it. Your phots are so vibrant!
[email protected] in disguise
January 19, 2012 at 11:10 AMMy dad always says you have not visited a country until you have tried the street food and local markets
beautiful pictures Kankana
Reem | Simply Reem
January 19, 2012 at 4:09 PMOH Kankana….
I feel like booking my flights right now!!!!
Beautiful post….
Will call u tmrw dear, I have been sick for sometime so just catching up on things. Will call you and get detail on all fun you had.
mustardseed
January 19, 2012 at 5:08 PMOh I truly miss all the street food in back home in India. There is such a charm in roaming the streets and eat all those different things and it all tastes soooo good!
Ananda Rajashekar
January 20, 2012 at 12:17 AMOhhh whole bunch of street food, my heart weeps out of cravings! every single pic is beautiful Kankana but the lady over, she is the star of the show! wish i could fly right away for some golgappas and gola!
Anzz
January 20, 2012 at 1:19 AMI know what you mean. I can live on MOMOs, Pav bhaji and sugercane juice alone..!
My event- Valentines Day Special
Gouri
January 20, 2012 at 7:58 AMOh I Loved the post. Specially those beguni, Aluni and all kind of bhaja…they taste amazing. Nice clicks also…the last time when I was there…I saw those phucka’s has changed their shape from round to like eye shape…amazed to see that and also the fruit salads…just ready in few seconds… Must say..lovely post.
Gouri
January 20, 2012 at 7:58 AMOh I Loved this post. Specially those beguni, Aluni and all kind of bhaja…they taste amazing. Nice clicks also…the last time when I was there…I saw those phucka’s has changed their shape from round to like eye shape…amazed to see that and also the fruit salads…just ready in few seconds… Must say..lovely post.
Kala
January 20, 2012 at 4:32 PMFantastic post. I too am a lover of street food, and am always willing to try something new or different.
Soni
January 20, 2012 at 8:45 PMLovely Pics Kankana!Love Indian Street food, oh so yum 🙂
chinmayie @ love food eat
January 20, 2012 at 8:59 PMBeautiful photos Kankana!I am also a real fan of good street food 🙂
Anamika
January 21, 2012 at 12:12 PMWho can resist the love for street food, at least not us:)..and with all the concern for hygiene I’ve seen more people falling ill after eating at better off places, than the streets!
Liz
January 21, 2012 at 5:26 PMWhat fabulous, vibrant photos! They make me want to jump right in and try all the lovely treats. Thanks for bringing us with you on your visit.
ginger and scotch
January 23, 2012 at 11:39 AMI love how your photos capture the spirit of street food and the people behind it.
When traveling, I usually wait until the day I am leaving to try street food in case I get sick. It’s been a good strategy so far. That and Pepto bismol 🙂
Deeps @ Naughty Curry
January 23, 2012 at 10:46 PMbeautiful pics… u have captured the essence of India & our love for streetside food so well! i cudn bother about hygiene while bingeing on roadside chaats, though i have paid the price later a few times 😀
Roxana GreenGirl {A little bit of everything}
January 24, 2012 at 1:53 PMSuch a beautiful post Kankana. I love how you described everything in such a detail. I feel like i was right there with you, walking the streets up and down.