Whether it’s a bustling metro city like Mumbai or a smaller city like Hyderabad with a laid-back lifestyle, every city and town in India has its own street food culture, unique to its own. Rich in flavour, taste, affordable, and accessible to people from all walks of life, these delicious treats tickle the tastebuds and are relatively inexpensive. So, it would take a mammoth amount of will power to say no to a plate of “puchkas” particularly when you are trying to cut calories to lose weight. It’s really hard to swerve past street food, especially in India, where it’s available at every nook and corner, lining the streets on your way home from college/work, psychologically triggering hunger pangs. An indulgence here and there, once in a week, should pose no problem, but when street food starts replacing healthy food and becomes a staple, your health will take a toll and weight loss will become a battle. The problem with street food is most of them are deep-fried or contain high amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. The oil used for cooking and deep frying these treats is re-used multiple times making it toxic. Such toxic oil raises inflammation in the body. However, there are certain street foods that you can enjoy without feeling guilty about ruining your weight loss efforts. Samosas, pakoras, bhature, kachoris, pani-puri – can you even think about giving them up forever! But Indian street food is not limited to just these five food items, there are quite a few healthy options that you can have even while you are dieting.
1. Makka butta/Roasted Corn on Cob: Searing and roasting corn cobs on the coal and spicing them up with just a bit of salt and lemon, it’s a delicious treat that no one would ask stay away from. Roasted or boiled corn on the cob is a healthy and delicious street food, that is low in calories as well. Even corn chat without added butter is good. There’s another street food called “bhutte ka kees,” from Madhya Pradesh, which is made from grated corn, just a little oil and minimum amount of spices.
2. Paratha: Across North India, you would find several paratha joints, serving everything from aloo paratha, gobi partha, paneer paratha, egg paratha, to even dal paratha, served with thick lassi on the side – these are treats that cannot say no to.
3. Bhel Puri: It’s a street food famous all across India that can be had while on the go. Bhel puri is made by putting together puffed rice, sev, onion, tomato, cucumber, peanuts, chat masala, and spicy green chutney and tangy tamarind chutney, and garnished with coriander leaves. It’s also called jhalmuri in Kolkata.
4. Kathi Roll: Kathi roll (made from whole wheat flour) is a paratha filled with either chicken, mutton, egg or paneer. It’s another snack that can be had while on the go.
5. Panipuri/Golgappa/Puchka: Probably the most popular street food across India, it is dish that has crispy hollow balls filled with mashed potatoes, chickpeas, and spices and dipped in tamarind and spicy water with spicy mint/jal jeera water. Just a plate of golgappas will not harm your weight loss goals.
6. Dhokla: Made from fermented rice and chickpea flour batter that is mixed with curd, ginger, green chillies, and some other spices, and then steamed with little oil involved to a spongy consistency, it’s a Gujarati dish that is popular all over India.
7. Idli/Dosa: Both idli and dosa are made from fermented urad dal and rice batter, needs very less oil, idli in particular is made through steaming and no oil is involved in this process. Idli and dosa taste best with sambar and a variety of chutneys.
8. Tandoori Paneer Tikka/Tandoori Chicken/Seekh Kebab: Tandoor is a clay oven which is heated with charcoal or wood, without any deep frying involved, and tandoor preparations like tandoori paneer tikka, tandoori chicken, seekh kebab taste absolutely delicious.
9. Chana Chaat: Chana chaat is made from boiled chickpeas, chopped onions, tomatoes, and a few other spices.
10. Roasted peanuts: You can find vendors on streets selling basic roasted peanuts which taste so yummy and are so healthy as well!
11. Kaala Chana Chaat: This snack will tickle your tastebuds with its rich taste and flavour – made from kala chana, tossed with onion, tomato, green chillies, chaat masala, red chilli powder, amchur, salt, lemon, and garnished with coriander leaves – the chat is ready!
12. Fruit Chaat: Fruit chaat is made from a mix of nutrient-rich fruits like apple, orange, banana, pomegranate, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, papaya mixed with lemon juice and chaat masala, simple!
These 12 street food options are not only delicious, they wouldn’t derail your progress provided you are indulging in them as occasional treats and not every other day. As with even the healthiest of foods, portion control and mindful eating are essential. Also, if you are desperately trying to lose weight, subscribe to the Rati Beauty diet plans to achieve weight loss as well inch loss.
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