FROM A STREET FOOD JUNKIE

I am privileged to be staying in a city which can easily be called the street food haven. With Kabab - paratha, Biriyani, boti or gilawati kabab with rumali roti and makhan-malai and thandai, my city Lucknow is to street food, what Vatican is to the Christian faith……….unquestionably at the very pinnacle of excellence! May be that is why I am a bit biased to the concept that a city is just as good as the food that is vended in its streets for the masses and the guests alike. Free from the pretence and obsession with status that permeate so many restaurants, street food is so often the best food. It is, after all, a more authentic, honest and pure form of cooking that most truly reflects the culture of the city. Street food is ready to eat food or drink sold in street, stadiums, race courses, cinemas and other public places,

I am very upset when I see the big Indian tour groups in America, Europe or South East Asia planning a halt at an Indian restaurant for lunch or dinner. Who on earth would like to eat Idli-sambhar in London or Tanduri chicken in Johanesberg? If you are looking for tea with cream and sugar or a glass of lassi in Berlin, then where will you taste beer…..in Bhatinda? There are elements in street food that you can't acquire when playing it safe and you truly can't experience the country's culture when you limit yourself to Indian food.

Maggi Katam

With the sights and the sounds, the flora and the fauna, the dance and the culture, the food and beverage of a country one visits is a vital ingredient which completes the kaleidoscopic impression of the country. Every time I eat crabs I am reminded of Maggi-katam, a crab dish I devoured with friends when I was in Kota Bharu, Malaysia! I cannot imagine Kota Bharu without its mouth watering sea food and honey tea!

Wandering through the street food hubs in parts of the world, notably those which proliferate in south-east Asia is my passion. It is an event in itself with the sights, the smells and the energy emanating from local people plying their trade. So whether it is the food street in Lahore or the litti-chokha joints in Gorakhpur, I love them all. The night bazzar of Hua Hin in Thailand sells a papaya prawn salad, which cannot be surpassed by the classiest 5 star hotel with the most talented bunch of chefs. And what's more, it's ridiculously cheap, being invariably a fraction of the cost of what you'd pay for the same dish in a restaurant.

Oktoberfest in Munich 

For some travelers, understandable concerns over hygiene will often mean street food will never top everyone's menu overseas. But while it pays to exercise a certain degree of common sense, always playing it safe is to miss out on some of the best cuisine you'll ever try. Street food is the best way to experience the vibe of the city, a direct conduit into its heart and soul – it's action-packed, friendly and inviting and the choice is astounding.

If you are travelling in India then every city has its own speciality. Mumbai is a city of dreams and opportunity, best expressed through its vibrant food culture. Mumbai stamping grounds include the Colaba and Fort districts as well as the Kala Ghoda district and my favorite are the street vendors along Khao Galli, a popular eat street. Whether it is kheecha , a seasoned rice flour flat bread cooked over hot coals or vada pav, a bread rolhwith spicy potato filling], they are just divine! The lassi at the entrance of Dadar station, chat, bhel-puri and pani puri at Elco in Bandra or the incredible fish tikka of Pal's Fish Corner are all a part of Mumbai’s culture!

Delhi is no pushover when it comes to street food and Chandni Chaok is the Mecca of street food in this capital city. The famous parathe wali galli sells mouth watering parathas stuffed with a world of goodies. The mughlai paratha, chicken kali mirch and the mutton chap for the omnivorous and the halwa-puri for die hard vegis, nobody is left disappointed! Kolkata is a paradise for street food and understandably the fish preparations are the top sellers. If you have been to Kolkata and not tasted Dimer Devil or not visited the China Town……..you have wasted your time in the city. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Gujarat to Arunachal the street food is distinctive of the region and a visitor can ill afford to give it a miss.

Bangkok is a city I like to visit because of the variety of street food it has to offer. While Suckhumvit 38 in the prestigious Thong Lo district is perhaps the most famous among Westerners, lesser known or completely unknown joints will often surprise you with their mouth-watering flavours.  A tiny, third-generation shop house, Nai Mong Hoi Nang Tort at Thanon Phlapplaachai, off Charoen Krung Road is the best place in the city to sample an oyster omelette, known locally as "hoy tod". It’s made up of a crisp and rich base of eggs topped with an unctuous sauce of oysters and spring onions. Sprinkle it with some white pepper and splash over the siracha chilli sauce and you'll understand why the place has been going for 40 years! A bonus that I reap every time is that street food constantly introduces me to new ingredients, makes me aware of wonderful stories and allows me to meet the most incredible local people who allow you to delve deeper and understand their true way of life!

In Ho Chi Min city you can literally live on street food starting from an early breakfast with bun thit nuong (char-grilled pork skewers with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs), banh mi cha ca (a baguette filled with fish cakes), or chao long (a rice congee with offal).The classic dinner dishes such as banh xeo (crisp rice flour crepe with mung beans and prawn and pork) and bo la lot (char-grilled betel leaves with beef, wrapped in rice paper). I always ask how old the food stall is and the older the better is my motto. If it has been passed on to the second generation…..then go for it! They should specialise in just one dish, so you know they do it well. The ingredients are all laid out in front of you, so you can see how fresh it is, and then they prepare and cook it up before your very eyes.

Duck satay, Chicken  satay and Rabbit datay

Kuala Lumpur street food dishes include char-grilled chicken wings, ducks feet, ducks tongue, wok-tossed salt and chilli crab, pork baguette roll, pan-seared rice cakes with egg and soy as well as duck embryo cooked in tamarind, or simply boiled. These may not be authentic Malaysian stuff but the city is a melting pot of many cultures and so the variety in its street food is all the more expected.

In Shanghai the essential dishes to try include xiao long bao - soup dumplings that are incredible when done well, hairy crabs if they are in season, and also the steamed bread buns filled with sweet pork are exceptional. Singaporeans are known for their food promiscuity. Changi Village Food Centre  is truly a local food paradise, with a stall or two selling virtually every kind of Singaporean dish. One stall, one or two dishes, and that's it. They do one thing and they do it superbly. The best thing about this place is that it's near the airport so if you have a long stopover you can easily visit and get a quick Singaporean food fix. If you only have one day in Singapore, this is the place you want to eat at.

Australia is again a wonderland for street food and the immigrants from all over the world have brought with them their mama’s recipes and made Australia a culinary rich country. So whether it is the Greek or Italian or Lebanese or Chinese or Indian, there is food for every taste bud. Lygon Street in Melbourne and Circular Quay in Sydney have joints serving kebabs and souvlakis and sausage sizzles and Baba ganushi which are courtesy the Greek and Lebanese immigrants of the city and made a place of their own in the culinary history of Australia.   And how can you forget the Australian pie sold in the footie stadiums and pie floater served from pie carts in Adelaide!

Latin Americans have mastered the street food art. Choripan is a barbequeued sausage wrapped in French bread very popular in Argentina. Pao de queijo is cheese bread and Mate Gelado is ice tea and these are available everywhere in Rio de Jenario. Santiago boasts of sopaipillas – a deep fried dough of flour and pumpkin, French fries, churros and calzones rotos.

Street food in Torronto

Europe has a culture of eating in the open in road side cafes. From coffee in Sewden to ice creams of various flavours in Italy to a wide range of confectioneries in Germany, Europe remains a haven for street food. The big street food trucks are a gastronomic delight in America whether you are in Chicago or Miami, Seattle or Washington DC. The burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and the special delights from Porto Rico, Cuba and Mexico are all served from these food trucks! Fish taco served on fried bread in Alaska, shaved ice and plate lunch of rice, macaroni salad and portion of meat in Hawaii, hot dogs, middle eastern falafel, Jamaican jerk chicken and Belgian waffles  in New York City all are a part of the American culture you are sure to miss if you are not a crazy street foodie!

In all my travelling experience the street food has been the best food. I would like to choose a place where the locals eat. The best way to experience a rich heritage is through food, and there's no shortage of it in any city you visit. You may offend a local if you talk about politics or religion, but food is a topic which brings a smile in every face!