THE TOP 10 STREET FOOD DISHES OF DELHI AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
BY ANUBHAV SAPRA
1. Samosas
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
The most popular snack and street food of Delhi. The origin of the samosa can be traced back to the Middle East, where it was known as sambosa. The vegetarian version consists of a plain flour covering stuffed with potatoes, lentils, green peas or cauliflower. Some even make it sweet by filling it with khoya (thickened whole milk heated in open iron pans) or chhena (fresh curd cheese made from water buffalo milk). The non-vegetarian version of the samosa comes with minced lamb or chicken fillings.
The good ol’ champion among Delhi samosas is the aloo samosa, filled with potato (aloo) and served with mint chutney and saunth (a mix of dry ginger powder and tamarind sauce). In Connaught place, mini samosas named after their small size are available on the pavements of the Barakhamba road. While The Embassy restaurant in Connaught Place boasts about the heaviest and most expensive samosa in the city.
Where to find the best ones?
Annapurna Sweets in CR Park.
Chaina Ram in Fatehpuri.
2. Momos
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
Who could’ve imagined that the most common food of Tibet and Nepal would become one of the most popular foods in Delhi? Over the past 10 years momokiosks have flourished all over the city. Momos are dumplings stuffed with a mix of vegetables, chicken, lamb, pork or buff. They are steamed and served with hot and spicy red chili sauce and mayonnaise. To suit the palates of Delhites, chaat masala (mix of hot and tangy spices) are also sprinkled over the steamed preparation.
Where to find the best ones?
Majnu Ka Tila.
De Paul’s in Janpath.
3. Aloo tikki
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
Simply put, aloo means potato and tikki means a patty or croquette. Aloo tikkisare fried potato patties stuffed with either just potatoes or lentils and green peas, served with coriander mint sauce and tamarind sauce. They have a crisp outside and a soft inside.
Where to find the best ones?
Natraj Dahi Bhalla in Chandni Chowk.
Bittu Tikki Wala outlets in Delhi.
4. Kebab
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
The most common kebabs are Seekh Kebab — minced mutton grilled on a skewer;Shami Kebabs — minced mutton or chicken with a paste of lentils are mixed with chopped onions, garlic, green chilies and fried in some butter; Galauti Kebabs —galauti literally means ‘to melt in the mouth,’ they are prepared by marinating the finely ground meat with unripe papaya and exotic spices and are later fried in butter.
Where to find the best ones?
Karim’s in Jama Masjid.
Moinuddin Kebabs in Ballimaran.
5. Golgappa
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
Golgappas are deep-fried delicacies made of whole wheat or semolina flour. The street vendors pinch a hole into the golgappa and add chopped cubes of boiled potato and mashed chickpeas with saunth chutney. They are then dipped into a bowl filled with spicy tangy tamarind or mint water. There are regional variations of golgappas within Delhi. In CR Park, the water is strictly made of tamarind and the fillings are made of mashed potatoes with chickpeas and spices. In other parts of the city, it is mostly mint water and the fillings are simply boiled potato cubes or chick peas.
Where to get the best ones?
Street vendors in CR Park.
Vaishnav Chaat bhandar in Kamla Nagar.
6. Chole Bhature
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
Chole bhature is a Delhi classic available in all the residential and office areas around town. It’s a puffed bread made of semolina or wheat flour, deep fried in clarified butter or oil, and sometimes stuffed with paneer (cottage cheese) or mashed potatoes. They are served with chickpeas cooked in whole spices, onion, green chilies and pickles.
Where to find the best ones?
Sitaram Diwanchand in Paharganj.
Chahcha ke chole bhature in Kamla Nagar.
7. Chole kulche
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
Chole kulche is relished by everyone, from school kids to office goers. Chole are boiled chickpeas and kulche is a white flour bread. This dish usually tastes different depending of the street vendor you choose, since everyone seems to have their own recipe. At some places, boiled chickpeas are garnished with onion, tomatoes, spices and lemon; some others add tamarind or dry mango powder chutney to the chickpeas.
Where to find the best ones?
Lotan ke chole kulche in Chawri Bazar.
Bhogal ke chole kulche near Scindia House in Connaught Place.
8. Chaat
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
The essential ingredients of chaat are yoghurt, onion, saunth (tamarind and dry ginger sauce or dry mango powder sauce) and a mix of spices. There are a lot of variants of chaat: Dahi Bhalla chaat are made of fried lentil balls soaked in yoghurt and topped with saunth, spices, pomegranate seeds and sev (small dried salty noodles). Papdi Chaat consists of little fried and crispy, flat-shaped wheat flour crackers with the same toppings as in Dahi bhalla. The other two commonchaats are aloo tikki chaat and samosa chaat. The only non-savoury chaat is theDaulat ki chaat, available only during the winter months in Old Delhi. It’s more like a dessert made with milk and cream whisked together.
Where to find the best ones?
Ashok Chaat Corner in Chawri Bazar.
Hira Lal Chaat corner in Chawri Bazar.
Daulat ki Chaat is available in the by lanes of Old Delhi during October to March.
9. Rajma Chawal
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
A typical Punjabi home-cooked dish, is also readily available in food carts across Delhi (mainly outside offices). Rajma is the curry made of red beans cooked in aromatic spices and served hot with steamed rice. Rajma chawal is highly nutritious and delicious as well.
Where to find the best ones?
Near the offices and shopping centers like Nehru Place, Shankar Market, KamlaNagar and Karol Bagh.
10. Kachori
Photo: Anubhav Sapra
Kachoris are made of white flour dough stuffed with a mixture of lentil paste and spices. This mix is fried and served with hot and spicy potato curry. Kachoris are usually served with tamarind sauce or coriander mint sauce, but some vendors serve them with a delicious mix of potato curry with asafetida in a slightly large amount.
Where to find the best ones?
Old Delhi has the best kachori joints in the city:
Jang Bahadur kachori wala in Maliwara.
Narayan das Halwai in Khari Baoli. 
