5 Essential Indian Street Food with Potatoes

Are potatoes the king of vegetables or what? 

Try 'googling' this sentence and you'll see.

Yes or no, I like to crown potatoes as one of the most versatile vegetables, found pretty much in all parts of the world. I mean, I don't think I can ever remember a day in my life where we ran out of potatoes in our home.

Potatoes are a staple in regions where it is particularly cold for all the required carbs I guess. It is fascinating that they can be cooked in so many different ways, each yielding a different texture. You can boil them, fry them, mash them, puree them, steam them, powder them, bake them, roast them, grill them and in some cultures even ferment them. And guess what? There are more then 1000 varieties of potatoes and they are the 4th most-grown crop in the world.

So basically, Potatoes rule!

It is no big deal that potatoes contribute a great deal in the Indian kitchen, especially in North India where potatoes are staple both in winters and summers. And like I always say, street-food and India are synonymous.

One of the great pleasures of living in or visiting India is revelling in its myriad street food culture. 

It is again, not a surprise that potatoes are used quite a lot in fast-food of India, due to its reasonable price and all-year-through availability. Some of the most popular vegetarian street delicacies are prepared with potatoes as the central ingredient.

Here is a list of 5 essential street dishes from India that have 'Aloo' aka Potato in them. I made some of them and have included the pictures...yes they're all original and home-made. 

Po-tay-to! Po-taa-to!  

1. Vada Pav 

Typical in Mumbai, this is a dish consisting of crispy fried potato dumplings sandwiched in between plain buns (or pav, interestingly derived from the Portuguese word 'pao' meaning bread).
The pav is smeared with coriander-mint-garlic chutney and  similar spicy and sweet condiments. It is usually served with fried green chilies.

2. Pav Bhaji

Another dish with 'Pav' or bun. The origin of this dish goes back to the late 18th century when it invented as a lunchtime quick dish for mill laborers.
From being a humble and wholesome fast-food to a highly-preferred dish topping restaurant menus, pav bhaji has come a long way. It is basically soft bun (usually butter-toasted) served with a mashed potato and vegetable stew or curry called 'Bhaji'. The bhaji is prepared on iron skillets, served with freshly cut lemon wedges.

3. Aloo Tikki / Aloo Tikki Chaat

'Aloo' means potato and 'Tikki' translates to cutlets, so potato cutlets.
Aloo tikkis are also a famous snack in North India and like the name suggests, made with potatoes, peas, herbs and spices. These super-tasty potato patties are more often served as Chaat in food carts.

 'Chaat' is typically a variety of Indian street food served with yoghurt, spicy chutneys or condiments and an immensely popular. Here is an interesting fact for those who do not know - The word Chaat is derived from the Hindi word 'chaatna' which means 'to lick'.

The etymology is totally justified because you will end up relishing the dish and licking your fingers once you try it! Another variation is 'Ragda Patties'.

4. Dabeli

Originating in Gujarat, this spicy snack is made by mixing mashed potatoes with a special dabeli masala (spice mix), peanuts and pomegranate seeds. This mixture is then sandwiched and pressed between half-moon shaped buns smeared with tamarind, garlic, red chilies, coriander and mint chutneys. The sandwiched buns are toasted in butter before serving.
It is almost a regular snack in the Kutch region of Gujarat and these days, famous in many other parts of India. By the way, if you have noticed, it is surprising how many of the listed snacks are made with bun / bread.

5. Samosa

'Bhaiyya, do samose dena' (Brother, give me two samosas) is a sentence that echoes in every street corner in the after-work evening times in Delhi.
I grew up in Delhi and I have such vivid memories of cooks sitting in front of large iron woks with oil, frying hot samosas in the evenings while an assistant is busy packing them with chutneys and the smell of the flavorsome potato-filled fritters fills up the air which no one can resist. Samosas are my favorite for reasons just more that how delicious they are! Samosas are quite known for their triangular cone-like shapes. There are quite some variations but potato or 'aloo' samosas are classic and most-known in all parts of India and even Europe as a matter of fact!