A Guide To The Lesser-Known Street Food Of Every South Indian State

Sometimes, you have to skip the hippest neighbourhoods and the hottest new restaurants in town, even forego the Michelin starred ratings if you must eat the best food a country has to offer. Nobody knows that better than Indians who’ve been born and bred on the snacks of its streets. And make no mistake, this has much less to do with quality, than it has to do with soul, nostalgia, and the bags of flavour these vendors manage to work into their food. That’s why we’re planning to assault your senses with a full blown series on street eats from India.

No matter which corner of the country you’re in, almost any street you walk down promises a delicious snack fresh off the fire but in this first installment of street snacks around India though, we’re taking you down South. From Kerala to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and beyond, there’s a good chance you haven’t tried many of these mouth-wateringly good street eats. So scroll through for a state-wise breakdown of the very best and start planning your next food trail.

India and street food goes hand in hand. No matter which corner of the country you’re in, if you walk down the street, your senses will be assailed with the aroma of food. In the first instalment of street snacks around India, we’re taking you down south.

Kerala

I. Fried Fish

There’s something almost ceremoniously tempting about the smell of fish frying, as though everything in your life will be set straight as soon as you set your teeth into its crunchy-yet-soft flesh. The heady aroma cuts through anything, which is why you can always follow your nose to a fish stall, frying tiny sardines, bones and all, on the streets of Kerala.
The fish is marinated with a blend of spices and then slapped into a pan or deep-fried in a wok—the hot oil spits and crackles as it turns the raw, red, masala-coated fish a deep brown. Once it’s out, squeeze on some lime and dig in. Pro tip? It’s best enjoyed scalding hot, when it’s crunchiest.

II. Parippu Vada

Also known as dal vada, this dish is sort of a dal fritter if you can imagine that. It’s made by first grinding dal and then adding in seasoning along with onion and coriander for that trademark South Indian flavour combination that bursts the second you get a hint of that fried kadipatta. They’re rolled into little balls and fried up right until they’re dark and crispy on the outside. That’s when you know they’re ready to bite into.

III. Thattu Dosa

Perhaps South India’s most famous street side snack, thattu dosa is a little, palm-sized dosa that’s eaten with coconut chutney. It can also be eaten with red chilli chutney, rasa vada, and sometimes, even popaddoms. Off late, thattu dosa is even being sold along with an omelette as a thattu dosa omplate. Hey, we’re all for culinary innovation when it involves the combination of dosas and eggs.

IV. Kozhi Porichathu

This delicious little dish consists of deep-fried chicken that’s first been marinated in coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and ginger garlic-paste. Once the chicken is fried, it’s kept aside while cumin, green chillies, curry leaves and some tomato sauce is heated in a pan with some oil. Then, the still-hot chicken is tossed into the pan of condiments and mixed well. The result will probably have you think twice before you order your next KFC Zinger burger.

V. Pazhampuri

Who doesn’t like banana fritters? And who wouldn’t expect Kerala locals to get this one right, given their penchant for bananas in just about everything? All they do is take a few bananas, slice them up, dunk them in batter (one cup flour, one egg, one and a half cups of water, three teaspoons of sugar, salt, and oil) and fry them up. Eat them hot. No one likes soggy fritters.

Tamil Nadu

VI. Iddiyappam

South India’s famous string hopper is a delicious roadside snack—and it’s pretty damn filling too. It’s called a string hopper because rice flour is put through a presser that pushes out long, stringy, almost noodle-like strands that are steamed before being served alongside spicy chicken or beef curry. Either one makes for a great combination as far as we’re concerned.

VII. Atho

This dish has its origins in Burma, whose Tamil refugees make for a fascinating story in itself. It’s a mixture of spicy noodles, shredded cabbage and onions seasoned with salt, tamarind, chilli flakes and garlic and there’s really not much else to say except that we wish this was available everywhere.

VIII. Mohinga

Another Burmese dish popular on the streets of Chennai is Mohinga. It’s a rice-noodle and fish soup garnished with fried onions, ginger, garlic and the core of a plantain stem. Satiating, flavoursome and utterly comforting.

Mohinga. Image courtesy: hashtagdarlingharbour

IX. Burmese Egg Masala

This dish is pretty self-explanatory. The street food vendors take a hard boiled egg, slit it open and stuff it with a masala made of chopped onion, crushed garlic, red chilli powder and salt. Then you pop it into your mouth in one go. Now that’s a daily protein dose we can get on board with.

X. Parotta

Delicious, flaky and incredibly satisfying, parottas are available at practically any street corner in most Southern Indian states. The most famous version of this dish in Tamil Nadu, however, is kothu parotta—chopped up parotta served with egg, meat and a spicy sauce called salna.

Karnataka

XI. Mangalore Buns

Banana meets bun in this oh-so-sweet south Indian snack. Mashed up banana with dough, curd, sugar, salt, cumin seeds and baking powder, is set aside for a few hours. Then, it’s heated up with some oil in a pan, made into little round pooris and ultimately dunked into the hot oil all the best street food seems to emerge from. The final concoction is served up with coconut chutney or sambhar making for a perfect sweet and sour combination that few achieve to this degree of balance.

XII. Goli Bhaje

Popularly known as Managlore bajji, these little snacks are spiced with curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. An important ingredient in the batter is sour buttermilk, which lends to the fermented flavour that runs through the batter. Pair these little deep-fried golden gems with strong South Indian filter coffee for a perfect evening snack.

XIII. Mangalore Aloo Boonda

An aloo bonda is what would happen if you took some mashed potato, covered it with gram flour and dropped it in hot oil. It’s one of the most familiar and populat street snacks from the south and is usually served with a side of coconut chutney for added texture and flavour.

XIV. Cabbage vada

Deep fried fritters made from a mixture of cabbage and lentils and seasoned with green chillies, coriander and carrots? Yes please.

XV. Onion Bhajji

Onion bhajjis can be found all over India—albeit known by different names. They’re simple and delicious: sliced onions dunked in gram flour paste and deep fried. What’s not to love whether it’s in Delhi or Mangalore?

XVI. Balekai Podi

This little treat can be made with raw banana or plantain. Balekai podi is kind of like the savoury version of banana fritters. The raw fruit is mixed with either gram or chickpea flour, before being seasoned with salt, chilly powder, carom seeds before dunking the little fritters in oil. That last bit is almost on autopilot mode right now.

XVII. Jeegujje Podi

This one is especially popular with the locals. Jeegujje Podi is made by coating thin slivers of breadfruit with spicy gram flour paste and some salt and chilli before deep frying.

XVIII. Churu Muri

A hot favourite on the streets of Mysore, churu muri is a spicy, crispy snack made of puffed rice that’s been mixed with chillies, lime juice, turmeric and red chilli powder, coriander leaves and onions. Kind of like South India’s answer to bhel, if you will.

Andhra Pradesh

XIX. Punugulu

One of Hyderabad’s most popular street side snacks, Punugulu takes the humble dosa and takes it to the next level with the addition of chopped up onions, coriander and yogurt mixed into the batter before being deep fried to a crisp golden brown.

XX. Pulihora Pulusu

This flavourful dish is also known as tamarind rice. It’s sweet, spicy, tangy and sour all at the same time and is often served with an additional side portion of tamarind for that extra kick.

XXI. Pindi Vantalu

Known around India as chakri and murruku, pindi vantalu is mostly enjoyed during festival season and is made from moong dal or rice flour. Pro tip--it adds a delicious, textural crunch to just about anything you add it to, so don’t shy away from crushing it over your sambar-rice when the poppadums are over.