Life would be deemed meaningless without lip-smacking street food. Not a day goes by when I don't look back at the time when stuffing our faces (Literally!) with Gol Gappas was a normal event. For a person who has a tongue for zest, it's not easy to stay away from delicacies like chole bhature, pav bhaji, samosas and the list never ends. But there's a virus on the loose and my cravings don't seem to understand that. What I mean is, it's still early to be eating outside and it's quite late for people like me to quit on them cold turkey.
Enter... an easy way out! Switch to healthier versions of your favourite street food and enjoy every bite guilt-free. Here are 12 you can begin with.
Aloo tikkis have forever owned our hearts. But when our health is at stake, it's better to find a nutritious substitute and we did. Get a load of this super delicious recipe of chickpea tikkis made with ghee and love. The prime ingredient, chickpea is a great source of plant-based protein that is also rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins. These tikkis are shallow-fried and very easy to recreate. Serve it as an evening snack with mint chutney for the best results.
Image Courtesy: YouTube
Also Read: 5 Homemade Twists To Your Favourite Tikki
Here's a street food loved by all and denied by none. However, they are also a liability. You can devour it in seconds but it will remain in your gut for weeks as it takes time for reused oil to digest. Solution? A healthier version of chole bhature. And this is the recipe you can fall back on. The bhaturas are baked, the Pindi chole is prepared with ghee instead of oil and the taste is not compromised. Complete the dish with some pickles and onion, and enjoy it with your family on a treat-filled Sunday.
Image Courtesy: Blogspot
Did you know that it takes a 3-hour run to digest a single vada pav? Shocking! Let's cut down this time to 30 minutes and say yes! to chef Saranash Goila's healthier avatar of vada pav. He infused the goodness of veggies like cabbage, beans and carrots in the traditional vada recipe to make it more nutritious and refrained from deep-frying. He chose to shallow fry vadas and also add California walnuts for extra health benefits and thick texture. This recipe is thoroughly savoured with wheat pav and some spicy green chutney.
Image Courtesy: Archana's Kitchen
Also Read: 6 Tasty Twists To Your Classic Vada Pav
Go green with your favourite street food as well. Try this extremely healthy recipe of pav bhaji stacked with green and other envigorating vegetables. It's a low-fat construction of vada pav dominated by green peas and more such nutritive veggies. Follow the tutorial carefully and serve them hot with an even healthier wheat pav. You're welcome!
Image Courtesy: Cookpad
Also Read: 6 Delightful Twists To Everyone's Beloved Pav Bhaji
Potatoes though versatile are not so good for our body. So, here's a healthy rendition of the good ol' dahi puri recipe by a popular YouTube channel. This is the recipe of healthy dahi puris filled with moong dal, a nutritious weight loss ingredient that is also low in fat and heart-friendly. You can crank it up a notch by switching to low-fat yoghurt instead of plain dahi as well. Bon appetite!
Image Courtesy: Whisk Affair
One of Delhi's most popular street foods also has a fit cousin; Atta Momos! This recipe will restore your trust in home-cooking and healthier alternatives. Use wheat flour in the place of whole wheat, stuff them drops of heaven with shredded carrots and cabbage, prepare a red chilli sauce from scratch (psst... used tamarind of that extra zing) and serve hot.
Image Courtesy: The Terrace Kitchen
Also Read: Stash Away These Ready-To-Eat Frozen Snacks In Your Freezer
Litti Chokha is a well-known Bihari street food famous around the country. However, they're extremely unhealthy. Fret not, we have a delicious and healthier recipe as a replacement. People have a bite of some baked littis accompanied by minimal-oil chokha. Now, even though the tutorial explains both fried and baked versions very thoughtfully but I'd love for you all to stick to the healthy one. Make this street snack for your Bihari friends and send them on a nostalgia train.
Image Courtesy: Health shots
Piping hot, crispy and tasteful. There are no better words to describe these whole wheat kachoris made better with baking and moong dal. This video tutorial will help you appreciate the healthier side of kachoris and dive into the madness guilt-free. You can even make this healthy street food recipe irresistible by topping it with aloo sabzi, some mint chutney and julienne onions.
Image Courtesy: YouTube
Wouldn't you enjoy pain puri more if it had a similar kick but are also healthy? I thought so. Behold this easy-peasy recipe of no-fry puri and rich in green leafy veggies pani. The puris are baked, the filling is blessed with healthier alternatives like moong dal and the pani is loaded with the sanctity of mint leaves, coriander, cumin seeds, pepper and ginger. All these ingredients are excellent anti-oxidants and good for the immune system. Once prepared, assemble all the mixtures and have a nutritious gol gappa at home.
Image Courtesy: IndiaTV News
Also Read: 5 Delicious Twists To The Classic Pani Puri
Ever heard of semolina a.k.a sooji samosas? Well, here's a healthy twist to our favourite street snack... samosas. This ingredient is better than the alternative, great if you're on a diet and is as crispy as the original one. However, the recipe is for deep-fried samosas only but I'd like to provide you with two healthier options. Either fry these samosas in cow-ghee or simply bake them.
Image Courtesy: Cookpad
There's no better tea-time snack than pakoras. It's sad that they are deep-fried and not good for the heart. Well, let's change that. Hail to this amazingly simple recipe of crispy veg pakoras that are shallow fried in an appam tray. Isn't that a smarter way? Now you can enjoy hot and crispy pakoras stacked with yummy and healthy veggies without the mental image of oil dripping through your fingers. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the top and serve hot with the chutneys of your choosing.
Image Courtesy: Kind Earth
Your dinner deserves a sweet climax. But aren't desserts like kulfis unhealthy? Yes, they're. But thanks to my research skills, you'll be able to enjoy delish kulfis in the comfort of your home guilt-free. What I love about this recipe is it used nut milk (a mixture of almond, cashew and water) instead of normal milk, date palm in the place of sugar and went with double-grinding to avoid cream. Check out the video tutorial to make your sugary summer cravings healthier.
Image Courtesy: Healthy Kadai
Also Read: Delightful Indian Desserts You Can Fix Up At Home
You can take a foodie out of a street food joint but you can never take street food out of a foodie! Get a load of these healthier alternatives for your favourite street food for a better heart.
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