We associate food with its particular fragrance and there is a special aroma in a mix of finely chopped fresh mint, coriander, crunchy green chillies, onions & tomatoes, sprinkled with fresh lime juice and black salt, which reminds me of the sweet, tangy, spicy & flavorful Chaats (savoury snack) we devoured on the streets, in India as kids. My trip to India recently re-awakened my love for Indian food all thanks to L who took me on a journey full of mouth-watering Indian street food, meals & drinks! The very mention of Chaat brings a twinkle in her eyes, L was a constant companion through all my travels in India and is a great cook! I’ve had some of the most delicious chaats, snacks, chutneys, achaars (pickles), papads, sweets and meals in India thanks to her. Thanks L, for showing me the taste of real India! 🙂
Some of my favourite Indian street food from my travels…
Indian street food : ChaatAlu Tikki and Papdi Chaat, Chandini Chowk, DelhiSweet potato Chaat on the roadside, DelhiSprouted dal ChaatSnacks and savouries at a Chaat shop in DelhiVegetable, onion & stuffed chilli Pakoras in Pushkar, RajasthanFresh Samosas early morning with tea at PushkarChole Bhature from Chache di Hatti at North Campus, Delhi University (one of the best in Delhi)Fried Chicken and kebabs at Chandini Chowk, Old DelhiSeekh Kebabs at Chittaranjan Park Market, DelhiDal Baati ( a Rajasthani Meal) & Vegetarian Thali (Meals)Making Chappati/ Roti (Flat Indian Bread )Fresh Seafood (Garlic Calamari, Crumb fried Mussels and Fried fish) in GoaNan Khatai ( Indian short bread cookies) on the road at Chandini ChowkAam papad (dried Mango pulp cakes) on the streetIndian sweets : (from left) Milk Peda, Motichoor Laddu, Jalebi in sugar syrup and Gud Jalebi ( in Jaggery) in VaranasiFrying Mal Pua and Shakkar Para at VaranasiIndian dessert: Kulfi Falooda Rabri in Chandini Chowk, DelhiSugar cane juice and Kala khattaAnd finally my elixir : Chai in a Kullad ( Tea in an earthen cup)
To enjoy this food even more watch this amazing video on Indian food – ‘A day in India‘ by The Perennial Plate. I am a foodie but more than cooking I like eating and taking pictures of food. One of my favorites in Food photography is Laxmi’s blog – Pure Vege, which has some simple yet stunning pictures and recipes. Her photography is timeless and ethereal almost heavenly!
A designer, photographer and artist, I love to work with color, form and texture on paper, digital media and textiles. Color Odyssey is a visual odyssey of my love for Travel & Photography, of Stories and Experiences I’ve had so far. I hope you enjoy my voyage through colors of Love, Travel, Food & Adventure…
View all posts by Ritu Saini
Aahh, those images make my mouth water, not just for the beautiful food but the colours of India too, a place that has always been on my bucket list (‘tho I won’t be able to visit, unfortunately, unless I win Tattslotto!, so I enjoy the place vicariously). Welcome back, Ritu! Shared on Google+.
Thanks Janina 🙂 I was in India for a few months and it was awesome to live there after so many years! I tried to make the most of it and traveled a lot. Will share my experiences in the future posts and hope to take you on a journey to India 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Ritu, an awesome post and pics… my mouth is seriously watering at the sight of all this amazing food. A trip to Delhi and around needs to be planned soon 🙂
Thanks Snigdha 🙂 I was introduced so many new things this time in India that I have a new found respect for Indian food! Mutton ghugni in Chittaranjan Park was the best! I’m going to try and make rajma with minced beef now! 😉
Very nice, Ritu! I’d definitely feel khuush after eating most of these things!
I’m a bit curious about the calamar’ from Goa- how would you describe the food scene? Besides Portuguese influences and vindaloo, that is…
Also, I recall a chai stall in Jaipur that encouraged patrons to throw their chai jars on the ground after each use…could you think of a reason why?
I love this post! What a stunning set of images! I really want to get better at food photography but my camera struggles in low light situations. Time for an upgrade! What camera do you use?
Thanks Lucy 🙂 I have a Nikon D80 and use a 35mm F2 lens with it mostly. It’s lighter and perfect for travelling, shooting food and almost anything. The lens is really good in low light conditions too. You could get a 50mm depending on your camera.
Thanks Ritu! I have a Nikon D50 which I love for its size and weight but I need a faster lens. I’ve had it since 2006 so am thinking of upgrading soon anyway. I’ll stick with Nikon though, just not decided which model yet.
Yeah I like Nikon too. Maybe you can try the low F stop DX lenses. I refer to this website for any queries on my Nikon – http://www.kenrockwell.com/
Cheers! 🙂
Color Odyssey 
I miss home now!:( I should defn call L for a foodie tour the next time I am in Delhi !! 😉
🙂 Yeah sure!
India has such vibrant colours and flavours of food to offer! Beautiful photos, they make me want to visit India just for the food!!
🙂 Thanks! You must…it’s quite awesome!
Yummy!!! 🙂
🙂
Aahh, those images make my mouth water, not just for the beautiful food but the colours of India too, a place that has always been on my bucket list (‘tho I won’t be able to visit, unfortunately, unless I win Tattslotto!, so I enjoy the place vicariously). Welcome back, Ritu! Shared on Google+.
Thanks Janina 🙂 I was in India for a few months and it was awesome to live there after so many years! I tried to make the most of it and traveled a lot. Will share my experiences in the future posts and hope to take you on a journey to India 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Ritu, an awesome post and pics… my mouth is seriously watering at the sight of all this amazing food. A trip to Delhi and around needs to be planned soon 🙂
Thanks Snigdha 🙂 I was introduced so many new things this time in India that I have a new found respect for Indian food! Mutton ghugni in Chittaranjan Park was the best! I’m going to try and make rajma with minced beef now! 😉
What a fantastic range of food. You have it so well covered in this interesting collection of images!
Thanks Andrew 🙂
Wow, all this Indian street food looks delicious!! My mouth is watering. 🙂
🙂
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
So damn hungry now!!!
🙂
What a yummy post 😀 Outstanding images!
Yummy shots!
Very nice, Ritu! I’d definitely feel khuush after eating most of these things!
I’m a bit curious about the calamar’ from Goa- how would you describe the food scene? Besides Portuguese influences and vindaloo, that is…
Also, I recall a chai stall in Jaipur that encouraged patrons to throw their chai jars on the ground after each use…could you think of a reason why?
I love this post! What a stunning set of images! I really want to get better at food photography but my camera struggles in low light situations. Time for an upgrade! What camera do you use?
Thanks Lucy 🙂 I have a Nikon D80 and use a 35mm F2 lens with it mostly. It’s lighter and perfect for travelling, shooting food and almost anything. The lens is really good in low light conditions too. You could get a 50mm depending on your camera.
Thanks Ritu! I have a Nikon D50 which I love for its size and weight but I need a faster lens. I’ve had it since 2006 so am thinking of upgrading soon anyway. I’ll stick with Nikon though, just not decided which model yet.
Yeah I like Nikon too. Maybe you can try the low F stop DX lenses. I refer to this website for any queries on my Nikon – http://www.kenrockwell.com/
Cheers! 🙂
Thanks for that! I’ll take a look. 🙂