Ahmedabad Street Food

Ahmedabad Street Food


Ahmedabad Street Food and the larger cuisine of the state of Gujarat stands apart from the other cuisines in India, with its special distinctive characteristics. Being largely vegetarian, there is a noticeable lack of meat and seafood here, and what little there is usually consists of either chicken, fish, or prawns / shrimp. However, they have an extensive and varied list of vegetarian dishes, many of which are unique. Taste profile of most dishes here also tends to be more sweet and salty than elsewhere in the country.

Bread Pakora

Food in Ahmedabad can be found along the streets in pushcarts or small cafes, in mid-range restaurants, and fine-dining establishments. Gujarati cuisine is largely based around vegetables and carbohydrates. Common ingredients used here include white rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, yam, milk, cheese, sugar cane, yoghurt, sugar, salt, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, pepper, bay leaves, fenugreek, tamarind, asafoetida / hing, mint, coriander, saffron, almonds, cashews, pistachios, cucumber, tomatoes, brinjal / eggplant / aubergine, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, okra / lady's finger, string beans, onions, cabbage, peas, spinach, chickpeas, mung beans, mango, coconut, banana, buttermilk, and chili.

It's very easy to access street food in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, as it's available everywhere. Communal dining is highly advised, as dishes are meant to be shared. There is a plethora of snacks and sweets, and meals typically consist of many varied side dishes. However, because the cuisine is so tightly focused, non-vegetarian dishes or dishes from other cuisines are often not well represented. In addition, alcohol is strictly prohibited, and is only sold to foreigners.


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The Barfi is a dense, milk based confectionery dessert, made from condensed milk, sugar, powdered cardamom, and flavoured with a fruit, such as the Barfi Coconut or the Barfi Strawberry. It is often coated in crushed almonds or crushed pistachios, before being served. Being easy to make and adaptable, it's widely served, from everyday dining to special occasions.

Barfi Coconut

Barfi Strawberry

The Bread Pakora is a common and popular street food, made with spiced mashed potatoes, sandwiched between slices of white bread, coated in gram flour / chickpeas, and then deep-fried. The exterior is crisp with a light crunch, while the interior is soft and warm. Comforting.

Bread Pakora

This fusion dish has become rather common here. The Corn Tomato Bharta is made with corn kernels, tomatoes, onions, cumin seeds, salt, powdered turmeric, powdered coriander, garlic, ginger, sugar, mint, and chili. It has a juicy, light crunch to texture, with a sweet salty spicy flavour.

Corn Tomato Bharta

Corn Tomato Bharta

The Dhokla originated from Gujarat, India, and as such, is commonly served in Ahmedabad. It's made with gram flour / chickpeas, ginger, chili, powdered turmeric, lemon juice, black mustard seeds, baking soda, and yoghurt. It is shaped like a cake and steamed, and has a consistency of a sponge cake. It can be eaten for breakfast, as a side dish, as a snack, or as a sweet dessert. They even have variations, such as the Dhokla Sandwich.

Dhokla

Dhokla Sandwich

The Egg Poriyal / Egg Bhurji is often eaten as a side dish or for breakfast. It's made with mustard seeds, chopped onions, chopped ginger, cumin seeds, powdered turmeric, salt, beaten eggs, coriander, chopped tomatoes, milk, and chili. Often stuffed into Indian bread.

Egg Poriyal / Egg Bhurji

Egg Poriyal / Egg Bhurji

The Fafda is a common Gujarati snack, which is also used as a garnish for dishes. It's made with gram flour / chickpeas, baking soda, powdered turmeric, salt, and ghee / clarified butter. Often dressed in a chutney before being served.

Fafda

The spicy Goan Prawn Curry features small but meaty shrimp / prawns, in a fiery wet curry of onions, coconut milk, salt, powdered turmeric, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, cloves, vinegar, coriander, green chili, red chili, and pepper. Vibrant and savoury, the burn starts off slowly, quickly building to a burning heat, and lingering on the palate for some time, resulting in your mouth going slightly numb.

Goan Prawn Curry

Goan Prawn Curry

The Gosht Biryani features chunks of bone-in lamb, with a tender, moist texture and a savoury flavour. Buried within a heap of basmati rice, spiced with cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, onions, garlic, ginger, salt, mint, tomatoes, yoghurt, lemon juice, turmeric, coconut milk, and chili. Awesome.

Gosht Biryani

Gosht Biryani

The Gosht Seekh Kebab features rolls of minced lamb, marinated in spices, then grilled in a tandoor oven. The spice mix includes garlic, ginger, onions, powdered coriander, powdered cumin, powdered mango, yoghurt, salt, pepper, and chili. The meat is moist and tender, tightly packed so it doesn't come apart easily, with a bold savoury meaty flavour. Often served with a mint chutney, which lends a refreshing flavour.

Gosht Seekh Kebab

Gosht Seekh Kebab

The wholesome and delicious Jimikand Ke Galouti Kebab is made with mashed elephant yam, ginger, garlic, onions, gram flour / chickpeas, powdered coriander, powdered cumin, powdered mango, asafoetida, salt, pepper, ghee / clarified butter, and chili. This pan-fried yam ball has a robust savoury with a hint of sweet earthy flavours, and a texture that is soft and tender. Lovely flavours, and rather filling. Often eaten as an appetizer or a side dish.

Jimikand Ke Galouti Kebab

Jimikand Ke Galouti Kebab

Jimikand Ke Galouti Kebab

The Kachori is a common street snack, made of a crisp gram flour / chickpeas pastry shell, with a savoury sweet stuffing of mashed mung beans spiced with cumin seeds, salt, sugar, asafoetida, poppy seeds, tamarind juice, pepper, and chili. Often served with a medley of chutneys.

Kachori

Originating from Gujarat, India, and commonly eaten throughout Ahmedabad as a savoury snack, the Khandvi resembles a rolled sheet of wide and flat pasta noodles. It's made from gram flour / chickpeas, yoghurt, salt, garlic, ginger, powdered turmeric, water, pepper, and chili. Served either hot or cold, it's often garnished with chutneys.

Khandvi

As with elsewhere in the country, the Masala Chai is a common drink / beverage here.

Masala Chai

Masala Chai

Named for the Handi cooking utensil, which is a wide-bottomed pot with a narrow neck covered by a lid, the Murgh Handi Lazeez naturally has a thick, rich, wet curry gravy as a result from bring cooked within. It's made with chunks of boneless chicken, chicken stock, yoghurt, garlic, ginger, onions, salt, lemon juice, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, pepper, powdered turmeric, powdered nutmeg, ghee / clarified butter, and chili. It has a sweet savoury flavour, with an intense spicy heat.

Murgh Handi Lazeez

Murgh Handi Lazeez

The Rice Kheer Milk / Phirni is a sweet rice pudding dessert. It's made with white rice, full cream milk, condensed milk, sugar, powdered cardamom, raisins, chopped pistachios / chopped almonds, and sometimes saffron. Here, it's flavoured with rose water, giving a layer of delicate floral aroma to this sweet dessert.

Rice Kheer Milk / Phirni

The Poha is a flattened rice dish, made by steaming flattened rice with onions and a fried spice mix of powdered turmeric, mustard seeds, and chili. Sometimes, peanuts, raisins, powdered cardamom, or curry leaves is added. It is most commonly eaten for breakfast.

Poha

The Punugulu is a savoury sour snack, made with mashed fermented white rice spiced with cumin seeds, curry leaves, salt, onions, and chili, fried in ghee / clarified butter. Often served with chutneys, and eaten on the go.

Punugulu

The Puri, also known as Poori, is a type of unleavened Indian bread. It's made with a dough that has a mix of 3 flours; atta whole wheat flour, maida refined wheat flour, and sooji coarse wheat flour; along with water, and salt. It's then fried in ghee / clarified butter, till it puffs up like a ball. Often eaten as a breakfast staple, I personally find it quite fun to eat.

Puri

The Rumali Roti is a thin flatbread, made from a mix of 2 flours; atta whole wheat flour, and maida refined wheat flour; along with water, and salt. Cooked in a tandoor oven, its name means 'handkerchief bread', and it's extremely soft and supple in texture. In olden times, this Indian bread was used like tissue paper, to wipe off excess oil from the hands after a meal.

Rumali Roti

The Sambar is a common side dish, often served as a condiment. This thin, lentil-based soup / broth / stew is savoury sweet, made with a combination of vegetables, including lady's finger / okra, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal / eggplant / aubergine, onions, split pigeon pea, and yellow lentils. It's cooked in water, along with tamarind juice, salt, powdered turmeric, asafoetida, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, and chili. Finished with curry leaves or fried mustard seeds to scent the dish.

Sambar

The Samosa is a savoury baked snack, featuring a crispy pastry shell made of maida refined wheat flour, shaped in a distinct triangular or tetrahedral shape. It's filled with a stuffing of mashed potatoes, onions, peas, garlic, ginger, powdered cloves, powdered cumin, powdered cardamom, powdered cinnamon, powdered nutmeg, bay leaf, pepper, fennel seeds, salt, asafoetida, and chili. Among the more popular street snacks around.

Samosa

Samosa

The Subz Badam Shorba is a creamy, savoury sweet, nutty soup / broth. Made with almonds, ghee / clarified butter, water, maida refined wheat flour, sugar, salt, milk, full cream, bottle gourd, and pepper. The result is a pearl white coloured soup / broth, with a rich, smooth, luxurious texture. Helps open the palate nicely.

Subz Badam Shorba

Subz Badam Shorba

The Tawa Paratha is a triangular shaped Indian bread, made with atta whole wheat flour, salt, water, and ghee / clarified butter. Cooked on an iron skillet, it has a crisp exterior and a soft doughy interior, that has a nice chew to texture. Served as a staple to accompany curries.

Tawa Paratha

While other parts of India have their own versions of Thali, which is a platter of assorted dishes, the Thali Gujarati is unique to the state of Gujarat, and is commonly eaten for lunch throughout Ahmedabad. Because the state is largely vegetarian, this platter is a fully vegetarian affair. The individual dishes and items vary widely, but usually, it features 3 vegetables, a dry lentil, a wet lentil, a cheese, 2 Indian breads, 2 desserts, a variation of rice, pickles, and chutneys. Examples include dishes which are unique to the region, such as Undhiyu, Bhakri, or Gujarati Kadhi. Often consumed with an accompanying Buttermilk beverage drink. Portions are often free-flow and unlimited.

Thali Gujarati

Variations on the traditional Thosai, which is a thin, crisp bread / pancake / crepe, made with black gram bean flour (Vigna Mungo / Urad), plain white rice / white rice flour, salt, ghee / clarified butter, water, and fenugreek seeds. The Thosai Nutella is a sweet dessert, spread with hazelnut chocolate paste within. The Thosai Peanut Butter is a savoury nutty staple, spread with chunky peanut butter within. Both are special orders, and chefs rarely are able to make these.

Thosai Nutella

Thosai Nutella

Thosai Nutella

Thosai Peanut Butter

Thosai Peanut Butter

Thosai Peanut Butter

The Upma is made with semolina, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger, onions, salt, and chili. It is similar to a thick porridge, and because of its simplicity, many variations can be created by adding different ingredients. Such ingredients may include grated coconut, peas, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers / capsicum, corn, milk, curry leaves, peanuts, cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios, or lady's finger / okra.

Upma

The Uthappam is a type of Indian bread which resembles a pancake or pizza. Made with black gram bean flour (Vigna Mungo / Urad) and boiled white rice, it sometimes contains additional toppings such as onions, tomatoes, bell peppers / capsicum, chili, and more. It has a thick, spongy texture, with a savoury sour flavour, and is served with curries or chutneys.

Uthappam

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