Home » Cuisine of the month » Healthy-twist-on-street-food-from-Eastern-India-

Many feel that it’s the north that knows its way around street food, the east is no slouch either. The east is home to some really flavour-smacking street food. The food is not only light but also filled with numerous unique textures and elements that are exclusive to this region. While there is no doubt about street food being delicious, it isn’t the ideal choice for health-conscious eaters. So we’ve got a few ways you could twist these eastern street food delights into a healthier evening snacks.

Thukpa

Originally from Tibet, this warm noodle soup has also made its way to the northeastern part of India. Bliss during the chilli winters in the area, Thukpa is a broth of noodles, vegetables and meat – mostly pork or chicken, is a very healthy dish to boot with itself. You could make it healthier by adding more veggies and using wheat or rice noodles instead of regular maida ones and still enjoy the delicacy without altering the overall taste.

Healthy Momos

Tibet has also brought the lovely Momos to the northeast, as well as across multiple cities in the country.  These delicious dumplings are stuffed with veggies and meat and steamed - making them quite a healthy indulgence. The challenge is to know when to stop eating and definitely stay away from the deep fried and pan fried versions.

Jhal Muri

Jhal Muri is the Bengali version of the beloved bhel. Made by tossing puffed rice flakes with chana, boiled potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, moong, peanuts, spices and chutneys - Jhal Muri packs a ton of flavours and textures - what makes it stand out the pungent flavour of mustard oil. If you want to make it healthier, you could try skipping potatoes and sev. 

Kelli Chana

Kelli chana is a street food classic from Manipur that is loaded with healthy ingredients. Boiled chickpeas are tossed with tomatoes, onion, chives, mustard oil and fresh herbs. Super healthy in its original avatar.

Kathi Roll

This Bengali street food is a favourite for many. These refined flour rotis are pan-fried with eggs and rolled with minced chicken, mutton or potatoes; seasoned with vinegar chaat masala and kashundi. So in order to make it healthy, you could simply skip the egg yolk and coat the roti with whisked egg whites, use wheat flour instead of refined flour in the roti, use paneer or other veggies instead of mutton or chicken and olive oil instead of mustard or vegetable oil to fry the rotis.