Kolkata's 7 Famous Street Food: One Must Not Miss

A trip to Kolkata is incomplete without munching its iconic jhal mudi or muri. It is a spicier version of bhel, in which puffed rice is mixed with an array of spice blends, boiled white peas or chickpeas, finely chopped onions, chillies, and mashed potatoes. The local chanachur or mixture adds to the crunch. Drizzle mustard oil infuses the Bengali flavour. The highlight of Kolkata jhal muri is a slice of coconut, which tops as garnish and to have a bite with each morsel. 

Another street food delicacy from Kolkata is the kathi roll. It is typically a kebab grilled on a skewer and then wrapped in a flaky paratha (Indian flatbread).  Many other variations have developed over time. The stuffing is typically made up of eggs, chicken, and mutton. The word "kati" means "stick" in native Bengali, referring to how they were initially fashioned. The tastiest kathi rolls can be found at Kusum Rolls on Park Street in Kolkata.

A close reference to it is the famous Indian street food pani puri. However, Kolkata's phuchka is not just food but an emotion. Its USP is the spicy mashed potato filling inside the crispy fried tiny puris or shells. The tangy and spicy tangerine runny liquid also, at times, features gondhoraj lemon juice, adding a unique aroma. Try it at Dilip Da's Puchka outside Vivekananda Park.

Churmur is yet another well-known street snack in Kolkata. Phuchka vendors serve this 'chaat,' which is crunchy, tart, and spicy. This unique Kolkata speciality chat is created with bite-sized, spicy, boiled potatoes and half-crushed phuchka, or pani puri shell. For extra flavour, lemon juice, tamarind pulp, chopped coriander, onions, and dry-roasted powder are added.

When Kolkata was India's capital during British control, the Kolkata (then Calcutta) Fish Fry was invented. Barramundi or bhetki is typically used to make the crispy, crumbs-coated Kolkata Fish Fry. With a dash of lemon and kasundi, a salad made of julienned cucumber, beetroot, and thin slices of onion is generally served as a side dish. Visit Mitra Cafe to sample this well-known it.

The neighbourhood's favourite spot is Tiretta Bazaar. It is appropriately referred to be Kolkata's Chinatown, and the settlers serve  Chinese breakfast starting at 5:30 in the morning. Pork or fish ball soup, Chinese meat buns and dumplings, pork spring rolls, chicken buns, fried chicken rolls, baked chicken, and Rice Zung are a few highlights. The dessert has sticky sweet vegetable pudding, moon cake, rice cakes and so on.

Without tele bhaja or deep-fried snacks, an evening in Kolkata isn't complete. A must-try among them is Dimer Devil or Dimer Chop. Half-hard-boiled eggs are used to make this snack, which is then wrapped in a potato mixture, dipped in batter, and breaded before being deep-fried. It is served with kasundi or mustard sauce from Bengal. Allen Kitchen in Shobhabazar is one of the best places to try it.