Chaas, Chai, Kachori, Samosa, Chaat, Tikki, Lassi…. Har in Varanasi Street There is a specialty. Vegetables turn into rich desserts and fruits get a makeover with yogurt – a veritable treasure trove of vegan eats. I made my way into the city to bring you this time-tested guide to the best street food in Varanasi.
1. Lemon Tea at Assi Ghat
On a misty morning, I wait for a cup of lemon tea at Assi Ghat. A smiling Radheshyam Maurya pours spoonfuls of powder from different bottles into paper cups. Sugar comes forward. An aluminum kettle filled with tea is gently heated over a coal fire and the steaming liquid is then poured into paper cups. A squeeze of lemon and it gave me the black mix. One sip and I can hear the birds singing, my vision clears and the powerful tea wakes me up with a punch. This tea made of black salt, dry ginger, a little salt and mint powder is a bit different. Wow Lemon Tea!
2. Lassi
Lassi | Photo Credit: Deepak KR
North India is proud of its lassi – the creamy, thick sweetened lassi that leaves a mustache of milk on your upper lip as you drink it from a tall steel glass or tumbler. But this is Varanasi lassi. Thick cream (malai) is garnished with pieces of nuts and sweetened with sugar. It’s meant to be sipped, not hurriedly gulped down. Fruit flavored lassi is the specialty here. Though it is heavy and full of calories, you cannot stop at one.
3. Thandai
Made from condensed milk, thandai is an instant pick-me-up found on every street corner. The milk is boiled with a paste of almonds and cashews, flavored with saffron, and garnished with dried fruits and dried rose petals. Served chilled, it is cooling and soothing. Watch your thandai though, in some parts of Varanasi it is laced with bhang! An edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant, bhang is added to thandai or lassi, especially during festivals such as Holi.
Thandai | Photo credit: Mitali Vyas
4. Tomato Chaat
tomato chaat | Photo credit: Saraswathi Nagarajan
Every resident of Tirthanagri insists you to try Tomato Chaat. Unlike most of the food here, this is a spicy chaat that may attract people unaware of its spiciness. It is kept in a fiery red gravy made of pureed tomatoes. Mashed potatoes and a pinch of asafoetida along with other spices are added and it is served with sweet chutney and mint chutney. Garnished with dollops of desi ghee, the piping hot chaat provides all the warmth for a winter morning. Our local guide told me that the best place to try chaat is Dina Nath Chaat Bhandar, which is near Hanuman Mandir.
5. Chhena Dahi Vada
Chhaina dahi vada made from hung curd | Photo credit: Saraswathi Nagarajan
Made of paneer, it is a spicy version of Rasmalai. Shaped like a dessert, it is served in sweetened thick curd and garnished with sweet and sour chutney, green chutney, black salt and cumin. Soothing and wholesome, it is a pleasing juxtaposition of sweet, spicy and tangy flavors rolled into one kulhad (Disposable clay cup).
6. Chopped Peas
chuda matar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Poha or chura with green peas, also known as Banarasi chura matar, is a savory dish filled with spices, cream, milk and ghee. Eaten piping hot, it’s like a warm hug on a cold day, as the ghee, spiced choora with a hint of sweetness and green peas warm you up. It is also a winter treat and a rich version of the Maharashtrian Kanda Pohe,
7. Spinach Leaf Chaat
palak patta chaat | photo credit: special arrangement
Fresh spinach leaves are dipped in a spiced gram flour batter and deep fried. Crunchy, golden spinach-leaf fritters are placed on a plate. Cold, fresh curd, sour-sweet tamarind chutney and mint chutney are put on it. Then it is garnished with sev. On request, finely chopped onions and tomatoes are added. Every bite of Pakoda-Chaat is a treat.
8. Aloo Tikki
aloo tikki | photo credit: special arrangement
The aroma of aloo (aloo) tikkis being fried on a large, almost flat pan filled with ghee is guaranteed to make your mouth water. Lightly fried potato tikkis, nicely crisp but soft on the inside, mashed with sweet curd, mint chutney, sweet and sour chutney and garnished with fresh coriander leaves. The potato absorbs the flavor of the chutney while the curd balances the various spices.
9. Malayo
Malayo | Photo credit: Saraswathi Nagarajan
This delicate winter dessert will make you say goodbye to your diet and savor every bite of fluffy Malaiyo. Malaiyo (also known as nimish) is served in kulhads made from the froth that forms when a mixture of milk and cream is boiled. Apparently, the low winter temperatures help the milk froth to form this delectable cloud. The milk is boiled and the dew is left overnight to work its magic. The froth thus collected is then churned, and presto! Malayo has happened. Sugar, cardamom, saffron and slivers of almonds and pistachios garnish it in a delicate heap of pale yellow cream that melts on your tongue.
10. Banarasi Sweet Paan
Sweet paan which people like to eat after having food. , Photo credit: Ankush Kochhar
Remember Big B’s ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ song? leader? I wanted to taste sweet Banarasi paan. Nervously, I stuffed a silver foil covered green paan with the sweet into my mouth Mukhwas (sweet seeds), dry fruits etc. This is a version of a pure paan, without any tobacco or lime. Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: As with all street food, there is a risk of stomach pain or worse. Caution is advised while eating at the curb.