A food enthusiast and an aspiring culinary artist, chef Smit Sagar gives an ode to the great Indian street food with his show 'Taste Ki Gully' on Zee Zest.

chef - Chef Smit Sagar | Zee Zest

Smit Sagar

chef & host - Rakesh Raghunathan | Zee Zest

Rakesh Raghunathan

chef & host - Ajay Chopra | Zee Zest

Ajay Chopra

chef & host - Pankaj Bhadouria | Zee Zest

Pankaj Bhadouria

chef & host - Harpal Singh Sokhi | Zee Zest

Harpal Singh Sokhi

chef & host - Gautam Mehrishi | Zee Zest

Gautam Mehrishi

chef & host - Kunal Kapur | Zee Zest

Kunal Kapur

chef & host - Tejasvi Chandela | Zee Zest

Tejasvi Chandela

chef & host - Akanksha Khatri | Zee Zest

Akanksha Khatri

zeezest

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River Rafting With Sumona Chakravarti

Shonar Bengal - Bengali

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Video: Arzoo Dina

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Around the World In 31 Days

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Highway Dreams


Simaran Kaur and Harman Singha travel to Hampi to explore Evolve Back, the Kamalapura palace resort. This resort is a perfect blend of royalty and modern amenities.

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Buzzing with energy, every alley of Pondicherry has a story to tell. Rakesh Raghunathan also visits Auroville, where people live by the rhythm of nature.

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yogasanas to unwind post-flight with ankita konwar

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Khaja is a traditional multi-layered, crispy dessert from the Silao and Rajgir regions of Bihar. In fact, the Silao Khaja was recently granted GI tag. This sweet is believed to have originated from the Gangetic plains of Bihar dating back to 2,000 B.C. It is quite similar to the middle-eastern Baklava.Khaja is made from all-purpose flour, deep-fried and then soaked in flavourful sugar syrup. Khaja absorbs the sweetness of sugar syrup but still retains its crispiness.The multi-layered Khaja is crispy, sweet and just melts in your mouth.

Khaja is a traditional multi-layered, crispy dessert from Bihar. Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi brings the recipe of this wafery and delicious sweetmeat.

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi shares the recipe for Khaja, a traditional dessert from Bihar.

Watch Khaja Recipe by Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Khaja

In a parat, knead a soft dough with all-purpose flour, ghee and water.

Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth.

Add water and sugar in a pan and make sugar syrup of one string consistency. Add cloves and green cardamoms to the syrup.

Heat oil in a kadhai for frying.

Roll out the dough in round shape, apply ghee on it and sprinkle some all-purpose flour. 

Now fold the roti like a cylinder and cut small pieces of it.

Sprinkle some all-purpose flour on one piece and roll it. Similarly, roll other pieces. 

Deep-fry the khaja on medium flame till golden brown.

When the sugar syrup reaches one string consistency, add saffron and cardamom powder to it.

Soak the deep-fried Khajas in the sugar syrup.

Remove the khajas on a serving plate, garnish with pistachios and sprinkle powdered sugar and serve. 

Grand Trunk Rasoi

ep15_ rec 03_khaja 

Mezbani Mangsho is a spicy mutton curry from Chittagong, Bangladesh. This curry is in fact pride and joy of Chittagong. It is said that only Chittagonian chefs can make this dish. They are said to have a monopoly over this dish.Mezban means host and Mezbani means a feast arranged by the host for guests. So, Mezbani Mangsho is generally prepared during feasts to feed the whole community.Mezbani Mangsho is a rich, spicy and lip-smacking mutton curry.

Mezbani Mangsho is a spicy mutton curry from Chittagong, Bangladesh. Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi shares the recipe for this special Bengali curry.

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi shares the recipe for Mezbani Mangsho, a spicy mutton currry.

Watch Mezbani Mangsho Recipe by Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Mezbani Mangsho

In a bowl, marinate the mutton with raw papaya paste, garlic paste, ginger paste, onion paste and salt and keep it aside.

For mezbani masala, dry roast coriander seeds, fennel seeds, white mustard, black cardamoms, dry red chillies, nutmeg, mace, fenugreek seeds, poppy seeds and cumin seeds in a pan and grind them to a fine powder.

Heat mustard oil in a handi and then add cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, star anise, green cardamoms, cumin seeds, and sliced onions and let the onions turn slightly brown.

Next, add the marinated mutton to the handi, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Now add coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and water and cover the handi with a lid. Let the mutton cook for 40-45 minutes.

Add almond paste and mezbani masala to the handi, cover it with a lid and cook again for some time.

Garnish Mezbani Mangsho with coriander sprig and serve. 

ep18_ rec 03_mezbani mangsho 

Vada Pav is an Indian version of a burger! Mumbai, the economic capital of India, is famous for its spicy street food but Vada Pav is its most famous and popular food. This delicious dish is made from deep-fried batata vada (mashed potatoes coated in a batter) which is stuffed in a pav. It is served with green chillies and dry and spicy garlic chutney.You can eat Vada Pav anytime but in the rainy season, there is nothing better than eating hot Vada Pav with steaming hot adrakwali chai.

Vada Pav is popular street food from Maharashtra while pakodas are a national favourite. Chef Ajay Chopra shares the recipe in detail.

Chef Ajay Chopra shares the detailed recipe for Mix Pakoda Platter & Vada Pav.

Watch Mix Pakoda Platter & Vada Pav recipe by Chef Ajay Chopra

Mix Pakoda Platter & Vada Pav

In a mortar and pestle crush some garlic, ginger and green chillies.

In a pan add some oil, mustard seeds, jeera, sliced onions, curry leaves, crushed ginger garlic and green chilli mixture, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.

Add some boiled and mashed potatoes and saute.

Add generous amounts of coriander and mix well.

In a bowl, mix besan with turmeric powder, salt and water.

 Keep the consistency of the batter thick and coat the round potato balls in the batter.

Drop the besan coated potato balls in hot oil and fry them till they turn crisp and brown.

Cut the pav into two; spread some green chutney, tamarind chutney and garlic chutney and stuff the vada in between the two pavs.Cut the pav into two; spread some green chutney, tamarind chutney and garlic chutney and stuff the vada in between the two pavs.  Serve hot vada pav with fried green chillies!

In a bowl mix besan along with rice flour, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, baking soda. Add water and mix this with your hand.

Cut the potatoes, onions into thin rounds and soak in the batter before frying. Use the non-spicy chillies and palak leaves for the pakora platter.

Drop all the pakoras into hot oil and fry till they turn crisp and golden brown.

Sprinkle some chaat masala on the pakoras and serve hot with spicy green chutney! 

Vada Pav is popular street food from Maharashtra while pakodas are a national favourite. 

India’s 50 Best Dishes

India's 50 Best Dishes

Vada Pav

Pakoda Platter

50 bd s01 ep_08 recipe_03_mix pakoda platter & vada pav

Besan ladoos are made with roasted besan (gram flour), powdered sugar and ghee and are flavoured with cardamom and garnished with nuts. Its deliciousness comes from the besan roasted in ghee - the longer the besan is roasted, the better the taste of the ladoos.Rabdi Jalebi is nothing but a combination of thickened sweetened milk (whole fat milk reduced by boiling on a slow) garnished with almonds, pistachios, saffron and crispy, round jalebis deep fried in ghee and dipped in sugar syrup. The chilled rabdi and the crispy hot jalebis complement each other perfectly. Every bite of this dessert will give you a  burst of flavour.

Besan ladoo and rabdi jalebi are much-loved popular Indian desserts. Chef Ajay Chopra presents the recipe for these decadent desserts.

Chef Ajay Chopra presents the recipe for besan ladoo and rabdi jalebi.

Watch Rabdi Jalebi & Besan Ke Ladoo recipe by Chef Ajay Chopra

Rabdi Jalebi & Besan Ke Ladoo

In a kadhai, heat ½ cup ghee and add one cup besan and cook well till the besan becomes golden brown.

Add cardamom powder and keep cooking it on slow flame, till it turns golden brown.

 In another pan, mix one cup sugar with ½ cup water and boil. Add a spoon of ghee and cook.

Once the sugar syrup cooks and reaches a boiling stage (bubbling effect) put off the gas and let it cool down.

As it cools down the colour turns white and it will take a powdered form.

Add the powdered sugar to the besan batter and let it cool.

Pour the besan mixture into a plate and let it cool.

Once the mixture cools make round ladoos.

Garnish the besan ladoos with chopped pistachios.

In a bowl mix sugar and yeast and let the yeast activate. 

Add some besan and maida and use as much water as needed for a smooth batter. Let this batter ferment overnight (or for 12-24 hours) until a slightly sour flavour develops.

To make jalebis, use the jalebi cloth or piping bag; start making round shapes in the hot pan of ghee.

Cook both the sides of the jalebi- let it turn crispy!

In a heated pan, add one cup sugar and one cup water to form a sugar syrup. Add some saffron strands and cardamom

Once the jalebi is ready, remove it from the ghee and put it into hot chashni (make sure the chashni isn’t cold).

50 bd s01 ep_06 recipe_01_ rabdi jalebi & besan ke ladoo

Shukto is a popular mixed vegetable dish from Bengal. This dish contains several vegetables but bitter gourd (karela) is its main ingredient. It has several other vegetables like eggplant, radish, sweet potato etc. giving this dish a bitter-sweet taste.Shukto is nutritious as it is full of vitamins due to the presence of a variety vegetables. It is soothing too, especially during the intense heat of summer. The vegetables are cooked in mustard oil which gives this dish a distinct flavour.The colourful and flavourful Shukto is a feast for eyes and for stomach.

Shukto is a famous mixed vegetable dish from Bengal. Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi shares the recipe of this traditional Bengali dish.



Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi shares the recipe for Shukto, a  mixed vegetable dish from Bengal.

Watch Shukto Recipe by Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

Shukto

Grind together the soaked poppy seeds and mustard seeds in a mixer.

Heat mustard oil in a kadhai.

Add turmeric powder and salt to the diced eggplant and fry them in the mustard oil. Remove on a plate.

Similarly, fry bitter gourd, bori, raw banana, potato, sweet potato, drum stick, radish and sheem and remove on a plate.

In the same kadhai, add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, Nigella seeds, and ginger paste.

Add water to the poppy seeds and mustard seeds paste and pour it in the kadhai.

Add turmeric powder, salt, fried vegetables, milk, and sugar to the kadhai, mix well and cook on a high flame for some time.

Shukto is ready to serve. 

ep16_ rec 03_shukto 

If winter wonderlands aren't your thing, here are 6 popular tropical destinations in India that you must check out.

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