All street food is not junk. Try golgappas with millet or ragi, and cranberry sauce

One of the easiest ways to make a dish healthy is by reducing the preservatives and replacing them with fresh ingredients that are seasonal and easily available (Image: Pixabay)

Balanced, blended, and brilliant – three words that perfectly describe the delicious innovations in the street food segment at most upmarket cafés and homemade recipes these days. By replacing some key ingredients and topping it with a multitude of fancy add-ons like superfoods, dry fruits, micro greens, exotic fruits, and vegetables, the street staples are being served on a luxury platter with a twist of healthy cooking and presentation for fitness conscious food lovers for a guilt-free indulgence.

While street food items like pakoras, chola kulcha, puri-bhaji, samosa etc. often fall in the “junk food” category, because they add no nutritional value and are heavy on spices, oil, and fat content, there are also healthier options like dhokla, idli-sambar, corn on cobs, bhelpuri, tandoori tikkas, etc. that are light and easy to digest and can be prepared without much hassle.

With the rise in demand for nutritious comfort food recipes, chefs and industry experts share some quick tips on how to re-create the street favourites in hygienic and healthy ways without compromising on the flavours and presentation.

To make your favourite food healthy, replace or minimise refined flour, refined sugar, and refined salt (Image: PIxabay)

Counting calories

One of the easiest ways to make a dish healthy is by reducing the preservatives and replacing them with fresh ingredients that are seasonal and easily available. Chef Nishant Choubey, Co-founder of Street Storyss Bangalore, a restaurant that serves fusion street food with innovative ingredients, advises investing in an air-fryer for taking the health route. “As a chef, I believe that creativity or innovation should be in everyone’s interest, be it the recipe, the technique, or the process of creating a local dish. I strongly advise people to invest in an air fryer if they are looking for healthier ways to cook and use seasonal ingredients that are chemical-free. I love to make Golgappas in an air fryer with millet or ragi and serve it with pomegranate kombucha. Instead of tamarind sauce, you can replace it with cranberry sauce. One can also make simple things like five-grain Papri chaat with avocado and raw mango instead of deep fried potatoes, upside down whole wheat Raj Kachori with healthy filling, Jamun and Mulberry chaat, Millet biryani, Ragi idli, etc that taste as good as any street food variation,” he says.

“The idea to eat healthily is simple: replace or minimise refined flour, refined sugar, and refined salt to make your favourite food healthy. Any dish can be made more nutritious by adding fresh ingredients that are local to the region. Also, we should use unpolished rice, and before using millet in any dish soak it well before cooking. Go for techniques like steaming, roasting, or grilling instead of deep frying to keep the dish light,” recommends Chef Choubey.

Keep it simple

When it comes to healthy food substitutes, it doesn’t have to be boring or tasteless. From edible flowers to fancy microgreens and a mix of dry fruits, there are many cool ways to pep up a simple dish and turn it into a great snack with Instagramable presentations. Think of healthy burgers, sandwiches, and on-the-go sliders that can be prepared with tofu or sweet potatoes, steamed vegetables, grilled chicken, etc paired with protein-rich sprouts and fibrous greens like lettuce, rocket leaves, and cucumber. Not only it keeps you full, but also helps in weight control and your gut health in check.

Food enthusiast Nitin Kohli, founder of Cafe Maka in Delhi, shares the golden rule for healthy comfort food – eat whatever is prepared fresh and avoid leftovers. He says, “While making any dish at home, never cook in leftover oil or repeat the oil that has been used to cook something previously. Fresh ingredients should be used to make chutneys, garnishes and fillings every time for maximum nutrition and taste. We too have re-created some unique street food fusion dishes like the Egyptian Koshari rice which is a mix of rice, macaroni, dal and chickpeas to give a healthy vegetarian twist, instead of potato pav bhaji we serve Bolognese sauce rich in proteins with bread, and we have the Korean Ramen with fiber-rich asparagus, leafy greens, and egg toppings for a healthy and hearty meal in a bowl. I believe that there are several ways to enhance flavours in a local comfort food recipe like adding fresh green vegetables like spinach, bok choy, broccoli etc., and prawns, chicken, and eggs as toppings for non-vegetarians who love to eat delicious food.”