Street Smart

Street Smart

October 2022
Street-smart 
Enjoying tongue-tingling Indian street food is a good way to get all  your nutrients and build your immunity, says Naini Setalvad 

Being a Mumbaikar, when I think of street food, Bollywood songs come to mind: “Chowpatty  
jayenge, Bhel puri khayenge” or “ Meri beri ke ber mat todo.” Every nook and corner of India has  street foods that are salty, sweet, tangy, and everything in between. Be it chats over chai (tea)  and chaats (savouries), night drives with friends, or weddings, street food has and will always be part  of our lives. The counter with the most rush at a wedding is always the chaat counter. 
Street food is FUN where F is for fresh, U is for unprocessed, and N is for natural. Shocked, aren’t  you? Often, as a nutritious option, I encourage my clients to enjoy street food. It’s made fresh daily,  as vendors have no storage facility. Let’s run through these nutritious immunity-building foods.  

• Vitamin C powerhouse: 
Remember, the hawker  
outside your school selling  
precious rubies and emeralds  
of the plant kingdom?  
The raw mango, tamarind, red ber (Indian palm), star fruit, and amla (Indian  gooseberry) sprinkled with salt? All these  goodies are abundantly rich in Vitamin C.  
• B vitamins: The unmatchable  
flavour of the bhel/ muri, aloo/ 
sweet potato/arbi as a chaat  
or roasted just cannot be  
replaced. Hot corn on the cob  
and stuffed parathas (flat bread) with  achar (pickles) are to be cherished. Not only  are these delicious but are also packed with  energising and vitalising B vitamins. Skip  the fried sev to make the most of these foods.  

• Protein power: Worried about getting enough protein? Your humble peanut has  more of it than an egg. Have it roasted, boiled, or just munch on it. Your moong (green gram)/chana (black gram or chickpeas) chaat or roasted chana are commonly  available across the country. Often, one sees moonglets or besan (gram flour) chillas, a  fluffy alternative to egg omelettes. Street food is full of proteins.  

• A complete meal: Tawa  
pulao (spicy rice dish),  

ragda pattice (potato patties  
with peas curry), dosa (thin  
pancake), and chutney sambar 
(lentil stew) are balanced in protein, fats,  and carbohydrates. Just squeeze lemon, add  some onions and tomatoes, and you will be  totally satiated. 
• Natural sugar: Fruits sold  at every corner with a bit  of salt, a squeeze of lemon,  
and a sprinkling of mint  contain natural sugar. Fruits  
are packed with antioxidants, minerals, and  vitamins. 
• Electrolyte replenisher: “Le loNre, le lo babu, pee lo nariyal pani.”  
Coconut water. Your greatest  gift from the planet. No matter  what you have done or how much  
you have mistreated your body, it will save  you. It is the greatest source of electrolytes.  It even comes in a biodegradable container  to boot!  • Instant energy: If you are low  on sugar, don’t reach out for  sweets but have sugar cane  juice instead. The natural  sugars will immediately energise  and vitalise the mind. 

• Probiotics: Fermented foods like idli (rice cake) with chutney, dhokla (fermented  batter dumplings) with chutney, and buttermilk with roasted cumin are rich in  probiotics. Our intestines must be inhabited by friendly organisms to help us  digest food and produce nutrients like B vitamins and Vitamin K. No wonder we  can’t get enough of them.  

• Digestive: Burp! My go 
to is jaljeera.

This drink  quenches your thirst,  replenishes electrolytes,  and aids in digestion.  
The rock salt and roasted  cumin powder is an amazing  gas-buster. 
• Chai: Refresh yourself with  a cutting chai (small cup of  tea), ‘cheeni kum (less sugar)’  though.  

• Paan: Amitabh Bachchan sang “Khayke paan banaraswala, khul jaye band akal ka tala”  A natural aphrodisiac, paan (betel leaf) relaxes you. Avoid tobacco and any sweet  ingredient like syrups. Paan contains plenty of iron, calcium, folate, and vitamin C.  The fennel seeds act as a digestive aid, and the coconut is a refreshing healthy fat.
In the natural progression of life, the human baby is first fed on mother’s milk. Thus, the baby’s  intestinal tract is saturated with mother’s probiotic milk. The second stage is when the baby crawls  and through his hands that goes into his mouth, the organisms found in the environment go into  the system, giving the baby a robust immune system. Similarly, we adults too need to get as many  organisms from the environment, and what better way than street food!  
Moong Aloo Dahi Chaat 
Ingredients 
2 potatoes, boiled, peeled, diced 
1 katori (bowl) boiled moong 
200ml beaten curd 
2 green chillies, deseeded, finely chopped 
1 tomato, deseeded, medium chopped 
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 
2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts 
1/2 tsp red chilli powder 
1 tsp roasted cumin powder 
1 tsp chaat masala 
Salt to taste 
Method 
1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. 
2. Taste and adjust the salt and spices to taste. 
3. Garnish with coriander and crushed peanuts.  
4. Serve fresh. 
Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders.  Her foundation, Health For You, throws light on healthy food habits.