Ten street foods in Dhaka Part 2

If we make a list of street foods then this list will never finish. It is because people’s taste changes continuously. As time passes, new food items are prepared by the street food sellers. I have already written a post about 10 street foods in Dhaka city. You can consider it as a sequel of the previous post. 

Green and ripe tamarind smash: Tamarind is a sour type fruit which brings water to our mouth. When Tamarind smash mixed with green chili, mustard oil, salt, pepper and different types of spices comes to our mind, it gives a different kind of feeling. Small businessmen have installed shops of this alluring spicy green and ripe tamarind smash on bucket, van or at selected places of the city. Keeping the convenience of customers in mind, some shopkeepers keep whole tamarind which is so alluring to see. It has vitamin C, mineral, protein and for having low fat, it is at the top of the choice of health conscious customers. 

Shrimp chop or shrimp fry: Shrimp chop made by lentil and shrimp and shrimp fry made by shrimp dipped into pea-flour and fried into deep oil are familiar foods to pedestrians. Shrimp chop is usually made by using lentil, onion, chili and spices with small sized shrimp. The nutrient rich lentil and the unique taste of the fish of this food bring variation to the taste in mouth. In the same way, the outer beauty and the popularity of shrimp fry with the taste of all-purpose flour and pea-flour is not less in any part. In the making of shrimp fry, big-sized shrimp and various types of spices are used. Aside from tourist attractions of Dhaka city, overflowing crowd of different ages of people in front of the shops selling shrimp fry in crowded areas is worth watching.

Vegetable roll: It is hard to find any person who does not like vegetable. After slightly boiling various types of vegetables including carrot, potato, cucumber, capsicum, peas etc., they are rolled inside the flour bread which looks great and delicious in taste. This business is profitable as vegetables are still comparatively cheap in our country. On an average, almost every vegetable roll is sold at Tk. 30 to 40. After frying it in deep oil, it looks bigger in size and it turns brown which makes it even more tempting and also delicious to eat.

Naan bread and grill: Among the savory and street foods, naan and grill are taking the top place in terms of popularity. Whether it is an afternoon meal or chit-chatting between friends, this food gives a different kind of satisfaction. This bread made inside a large charcoal furnace with white flour, soybean oil and baking powder looks quite bigger than ordinary bread. Grill, which is at the top of the popularity list of youth, is prepared by burning whole marinated chicken in a moderate heat by a machine. Most of the people enjoy naan bread, grill and salad in the afternoon meal.

Kacchi Biryani: “Kacchi biryani” is the name of a traditional food of Dhaka city. When we hear the name of Kacchi biryani, we feel the shiver of eating in our mind. It is a very familiar food among old Dhaka residents, including old, rich-poor and businessman. Kacchi biryani is sold from a large cooking pot in the market areas. During a break from work or at the end of a day’s work, a plate of Kacchi biryani fulfills the need of food. The scent of the biryani cooked with chicken or beef, various types of spices and Polar rice tells the taste of this food. Shopkeepers are doing profitable business by selling each plate of biryani at Tk 50 or more.

Noodles: Whether it is school Tiffin or afternoon meal, it is a name of a popular food in everyone’s favorite list. Using tomato, carrot, potato, capsicum, this inimitable food is cooked with different types of vegetables. For having demand among customers, shopkeepers have kept it in the list of different types of street food of Bengali food lovers. An egg with noodles always increases its nutrition as well as taste. Some people enjoy it very much with sour tomato sauce.

Green mango smear: At the end of spring, especially at the beginning of summer season, mango trees are covered with a lot of mangoes. This fruit filled in vitamin C is preferred by all people, irrespective of gender, race and class. When the view of mango smeared with mustard oil, kasundi, bit salt and green chili comes to our mind, it brings water to our mouth. Besides students of colleges and universities, this spicy food has made its place in the list of favorites of all ages of women. From cutting to smearing the mangoes, shopkeepers do everything throughout the season, and thus, showcasing the skill of their hands, attracting even more customers. This way, they can extend their business to a large extent. Lowest price starts from Tk 10 and sellers can sell in accordance with the customers’ demand. 

Boiled Chickpeas mixture: Among spicy foods, boiled chickpeas are more or less popular to everyone. The main ingredient of this food is boiled chickpeas which are mixed with boiled potato and other spices. The shopkeepers serve it in a different way. After all the ingredients are boiled, the shopkeepers serve it in front of the customer with cucumber, tomato, sliced onion, sliced green chili, sliced boiled egg and coriander leaves. This high-fiber food is beneficial for health because of having carbohydrate and it is also strength-enhancer. Shopkeepers with a small investment can do this business easily roaming from one place to another on a three-wheel van, or on a bucket or bowl.

Juice: Summer season means different types of fruit juice taking a wide possession among street foods. On the one hand, there is terrible heat of summer, and on the other hand, it is just the beginning of the seasonal fruits. Talking to the shopkeepers, it has come to be known that this business is very profitable from March to September of the year. Watermelon, green ripe mango, ripe bael, malta, orange, apple, grape, pomegranate and many other fruits rich in nutrition and mineral have made their place to the juice shops. Considering the demand of the customers, price and quality, each glass of juice is sold for minimum Tk. 20. Other street food shops remain crowded in the afternoon, but when it comes to juice, shopkeepers do good business from morning to night. 

Burger: Among the street foods and fast foods, burger is a very popular food item to all ages of people. This food with the taste of bread, butter, cucumber, tomato, lettuce and chicken fry has got more popularity in the afternoon meal or in the school Tiffin. Compared to famous restaurants, price of burger is inexpensive in the street side shops. That is the reason the crowd of burger loving people in front of these shops are worth watching. The tasty crispy chicken fry with mayonnaise increases the taste of the burger and makes it more tempting. Besides the students of school, college and university, burger is a popular name to people of all professions.

If you have any query then let me know in the comment box.