3 Iconic dishes from streets of Banaras and legends behind them

Mumbai: Banaras, one of the world’s oldest living cities, is where time-worn traditions blend with everyday life in the most flavorful ways, especially on the plate. The city’s spiritual heartbeat echoes through its ghats and temples, but its essence is just as potently found sizzling in kadhai woks and bubbling in clay pots on its streets. The food of Banaras is a sensory journey, packed with bold spices, comforting textures, and centuries of legends.

In this piece, we explore three unforgettable dishes from the streets of Kashi: Tamatar Chaat, a spicy-sweet chaos in a bowl; Chena Dahi Vada, a silky summer comfort; and Bedai Aloo, the quintessential Banarasi breakfast. Each dish has a story, a method, and a meaning, making it more than just food but cultural artefacts on a plate.

Iconic dishes from streets of Banaras

(Recipes by Banaraswala, Delhi NCR)

Tamatar Chaat

Tamatar Chaat

Tamatar Chaat is not your typical chaat; it’s hot, tangy, sweet, and unforgivingly bold, just like the streets of Banaras. Born alongside the Dashashwamedh Ghat and devoured all over the city, this spicy-sweet mix is a madhouse, but comforting in its madness, and utterly addictive — a soulful taste of Kashi.

It is cooked like a sabzi but served like a chaat through the versatile style of Banarasi cooking, served piping hot in a traditional dona at Banaraswala.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 2 medium boiled potatoes (crumbled)
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp ghee
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp roasted cumin powder
• ½ black salt
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp jaggery or sugar
• Salt to taste
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Chopped coriander (for garnish)
• Crushed Mathri or Papdi (for crunch)
• Sev or Chana Dal Mixture (for topping)
• Tamarind and Green Chutney (optional)

Preparation

Take a pan, heat ghee, and add ginger paste; let it sizzle. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft, toss in crumbled potatoes, and stir well. Add all the spices like red chilli, turmeric, cumin, black salt, and garam masala, and add salt according to your taste.

Now add jaggery for a tinge of sweetness, and cook for 2-3 more minutes until everything comes together like a thick and spicy curry. Squeeze some lemon and garnish with chopped coriander; now your chaat is ready to serve.

Serve it hot, top it with crushed mathri, sev, and a drizzle of chutney from the top to add more flavours.

Chena Dahi Vada

Chena Dahi Vada

Soft, silky, and subtly sweet, Chena Dahi Vada is Banaras’s heat-relieving comfort on a sweltering summer day. Prepared with fresh curdled milk and dipped into sweetened curd, it’s lighter than your typical dahi bhalla — but twice as sinfully indulgent.

It is just not a dish — it’s a spoonful of heritage, chilled to perfection, reflecting the simplicity and elegance of Banaras, a perfect snack after a spicy meal.

Ingredients

For Chena Vadas

• 1 litre of full-fat milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar (for curdling)
• 1 tsp semolina (optional, for binding)
• A pinch of salt

For serving

• 1.5 cups thick curd (whisked with a little sugar and salt)
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• ½ tsp black salt
• Tamarind Chutney (optional)
• A pinch of red chilli powder
• Chopped Coriander

Preparation

Start with boiling milk, then add lemon juice to curdle it to make fresh paneer. Strain the paneer (chena) in a muslin cloth and let it cool completely. Once it cools down, mix it gently with semolina and add a pinch of salt to make the dough soft and smooth. Now, make small balls or tikkis from the dough, and steam or lightly pan-fry them until they are firm.

Let the vadas cool, then soak them in warm water for 10 minutes and squeeze gently, and place them into a bowl. Now pour the over-sweetened curd and sprinkle with cumin powder, black salt, and chilli powder. Drizzle tamarind chutney (optional) and garnish with coriander. Serve chilled.

Bedai Aloo

Bedai Aloo

Mornings in Banaras are incomplete without Bedai Aloo. It isn’t just a breakfast but a Banarasi tradition. Crunchy, golden puris of spiced urad dal dough, served with a big, masaledar potato curry in mustard oil — the kind of comfort that chases the chill from your bones.

Typically served with tangy pickled green chillies and a touch of sweetness on the side, it balances your plate and puts a smile on your lips.

Ingredients

For Bedai (Stuffed Puri)

• 1 cup wheat flour
• ¼ cup urad dal (soaked & ground)
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp hing (asafoetida)
• ½ tsp ajwain
• Salt to taste
• Water (for binding)
• Oil for frying

For Aloo Sabzi

• 4 boiled potatoes (lightly mashed)
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp thing
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 green chilies (slit)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tomatoes (pureed or chopped)
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander (for garnish)

Preparation

For Bedai

Soak urad dal for 3-4 hours, and grind it to make a coarse paste. In a pan, cook the dal paste with fennel, ajwain, and hing, and add salt till the paste thickens. Mix wheat flour with water to make soft dough, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Now make small balls of the dough, fill them with the dal mixture, roll them gently, and deep-fry them until golden.

For Aloo Sabzi

In the same pan, heat mustard oil and add cumin, hing, ginger, and green chillies. Add tomatoes and cook until the oil separates. Add spices and mashed potatoes, mix well, and simmer for 10-12 minutes with little water. Garnish it with coriander and serve hot.

You can enjoy all these dishes at Banaraswala in Delhi NCR.

Banaras doesn’t just serve food — it tells stories with every bite. Whether it’s the heady mix of flavours in Tamatar Chaat, the gentle indulgence of Chena Dahi Vada, or the spicy, soulful tradition of Bedai Aloo, these dishes aren’t just popular for their taste but for the way they reflect the ethos of the city: bold, sacred, humble, and timeless.

The next time you crave something that carries depth and devotion in every bite, let these dishes transport you to the ancient streets of Banaras. And if you’re far from the ghats, recreating them at home is the next best way to savour a piece of its magic.

 From the bustling lanes near Dashashwamedh Ghat to the serene ghats of the Ganges, Banaras is not just a spiritual capital but a sensory paradise for food lovers. Here are three street food legends of Varanasi — Tamatar Chaat, Chena Dahi Vada, and Bedai Aloo along with their recipes— that define the city’s culinary soul.  Food & Drink Lifestyle News -Fashion Trends, Beauty Tips, Celebrity Party News, Relationship advice, Travel and Food Tips