14 days of Divali recipes: Street food favourites

Restaurants are wonderful places that can provide great culinary experiences, but if you want to experience those things that locals truly love to eat, then it is to the street food vendor that you must go. The beauty about street food is that it is fuss free, readily available, and always hits the spot. There is something deeply satisfying, after all, about being able to stand up in public and consume a delicious meal that has been made right in front of your eyes – and for a very fair price at that!

In many countries, the movable kitchens of the street food vendors play a vital role in the feeding of a population, and a United Nations survey once found that over two and a half billion people on this planet rely on street food as their main source of meals. While here in TT the streets might not have overtaken the home as the primary source of our nourishment, we still have our very own thriving street food culture, and embedded within all of this mobile culinary fare is a glimpse into our own complex cultural history.

The street food available in TT encompasses the many ethnic roots of this multicultural nation, and of course amongst our litany of beloved street foods stand many dishes of Indian origin. Walk down almost any popular street in this country and you will find no shortage of piping hot aloo pies, saheena, and pholourie served with sweet mango chutneys. Take a bit of a harder look and you can easily get some delicious baiganee and crispy kachouri, and of course who can ever talk about Trinidadian street food without mentioning roti and doubles!

Holidays, however, are for home cooking, so as much as we love our street food fare, what better time than this season of Divali to try your hand at making some of these classic treats at home?

Recipes courtesy Natasha Laggan. She can be found on Instagram at @trinicookingwithnatasha

Ingredients available at Dollar Value Supermarkets