Street Food Recipes from Around the World
The best food is often eaten standing up. These authentic street-food dishes, from hawker stalls, market carts, and roadside griddles across the globe, are yours to make at home.
162 recipes · showing 1 to 48
Ta'ameya (Egyptian Falafel)Cairo, Egypt · medium · 1 h 10 minEgypt’s own falafel, made from split fava beans instead of chickpeas, packed with herbs for a vivid green centre and fried to a shattering crisp.
Ta'ameya (Egyptian Falafel) KoshariCairo, Egypt · easy · 1 hCairo’s carb-on-carb street food: lentils, rice, and pasta under spiced tomato sauce and crispy onions.
Ugandan RolexKampala, Uganda · easy · 40 minA fresh chapati rolled around a vegetable omelette, Kampala’s street breakfast, "rolled eggs" said fast.
Ugandan Rolex Dholl PuriPort Louis, Mauritius · medium · 1 h 10 minFeather-soft flatbreads with ground split peas hidden in the dough, folded around bean curry and chutney.
Dholl Puri Bunny ChowKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa · medium · 1 h 20 minA hollowed half-loaf of bread filled with fiery Durban curry, the ultimate hand-held street meal.
Bunny Chow Beignets CongolaisBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo · medium · 1 h 45 minPuffy, faintly sweet fried dough balls sold hot on Brazzaville street corners and eaten with sweet coffee at daybreak.
Beignets Congolais HawawshiCairo, Egypt · easy · 45 minSpiced minced meat baked inside crisp flatbread until juicy and golden, an Egyptian street sandwich.
Zanzibar UrojoZanzibar, Tanzania · medium · 1 hA tangy turmeric-and-mango broth piled with fritters, potato, and crunchy toppings, Zanzibar's famous mix.
Zanzibar Urojo Mine FritePort Louis, Mauritius · easy · 35 minWok-fried egg noodles tossed with chicken, prawns, and vegetables in a savory sauce, Mauritius's favorite street lunch.
Vetkoek with MinceWindhoek, Namibia · medium · 2 hGolden fried dough buns split and stuffed with savory curried beef mince, a favorite Namibian street lunch.
Vetkoek with Mince Dan WakeNiamey, Niger · medium · 40 minSoft bean-flour dumplings tossed with oil, spice, and onion, a popular Hausa street lunch of Niger.
Dan Wake Poulet Braisé (Cameroonian Grilled Chicken)Littoral (Douala), Cameroon · medium · 2 h 5 minChicken marinated in garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet, gently simmered tender, then charred over coals and basted with its spiced marinade.
Poulet Braisé (Cameroonian Grilled Chicken) Gâteau Coco (Fried Coconut Cakes)Abidjan (Lagunes), Côte d’Ivoire · easy · 35 minSmall diamonds of fresh coconut and flour fried until crisp at the edges and fragrant, an Abidjan street sweet.
Gâteau Coco (Fried Coconut Cakes) Rwandan MandaziKigali, Rwanda · easy · 1 h 35 minLightly sweet fried dough scented with cardamom and cinnamon and enriched with coconut milk, a Kigali street favourite.
Rwandan Mandazi Yovo Doko (Sweet Fritters)Cotonou, Benin · easy · 1 h 35 minLight, puffy sweet fried dough balls dusted with sugar, often called the national dessert of Benin.
Yovo Doko (Sweet Fritters) Djiboutian Banana FrittersDjibouti City, Djibouti · easy · 25 minLight little fritters of mashed ripe banana and flour scented with nutmeg, fried and dusted with sugar, a Djibouti favourite.
Djiboutian Banana Fritters Beignets de Banane (Banana Fritters)Bangui, Central African Republic · easy · 25 minMashed ripe bananas fried in a light batter with a hint of lime, the sweet end to a Central African meal.
Beignets de Banane (Banana Fritters) Poulet BicycletteOuagadougou, Burkina Faso · medium · 1 h 50 minLean free-range chicken parboiled with aromatics, then marinated in tomato, ginger and chili and grilled over charcoal until smoky.
Poulet Bicyclette Mahjouba (Mhadjeb Stuffed Semolina Flatbread)Algiers, Algeria · medium · 1 h 5 minThin, hand-stretched semolina flatbreads folded around a jammy tomato, onion and harissa filling and griddled crisp.
Mahjouba (Mhadjeb Stuffed Semolina Flatbread) Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)Cotonou, Benin · medium · 2 h 50 minSkinned black-eyed peas whipped into an airy batter with onion and chili, then fried into crisp, fluffy golden fritters.
Osaka-Style OkonomiyakiOsaka (Kansai), Japan · easy · 40 minA crisp-edged cabbage pancake griddled with pork belly, painted with sweet-savory sauce and mayo.
Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki Nasi Goreng KampungYogyakarta (Java), Indonesia · easy · 25 minVillage-style fried rice, smoky and sweet with kecap manis, crowned with a crisp-edged fried egg.
Nasi Goreng Kampung Lahori Chicken KarahiLahore (Punjab), Pakistan · easy · 50 minChicken flash-cooked in a wok-like karahi with tomatoes, ginger, and black pepper, no onions, no shortcuts.
Lahori Chicken Karahi Char Kway TeowPenang, Malaysia · medium · 30 minFlat rice noodles seared in a screaming wok with prawns, egg, chives, and dark soy, Penang’s hawker crown.
Char Kway Teow Pav BhajiMaharashtra (Mumbai), India · easy · 50 minMumbai’s beach-stall classic: a buttery mashed vegetable curry with toasted buns, lime, and raw onion.
Pav Bhaji Khuushuur (Fried Meat Pastry)Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia · medium · 1 h 5 minCrisp deep-fried half-moon pastries filled with minced mutton, onion, and garlic, the taste of the Naadam festival.
Khuushuur (Fried Meat Pastry) Bánh XèoMekong Delta, Vietnam · medium · 1 h 20 minSizzling turmeric-rice crepes stuffed with shrimp, pork, and sprouts, wrapped in lettuce and dunked in nuoc cham.
Bánh Xèo Gado-GadoJakarta, Indonesia · easy · 45 minJakarta’s "mix-mix": blanched vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and egg under warm peanut sauce.
LahmacunGaziantep, Turkey · medium · 1 h 50 minPaper-thin flatbread blistered under a spiced lamb, pepper, and parsley crust, rolled with lemon and herbs.
Lahmacun Kottu RotiWestern Province (Colombo), Sri Lanka · easy · 35 minChopped flatbread stir-fried with curry, vegetables, and egg on a clanging griddle, Colombo’s midnight anthem.
Kottu Roti Bánh MìHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam · easy · 35 minA crackly baguette stuffed with pâté, pork, pickled daikon-carrot, cilantro, and chili, French bread reborn in Saigon.
SabichTel Aviv, Israel · easy · 40 minPita stuffed with fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, hummus, salad, and a drizzle of tangy amba and tahini.
Sabich Jerusalem Mixed GrillTel Aviv, Israel · easy · 40 minMeorav Yerushalmi: chicken and offal seared fast with onion, cumin, and turmeric, stuffed into laffa.
Youtiao and Soy MilkSichuan, China · medium · 2 h 35 minCrisp, airy fried dough sticks dunked into a bowl of warm fresh soy milk, a classic Chinese breakfast.
Youtiao and Soy Milk Manakish Za'atarBeirut, Lebanon · medium · 40 minFlatbread baked with a fragrant za'atar-and-olive-oil topping, the Levantine morning staple.
Manakish Za'atar Dan BingTaipei, Taiwan · easy · 30 minA soft, chewy egg crepe rolled up and sliced, Taiwan's favorite hot breakfast off the griddle.
Dan Bing Pad ThaiBangkok (Central), Thailand · medium · 40 minStir-fried rice noodles in a sweet-sour tamarind sauce with tofu, shrimp, egg, and crushed peanuts, Thailand's global icon.
Pad Thai HotteokSeoul (Gyeonggi), South Korea · medium · 1 h 45 minChewy fried griddle pancakes oozing a molten brown-sugar, cinnamon, and nut filling, a Korean winter street treat.
Hotteok FalafelBeirut, Lebanon · medium · 45 minCrisp herb-flecked chickpea fritters tucked into pita with tahini, pickles, and salad, a Levantine street classic.
MomoKathmandu Valley, Nepal · medium · 1 h 5 minSteamed dumplings of spiced minced filling served with a tangy tomato-sesame achar, Nepal's everyday bite.
Momo Gua Bao (Pork Belly Buns)Taipei, Taiwan · medium · 2 h 10 minTaiwan’s famous night-market bun: a pillowy folded steamed bun cradling red-braised pork belly, tangy pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and sweet peanut powder.
Chicken ShawarmaDamascus, Syria · medium · 2 h 55 minMarinated spiced chicken roasted and shaved into flatbread with garlic sauce and pickles, the Levant's great street lunch.
Chicken Shawarma MutabbaqRiyadh, Saudi Arabia · medium · 50 minA thin folded pastry stuffed with spiced minced meat and egg, griddled crisp, a favorite Saudi street snack.
Mutabbaq Injo-gogi-bapPyongyang, North Korea · easy · 1 h 5 minSheets of soybean 'meat' stuffed with rice and topped with a spicy sauce, a resourceful North Korean street food.
Injo-gogi-bap Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly)Central Luzon, Philippines · easy · 3 h 40 minPork belly slabs marinated in soy sauce, calamansi, and garlic, then charcoal-grilled and basted with sweet banana ketchup until sticky and charred.
Inihaw na Liempo (Grilled Pork Belly) Roti CanaiPenang, Malaysia · medium · 4 h 50 minA flaky, stretched-thin griddle flatbread from the mamak stall, crisp outside and soft in layers within, served with a bowl of dhal to dip.
Nasi KandarPenang, Malaysia · medium · 1 h 5 minFragrant rice with an aromatic chicken curry, dhal, and okra, flooded with mixed curry gravy the banjir way, Penang's Tamil-Muslim classic.
Chapli Kebab (Spiced Flat Beef Patty)Kabul, Afghanistan · medium · 50 minA flat, disc-shaped Pashtun patty of coarsely minced beef packed with coarsely crushed coriander, pomegranate seeds, chilli, and tomato, shallow-fried crisp at the edges.
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