When we talk about street food, our minds inevitably sway towards chaats, golgappa, rolls, shawarma, bhajiya and vade. We have such a huge variety of street food options that are wonderfully curated according to our taste buds, that most of the times, we tend to have the problem of plenty. Every state, city and region has its own range of street food and every single one of those dishes is worth trying. But the post popular street food, all across India is chaat. This one dish, that can be prepared in a hundred different ways, is what most of us associate with when talking about street food.

But wait, do you think you have tried every kind of chaat that there is? Do you call yourself the true blue street food lover? If so, we are going to list out 5 unique chaats from different parts of India that any foodie must have tried to qualify as one. Read on to find out what are these chaats and where you can find them.

Churmur

A quintessential Bengali street food item, churmur is an epic mixture of sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours. Invented by the puchka-waalahs of Kolkata, this chaat dish is made with mashed potatoes. In a big bowl, the street vendors add mashed potatoes and crushed crispy puris. Then goes red chilli powder, dhaniya-jeera and salt. Sliced onions, followed by green chillies and a dash of khatti-meethi imli chutney makes this chaat a winner.

Chur mur chaat | Instagram - @tanya_the_explorer

Lakhanpur de bhalle

This bhalla chaat is nothing like the ones that you have had in your area. Originally made in Lakhanpur (hence the name), a small town in Jammu and Kashmir, the bhallas used in the dish are made from split green gram paste. It is topped with thinly sliced raddish, like in ram laddu, and eaten with flavorful green chutney and lime juice.

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Boiled peanut chaat

I am sure most of you must have tried the crispy, crunchy peanut chaat and salad. But have you ever tried chaat that is made with boiled peanuts? A famous beach snack in Karnataka, this chaat is simply made by boiling peanuts instead of roasting them. But such a minor change transforms the taste and texture of the chaat to a great extent.

Dahi-vada aloo dum

I am sure most of you have had dahi vada. And aloo dum, but separately. This chaat from Odisha combines both and creates a flavour like no other. It is served with onions, ghugni and spicy chilies. One of the most flavourful combinations, it also comes with cooling curd water after you have finished your chaat.

Dahi vada aloo dum chaat | Instagram - @salonisgram

Lal aloo chaat

If you think your mohalle-waala chaat corner makes the spiciest chaat, then you need to try the super spicy lal aloo chaat in Darjeeling. The name lal aloo comes from the fact that red chilli is used in such a huge quantity, that the potato appears to be red. It is served with wai wai noodles and topped with potato chips to give this dish a crunch.

Shakarkandi chaat

Now that we have talked about the varieties of chaat that can be made with potatoes, why should sweet potatoes be left behind? A typical UP specialty, shakarkand is roasted over coals to get a rustic flavour. It is then peeled, cut into slices and fried till crispy in oil with spices like amchur. The chaat is served with a generous sprinkle of lemon juice and sliced green chillies.

So, if you have tried all of these chaat varieties, you can pat yourself on the back and proudly claim to be an absolute foodie. And if you have not tried these unique chaat dishes, you know what to do – plan your next vacation to Darjeeling and have the lal aloo chat at Laden La road or roam around in the streets of Kolkata to enjoy a serving of churmur.