The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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June 21, 2013

Hot Breads Bakery - My Favorite Indian Street Food Cafe

What do corn on the cob with queso fresco, fried yams, kenkey, injera, cassava bread, dhal puri, badam vaja, soto ayam, jalebi, empanadas, sabikh, and crepes have in common? Any guesses? They are all varieties of street food found across our borders. Street food is a ready to eat food or drink that is sold on the side of streets in stalls, portable carts, or folding tables, travelling pedestrian vendors, public markets.
My stomach cannot handle street food from a street vendor in India anymore (as I've tried and tested on my previous trips). Man I miss those gol gappas or pani puri served in dried banana leaves. It was all about the experience, you see. Lucky for me there are a few bakeries/cafes that sell such street food near my town. I can enjoy these in the comforts of air conditioned and spacious seating accommodations. The one I really like and go often is Hot Breads Bakery. I reviewed them about two years ago and cited how much I loved their cakes and cookies.
This year, it's all about their take on street food such as samosa chaat, kati rolls, and bhel puri. Oh man just typing these is making my stomach grumble.


Feast your eyes on this mighty filling and mouth watering Samosa Chaat. By far the best I've eaten in the NY/NJ area. It beat out Sukhadia's version in Edison. The breakdown of this meal starts with a warm and toasty samosa that is fried to perfection without being too oily and/or crispy. It is also important to note that the potato curry filling had just the right amount of seasoning without overpowering it. Once this crispy samosa is cut it into pieces, it's layered with other equally flavorful ingredients such as chole curry, tamarind and mint chutneys, sev, chopped red onions and fresh coriander. 


Check out these Super Sized Kati Rolls!
Their Paneer Kati Rolls are good as well! My parents are pretty picky and even they loved them; probably because they were well seasoned. I ate this for lunch and dinner one day because each  half was pretty filling. The Indian flatbread or tortilla is filled with roasted paneer, bell peppers, onions, tomato, and seasoning. It's flavored to perfection. You can ask them to make it mild, medium or spicy depending on your spice level as well as request more tamarind chutney (sweet) to tone down the spicy taste. 

The takeaway from all this talk about Hot Breads is that it doesn't break the bank..hence the term street food. Every "street food" item on the menu is between $5-7 and it's quite filling. That's enough for me to return. Next time, I'm going to try this popular Bombay item called Vada Pav. Have you ever heard of it?

Also check out Wanderfood Wednesdays; where Laura takes you on a journey around the world one dish at a time. Until then, tata! 

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