15 Best Street Food Recipes to Make at Home

Once you make your falafel with fava beans, you'll never want the chickpea version again. Egyptian "street foodies" have long sworn by the way the favas, also known as broad beans, keep the mixture lighter and moister than garbanzo beans do. "They are best served with pita bread, tomato, onions, and tahini sauce" -- Gamila Salem

This soft, moist flatbread is perfect for on-the-go street food. The Venezuelan version often is stuffed with ingredients like cheese, avocado or cuajada, a type of milk curd. The Columbian version, featured here, is often served plain. "This is a quick and easy recipe to make delicious Colombian arepas. They are usually served for breakfast, as a side dish, or even for a quick meal." -- Sweet y Salado

As a longtime staple of Egypt's bustling street food scene, koshari is also considered to be its national dish. Since the mid-19th century, it's been served at roadside stalls and restaurants all over the country. This version follows the basic guideline for blending cooked lentils, rice and pasta, then topping it with tomato sauce. Jazz up your dish with garlic vinegar and hot sauce if you like an extra kick in your koshari. "This is a typical Egyptian dish that is very good and cheap over here! Puree the sauce in a food processor if you like a smoother texture." -- Liz York

In the Philippines, eggs are a staple ingredient for food stalls and street vendors. While the popular tokneneng street food is traditionally made from chicken eggs, kwek kwek uses quail eggs, which are a quarter of the size than the chicken variety, and with a deeper, richer taste.

The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is known as the food capital of the country. And nowhere is the food more delicious than in the city of Indore, home of world-class street food. In wintertime, city residents love to snack on hot and crispy garadu, which are boiled-then-fried yams. This version skips the frying for a sheet pan bake of tubers coated in oil, cumin, chaat masala, amchoor, turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper. "Increase or decrease the spices based on preference. You can experiment with butter, dried cilantro, garlic powder or fresh chopped cilantro. Serve hot." -- MSA

Sweet treats are the perfect ending to a progressive street food meal. In India, the best street food dessert is malpua. These ghee-fried pancakes, topped with sugar syrup, are often eating during festivals like Eid, Holi or Diwali. This version is made with bananas for extra sweetness and moister texture.

If you wondered where gyoza stands in the Japanese ranking of favorite street foods, you might want to consider Tokyo's Namja Town, an indoor theme park that celebrates and serves the tasty dumplings in their own "Gyoza Stadium." For help in mastering the pinch-and-fold method needed to seal the wrappers around the meat filling, check out this video from Chef Jackie. Don't forget to serve them with this recipe's easy-to-pull-together dipping sauce of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce.

If you love churros, you know that getting them from a popular street vendor often involves standing in a long line. With this easy-to-make recipe, you can enjoy them right away, no wait necessary. "I have run across several recipes but this is the best one by far." -- Delia

You can't miss the popularity of tokneneng when you're looking for street food in the Philippines. The bright orange tempura balls are not only easy to spot, even across a crowded market, but they're also delicious to eat. "Serve with sweet and sour sauce." -- Suhara

As a perfectly portable, intensely satisfying snack, elote is a savory, salty star of Mexican street food cuisine. This recipe calls for grilling corn on the cob, then slathering it in a savory blend of butter, mayo and cojita cheese. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and you're ready to dig in. Check out the video to see how it's done.

Vegetarian street food reaches delicious new levels in Sri Lanka, and kottu is one of the scene's most famous dishes. As popular there as hamburgers are in other parts of the world, kottu's name translates as "chopped bread." This version calls for chopping up the Indian flatbread known as paratha and blending it with eggs, cabbage, carrots and spices. Make the dish truly authentic by adding a few spoonfuls of the spicy gravy known as salna.

Put something on a stick and it becomes street food. Put marinated chicken on a stick, and it becomes a classic. Thai street markets always include the sputtering satay grills that slowly roast these tender meat kebabs. While this version calls for chicken, satay can also are made with other meats, including beef, pork, pork belly, and squid.

Street foods often have a long, colorful history in the places where they've become part of the local identity. In Istanbul, bakeries have been making simit since 1525, so you know they've had plenty of time to get the recipe right. Nearly 700 years after they were first created, the small bread rings coated with sesame seeds are still popular Turkish street foods. They're sold by vendors who push them in trollies or carry trays of simit on their heads. (Don't worry - you can just put yours on a plate.)

This classic Southern California dog is custom-made for meat lovers. For best results, pre-cook the bacon a bit in the microwave before wrapping it around the dog. It's typically topped with pinto beans, salsa, chopped onions and pickled peppers. To be more traditional, look for bolillo rolls instead of hot dog buns. You may find them at Mexican grocery stores or bakeries.

Chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and parsley combine with a drizzled dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and mint leaves.  "Israeli salad can typically be found at the many falafel street stands all over Israel," says Maslow. "It is served on its own as a side dish or inside a pita sandwich wrap. This fresh, light, and colorful salad goes great in a pita with falafel, hummus, and tahini, but also works as a side dish with any Middle Eastern, Greek, or even North African food."