Indian fast food facts for kids

The fast food industry in India is growing fast, especially with young people. It has changed a lot as people's lives have gotten busier. India has many different food tastes across its regions. This means fast food places have different ways of doing things all over the country.

Many traditional Indian dishes have been changed to fit fast food restaurants. The main goal is to make and serve food much faster. For example, a traditional meal used to be served by many helpers. They would bring different dishes and refill your plate. Now, you can get a "Mini-Meal" quickly at a counter.

In the fast food version, you get a plate already filled with different cooked vegetables, curries, rice, and Indian flatbreads. You usually pay first with a coupon. The curries and breads change based on the region and what people like there. Some meals might even include a sweet dish. Usually, you don't get free refills.

How Indian Fast Food Works

Many fast food places in India serve different types of food at separate counters. This can all be in the same building. A lot of people in India are vegetarian. This has led to many restaurants that only serve vegetarian fast food. Also, the food offered might change depending on the time of day.

These places often sell drinks like coffee, tea, soft drinks, and fruit juices. Some even have special counters for ice cream or chaats.

Most popular fast food businesses in India share these features:

• They have a wide opening facing the road.
• The inside is easy to clean and lasts a long time.
• There is a cash counter where you buy food coupons.
• Food is given out at a counter, often with a granite top.
• There are extra counters for ice creams, chaats, and drinks.
• The kitchen is often visible to customers.
• There are tall tables, usually made of stainless steel, where you can eat standing up.
• A drinking water fountain with a filter is usually available.
• The plates and cups are strong and won't rust or break easily.

Most fast food places in India are single shops. Only a few have more than one branch.

Darshini: A New Fast Food Idea

In the mid-1980s, a restaurant owner named Mr. Prabhakar opened a place called Upahara Darshini in Bangalore. It was special because the food was cooked right behind the serving counter. Customers could watch it being made! You also had to eat while standing at tall tables. It was a self-service place where you bought a coupon before getting your food.

This place offered popular South Indian snacks at very low prices. It became an instant hit with office workers and students. Mr. Prabhakar probably didn't expect it to be so popular. During busy times, people would even spill out onto the footpath! Other places that copied this idea made their shops more open to the road. Many people believe this was a trendsetter. Its style is still copied across South India today. You can tell how popular this idea is because many restaurants using this style have "Darshini" in their names.

Food Courts: Many Choices in One Place

Another popular fast food idea is the Food Court. Here, you also buy coupons and pick up your food from different counters. Each counter serves a specific type of food. Different people or businesses might own these counters.

Food Courts are usually much bigger places. They often have seating areas, not just standing tables. Usually, one person or company owns the whole Food Court. They promote it under one name. Then, they rent out individual counters to different food operators. To avoid competition, they usually don't let more than one counter sell the same kind of food.

Big international fast food chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's have restaurants in major Indian cities. Café Coffee Day, which started in Bangalore, is an Indian chain with hundreds of locations across the country. However, it is usually seen more as a coffee shop than a fast food place.

Today, many local and foreign fast food chains have opened in India. There are also many websites where you can find lists of foods and restaurants. You can read reviews and even order food for delivery to your home.

Popular Fast Food Dishes in India

Fast food places in India offer almost anything you can imagine! The menu often depends on what local people like and where the restaurant is located. Here are some popular dishes you might find:

Western Indian Dishes

• Vada pav – A deep-fried potato patty (vada) in a bread bun (pav).
• Misal pav – Cooked sprouted lentils and crispy snacks in a spicy gravy.
• Pav bhaji – A thick vegetable curry (bhaji) served with a soft bread roll (pav).
• Khaman – A Gujarati snack made from lentil or gram flour.
• Samosa – A fried or baked pastry filled with spiced potatoes, onions, and peas.
• Usal – A dish from Maharashtra made with legumes like peas or lentils.
• Khandvi – Thin, rolled-up sheets made from gram flour and yogurt.
• Gathiya – A crispy, savory snack.
• Jalebi – A sweet, deep-fried pastry soaked in sugar syrup.
• Poha – Flattened rice, often cooked with spices and vegetables.
• Puff – A flaky pastry, often with savory fillings.
• Shahi tukda – A sweet bread pudding.
• Bread Tikki – A spicy dish made with bread, potato, and spices.

South Indian Dishes

• Idli – Steamed rice cakes.
• Vada – Savory, deep-fried fritters.
• Dosa – A thin, crispy pancake made from fermented batter.
• Upma – A thick porridge made from semolina.
• Kesaribhath – A sweet dish made from semolina, sugar, and ghee.
• Puliyogare – Tamarind rice.
• Pongal – A rice and lentil dish.
• Vangibath – Rice mixed with brinjal (eggplant) and spices.
• Vegetable Bonda – Deep-fried savory fritters.
• Chaat – A savory snack, often with a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
• Poori – Deep-fried puffed bread.

Other Popular Dishes

• Bonda Soup
• Pohay
• Bhajji – Deep-fried fritters, like banana or green chili.
• Pakora – Deep-fried fritters, like onion or vegetable.
• Thali – A platter with a selection of different dishes.
• Rajma rice – Kidney beans curry with rice.
• Chinese food – Indian versions of Chinese dishes.
• Pasta
• Burger – Chicken, mutton, or vegetable burgers.
• Wraps & rolls
• Chaat
• Grilled chicken
• Samosa
• Patties (e.g., Ragda pattice)
• Bread pakoda
• Dabeli – A sweet and spicy potato filling in a bun.
• Doner kebab
• Dum biryani – A flavorful rice dish with meat or vegetables.
• Fish and chips
• Salads
• Fruit beer
• Mutar kulcha – Flatbread with a pea curry.
• Pao bhaji
• Stuffed paratha – Flatbread filled with various ingredients.
• Fruit salad
• Idli sambar – Idli served with a lentil-based vegetable stew.
• Vada sambar
• Dahi wada – Lentil fritters soaked in yogurt.
• Bhajiya
• Mini Meals
• Chapati and sabji – Flatbread with a vegetable dish.
• Koalcha
• Momos – Steamed or fried dumplings.

Beverages

• Coffee
• Tea
• Lassi – A yogurt-based drink.
• Fruit punch
• Cold Drinks
• Fresh fruit juice
• Milkshake
• Mocktails
• Sugarcane juice
• Soup (Hot Beverage)