My favorite snacks...

Being an Indian Army officer for 33 long years, I traveled across the country and enjoyed its rich, vast and diverse culinary heritage. I love Indian snacks more than anything else. A traditional deep fried snack of India is often served with spicy green chutney and along with hot chai and is best eaten fresh. The cooking style from state to state has evolved not only with traditional family secrets but with influences from the Mughals, Britishers, Persians, French or the Portuguese. Panipuri is my favourite street snack. It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of flavored water, tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion or chickpeas. I love chai with Pakoras, jalebis with samosa. Besides, Golgappa, gupchup or pani puri, I love Dhoklas. Dosas, Dahi vada, Murukku, Uttapam among south indian dishes. Rasgulla, Sandesh and Mishti Doi are my favourite Bengali sweets, not to forget, Jhal Moori of Bengal. And yes, Aloo chaat, Aloo tikki and namkeens of Haldiram are always my favorites. Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.