India has a rich variety of vegetables, offering diverse choices across the nation. Among these, Yam, locally known as Ratalu is quite popular. This vegetable has captured attention not only for its vibrant purple colour but also for its unique flavour. Although the vegetable is served as a side dish in many households, recently, a video featuring a Surat street vendor selling yam pakodas has made waves among food enthusiasts online and has sparked mixed reactions. The footage shared by the Instagram page Foodie Bite by Ankush Dureja shows the street vendor, Jalaram Khaman House, carefully preparing these pakodas from scratch and selling them at Rs 80 each. Although it looks delicious, social media users aren’t impressed.
The footage captures the street vendor expertly slicing the Ratalu into thin, chips-like pieces before coating them in a besan along with various spices. After adding them into hot oil for a deep fry, the vendor stirs the pakoda until the purple yam slices become crunchy snacks. The end result? Crispy and golden purple yam pakoras, perfectly prepared and ready for serving. Since the video was uploaded, the video has gone viral and over 1 million views on the platform.
Online reactions for the Surat based dish have been mixed, as majority users are expressing dissatisfaction. People in the comments section raised concerns over the usage of excessive oil.
A user jokingly wrote, “Engine oil.”
Another shared, “Har cheez ka pakoda bana dete hain. (They make pakoras out of everything).”
“How to make a healthy vegetable unhealthy,” a comment read.
A person joked, “Oil be like. Ab to chor do muje. (Please leave me now).”
Another wrote, “Zomato karta hun turant. (I’ll order from Zomato immediately).”
Meanwhile, pakodas are a beloved snack across India, appreciated for its crispiness. While the batter preparation is simple, the true art lies in achieving the perfect frying technique. However, a recent video featuring a Surat based street vendor using a daring method of directly immersing his hand into the hot oil while frying bhajiyas, has raised eyebrows among food enthusiasts due to the risks and safety hazards.
Sharing the video, the Instagram page wrote, “India’s Got Talent-10 Bhajiyawala Of Surat. A fire proof man selling Dabholi ke famous Kumbhaniya Bhajiya with a unique way of making by fire proof hand to stir on heated oil.”
Despite getting over 4 million views, social media users didn’t hesitate to express their opinions, as many criticised street vendor’s daring techniques.