Editorial photo #13968979 Human Interest

Telebhaja (deep-fried Fritters) - Indian Street Food

Telebhaja (deep-fried fritters) are a type of street food popular in West Bengal village fairs (gramin mela). Popular varieties include Alur Chop (mashed potatoes seasoned with roasted cumin, green chilies, and salt), shaped into balls, coated in gram flour, and fried; Phuluri (small, light, and fluffy gram flour dumplings), Beguni (battered eggplant), Peyaji (onion fritters), and Papor Bhaja (fried papad). They are usually coated in a crispy besan (gram flour) batter, deep-fried, and served with muri (puffed rice) and kasundi (spicy mustard sauce). Here at the Rath Yatra Festival fair, hot Telebhaja (deep-fried fritters) are being cooked and sold by the roadside at Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on July 16, 2026. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)