Everything about Panipuri totally explained
Panipuri or Gol Gappa or
Gup chup is a popular street snack in the Indian sub-continent. It comprises a round, hollow "
puri", fried crisp and filled with a watery mixture of
tamarind,
chilli and
potato. The name
panipuri literally means "water in fried bread".
Pani is a hindi word for
water and
puri (or
poori) is an Indian bread that's made by frying dough in oil. It is known as
puchka in Eastern Indian states like
Bihar,
Jharkhand and
West Bengal and in
Bangladesh. Since the bread is served with special spiced water, it's known as
pani poori and as it's round and fluffy it's called
gol gappa.
Preparation
In general, any form of Golgappa or panipuri is a hollow, puffed, round
dough which tastes like a crunchy shell. The shell by itself isn't a great tasting snack, unless it's stuffed with special spicy potato-based stuffing and dipped in a
masala water to fill up the hollow dough. Usually the stuffing needs to be prepared separately, and a small hole is made on the top centre of the dough with a finger to be able to insert the potato based stuffing inside the hollow dough. It is then dipped in the masala water and then served.
It is the associated stuffing and recipe of the masala water that makes it unique. In different regions in India, depending upon the local palate, the stuffing and water are made differently. They are known by different names based on these different recipes.
Preparation of the stuffing
Boiled potatoes are mashed and mixed with powdered
black salt, roasted
cumin powder and roasted
red chilli powder. Boiled
chana dal (chick peas) and
coriander leaves may also be added to the mixture. Finely chopped onion can also be mixed in stuffing for taste. If you don't have potatoes, you can also use Garbanzo Chick Peas.
Preparation of the water
Tamarind pulp, roasted chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, black salt and regular salt are mixed thoroughly in water.
Instead of tamarind, lemon or young green mango (which is sour in taste) can be made into paste along with Aam Adrak (ginger with the flavour of mango), along with mint water and spices like chilli powder, roasted cumin, black salt, and dry mango powder (amchur).
Preparation of the shell
Flour,
wheat flour and
semolina are mixed in equal proportion, and added with salt and little water to make a very thick dough. Very tiny balls are made out of the dough and flattened to a circular shape, with a diameter varying between 2–3 inches, using a
rolling pin. These are later deep fried in
edible oil.
Dahi phuchka recipe
Instead of using water as a serving base,
dahi (yogurt) is used. The yogurt is battered after adding a little date chutney. Ground spices are sprinkled over it and garnished with
sev mamra.
Presentation
Typically, panipuris are served in 5–8 quantities, constituting a "plate". The plate is constructed out of dry
sal leaves and has a triangular shape. Some places offer panipuris pre-made into a whole plate, but the popular way is to be served them one at a time from a road-side vendor. Customers hold a small plate and stand around the server's cart. The server then starts making one panipuri at a time and gives one to each individual. Panipuri servers have to remember each customer's preferences: for example sweetened pani, more filling, more onions. The server must also keep count of how many panipuris each person has had. Panipuri servers are renowned for remembering choices and numbers served, even when serving an entire crowd.
Traditionally, panipuris are eaten by placing the entire puri into the mouth in one go and biting into it. This releases a barrage of different tastes. Panipuris may be finished off with a cup of the pani, sweetened or soured to taste.
A recent emergence in the presentation of panipuri involves the use of
vodka as an intoxicating substitute for the more traditional stuffings. Typically, this serving method is confined to privately-hosted parties, and is seldom (if ever) seen practiced among street vendors.
Variations
While many regions in India have their own variations of Gol-gappa, the most famous ones are from
Uttar Pradesh.
Biharis operate most of the
chaat stalls all over the country.
- In Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa, it's called phoochka (puchka). Many people enjoy this particular recipe. These don't contain any sweet or mint.
- In Maharashtra, the recipe is usually spicier, and also contains 'boondi' or sprouts in addition to other ingredients. Other names are golgappa (plural: golguppe). In certain central parts and Orissa, it's also known as gupchup.
While in Gujarat it's called Pani Puri. It is made with the help of different types of water. Such as amli ka pani, nimbu ka pani, phudine ka pan, khhajur ka pani, etc. You can also enjoy it with curd and different types of massalas like onino, sev, nuts, etc.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Panipuri'.
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