King of all chaat

One unique characteristic of Indian cuisine is the street food culture here, consisting of oh-so-many varieties of chaat. And one of the most loved of these is undoubtedly, the pani puri, or the gol gappa, or the phoochka. Of course, these are best had from the street vendors that dot the streets if any city in India. Most think that it is actually the lack of hygiene that makes street chaat taste so good. It is also the reason that I was not allowed to eat chaat for the first decade of my life. After some peer pressure, I decided that the boundless joy of my taste buds more than compensated for the possibility of an upset stomach… Hey, it builds up your immunity, right? One bite into these succulent spicy balls, fiery yet soft, and they had me at hello.

These lip smacking preparations are called gol gappas in Delhi. These puris are larger than the ones found at home (Bombay) and thicker. Which means that when you’re holding on to the puri, the water inside has a lesser chance of soaking through and making a mess. But on the other side, you have to work harder to bite through the thing. The spicy chutney is different from the other two, with more of a lemony flavour, with hints of mint in it. The sweet chutney is a little too sweet for my liking but I know many who go ga-ga over it. Very interesting mixture of tastes, with more of a khatta-ness than spiciness.

In Calcutta, these are called phoochkas. The name itself is entertaining to say. Here again, the larger variety of puris. Only these don’t give the crunch that Delhi and Bombay puris do. Dotting every nook and cranny of Park Street, these vendors serve the stuff in little cups made of dried leaves, which just makes the whole process of eating more fun. The spicy chutney is made of tamarind, unlike Delhi, and is super tangy! These concoctions have a sweet and sour aftertaste to them thanks to the date flavoured sweet chutney. With friendly Bengali vendors serving you at your convenience, it is one helluva pet pooja experience.

Now coming to the pani puri in Mumbai and Maharashtra, which is my personal favourite. The puris are big enough to release a mind blowing concoction of tastes and flavours which explode in your mouth when you bite into them, yet not so big that you find it a tad hard to fit in your mouth, like it was with Calcutta. After all, half the fun of the pani puri is immersing it into your mouth whole and then biting into it. Imagine biting a puri into half first... it’s pointless… The Bombay variety is spicier than the rest. The tamarind jeera pani they use is the best I’ve tasted, be it at random vendors roaming the streets or the fixed crowded stalls at Juhu Beach. And a variation from the other varieties of this dish; boondi is added to the filling along with the mashed potato and sprouts. And at times, kairi, or raw mango. Now this is an ingredient in chaat found only in Maharashtra, and gives a piquant aftertaste, unmatched by anything else. Only one problem with Bombay vendors though. They keep firing away with puri after puri even as you are trying to cram the previous one into your mouth and gasping at the spiciness of it all. No room for breathing whatsoever!

After one is done eating all the puris, one asks for some extra pani, gladly slurping it down to savour the taste and keep it lingering. Then comes the masala puri, most common in Bombay, and tasting better than the rest; the puri filled with potato and moong, topped off with sev and chaat masala. And so you’re done; with this interactive eating experience that makes you forget all self-consciousness and grandiosity as you dunk the puri in your mouth and crunch, having an occasional drop of pani spill down your chin. Wherever you have it, it is indeed the ultimate street food experience.