What is pani puri or golgappe?

Pani puri or golgappe belong to the “chaat” family of Indian street foods, savored for their tongue-tingling mix of flavors. The dish is said to have originated in the holy city of Benares, but is sold widely across north, west and east India under different names.

A plate of pani-puri typically consists of 5-6 small, spherical flatbreads called puris, fried crisp. The vendor cracks open the tops of the puris and stuffs in several ingredients like spiced potato pieces or chickpeas, chopped onions and coriander leaves. The puri is then filled with the “pani”, a thin soup of water, tamarind pulp, roasted cumin and chilli powder, rock salt and plain salt. The fun is in eating the pani-puri, which must be popped in whole, crunched and swallowed – not an easy accomplishment when the spices “explode” in the mouth!