At Every Bend in the Road there is a…Pani Puri Vala!

When on the road in India, if you see a mouth so swollen that it looks stuffed, it probably is. The ethic of breaking off small pieces to bite on works on most foods, but when it comes to snacks, we are going to talk of one which requires you to forego all table manners, so to speak, before you can ever start to get the hang of eating it.

Pani puri or gol guppay are essentially two names of the same snack. The puri or the gol guppa (singular) is made from semolina, flour, oil and a bit of baking powder kneaded together. The dough is then rolled and cut into circular forms of about 2 inches in diameter each. These thinly rolled puris, when deep fried, take the form of light golden semi circular balls which are ready to eat once you have the pani prepared.

Before you start to get intimidated, pani is basically Hindi/Urdu for water. Though what they fill the puris with is not exactly water. It is a thin mixture of tamarind pulp in water with coriander leaves, mint and black salt that gives it a distinct taste.

The most interesting part, and something that either makes or breaks your will to try Pani Puri, is the manner in which it has to be eaten. Stuffed with boiled potatoes and/or chickpeas and in some cases with yogurt as well, through a small hole made in the top of the puri, Pani Puri is had immediately after you dip and fill it with the pani.

Of course the whole puri has to be in your mouth straight off, the puri, or gol guppa, will start to leak if it soaks in the water, and that can be disastrous. Biting half of the puri can cause a catastrophe as well, since the water is likely to be over your clothes if you break the cup that holds it. Important tip: keep tissues, or napkins, around and tell anyone with you not to laugh!

That’s serious advice people, no laughing when someone is eating a gol guppa because it can cause the person with a mouth full of puri and water to choke on it or rather, spurt out the whole thing…might I add that can be messy and embarrassing, if you did not gather on your own. For those who have decided this is not a snack for them, try it once still, its unique and if you can pull this off with confidence its great fun, and if you don’t, its still a funny sight to be enjoyed with friends. Remember to put the whole puri in your mouth all at once, munch it slowly and enjoy as the chilled tangy water travels down while the rest of the filling makes it all the more enjoyable.

So what keeps you from trying the snack when you first sight it? Hygiene. Most of the snacks…ok I’m being kind, all snacks sold at roadside should be treated with caution. Try gol guppas, but try them in a snack bar or restaurant where they are made hygienically (not sure those places exist though). With the lack of hygienic preparation, there is a lot that can be said about what the food on the roadside vendor’s stalls goes through that you would not want me to expand on, if I did. The snack can be found in many Indian or Pakistani restaurants and snack bars throughout the world, give it a try when you can but don’t forget to enjoy it the way it’s meant to be enjoyed, with a mouthful!