Irresistible – The Indian Gol Gappas

Hmmm......lemme start with praising my own cooking skills. I am a self-trained super-chef. I am a foodie and i crave for variety of food and sweets & snacks top the list. And to make it worse i love cooking. It is the same whenever i go out eating, be it local, different town, city, or even country; i end up choosing those items from the menu which fancy the chef in me. Being a vegetarian, though i cook non-vegetarian dishes with equal perfection, i tend to spend more money on vegetarian cuisine and as i wrote; more on snacks & sweet dishes.

It’s so exciting to see how the same vegetable can be cooked in umpteen indigenized varieties the world over in permutations & combinations of various spices & cooking methods. The recipes differ so much and so is the taste. Unknowingly these would become my takeaways during any travel or even social visits. And i am going to introduce a very special Indian snack today that has always caught my fancy due to its popularity the world over specially with Indians.

I guess you are expecting some super creative cuisine with loads of ingredients. Noooo...it is the simplest, cheapest, quickest and tastiest snack to make.

India is a country of diverse culture and cuisine and is known for its street food. Gol Gappas top the list and is the most famous & in-demand street snack food. Just the mention of it is mouth-watering. It is also known as Paani-Puri, Phuchka, Fulki, Gup-Chup, Paani Ka Batasha.....etc.

From the smallest budget event to the most lavish weddings, the hosts make sure they have a "Chaat" and "Gol Gappa" stall to please their guests.

Gol Gappas are made from wheat flour or semolina which is prepared into a hard dough, then thin rolled and cut into small bite-size 1-1½ inch round or slight oval shapes. These are then deep-fried to puff up hollow crisps. It is poked to create a hole on one side to stuff it with boiled potatoes, some spicy mint or tamarind chutney and fill it up with spicy water. Now there are again mouth-watering variations in types of water and potato filling. Some even top it with fresh pomegranate seeds.

The best is the unique way they are eaten.

This was one snack i just couldn’t dare prepare at home because of the laborious process. Yet i tried and was successful but soon gave up as eating outside was more economical cost-wise and time-wise. But last few years witnessed the growth of micro & small enterprises giving way to the in-house production of popular snacks and soon the ready to cook Gol-Gappas with a complete spice powder kit flooded the local stores. And voilà i couldn't be happier to be able to make it at home !

Without much ado, i baught a pack to try them out at home and i couldn't believe how easy to make it was. Soon i placed it at the top of my guest menu and in the must-haves of my own evening tea time snack.

So simple to rustle up alongside the tea; yes that fast and so delicious!!

Here i start with the simplest method step-by-step. Hope you visualize it, smell it, taste it and relish it as much as i enjoy it in real : ))

1) Take medium sized boiled potato. Peel and mash it into small chunks.

2) Take 6 Ready to fry Gol Gappas & deep fry. Do remember that oil should not be very hot else they will burn. It should be moderately hot and just drop the Gol Gappas in and in a few seconds they will start rising puffing up and that’s when you immediately begin turning them upside down. And immediately take them out once fully blown and little more than light brown but not dark brown, and place them on an absorbent sheet. Remember, oil temperature and timing are very important.

3) Preparing the spicy water.

I buy branded “Pani Puri” Masala. Masala is a generic term used for dry powdered spices.

DO NOT buy “Jal Jeera” Masala. It should be “Pani Puri” or “Gol Gappa” Masala. Some brands also sell it in paste form along with Tamarind & Mint Chutneys. This Pani Puri Masala is available in different flavors but i prefer “Hing Pani Puri Masala” (Hing = Asafoetida)

Take two teaspoons of Pani Puri Masala, add one teaspoon sugar/sugar powder and i love to add dry crushed Curry leaves & few fresh coriander leaves because dried mint leaves powder is one of main ingredients and already in it. But can also add fresh mint leaves.

4) Now mix the Masala & sugar in a glass and add about 50 ml of normal water and mix it well for the sugar and spices to dissolve, then add approx 150 ml of cold water. It will look like this below:

And we are ready to eat.

5) Take the fried Gol Gappas and poke a small hole at the top. I use the edge of handle of fruit fork to lightly hit it to poke a small hole and use the fruit fork to drop a small bunch of mashed potatoes ideally not filling more than 1/3rd space inside. But once the potatoes are filled in, these must be consumed within few minutes otherwise the Gol Gappas start getting soggy.

6) Now this is most important – TAKE ONE AT A TIME. Place it in a small bowl and fill it up with the prepared spice water and immediately pop it into your mouth, close your mouth, break it and yummm......enjoy the savory that will leave you hungry for more.

Filling spicy water one at a time is advisable lest it gets soggy and might also break. While preparing is very easy but eating Gol Gappas is a skill. Many fail to break it properly inside mouth while some drop it on way to the mouth and some break it in the hand itself. That’s why you hold a bowl while eating Gol Gappas, like shown in the picture below :

Take the whole piece straight into your mouth and Njoy !!

Ideally keep mashed potato, spicy water and fried Gol Gappas separately and sit with your cup of tea and keep preparing one at a time and enjoy the most mouth-watering, appetizing and delightful Indian street snack at an unbelievable low cost at home.

And if you are eating for the first time don’t forget to capture the moment into a video; for sure it’s gonna be funny. I sincerely suggest you google “How to eat Gol Gappas” or “How to eat Pani Puris” and see for yourself.

This may appear a lengthy process but it won’t take more than 5 minutes to complete stage 5. While the oil is heating start preparing the spicy water alongside the tea :))

Where ever in the world you are, just visit the nearest Indian store and grab a "Pani Puri" kit and try it at home. I am sure you won't be able to escape the addiction

******************************************************************

p.s. : Grammarly wants me to replace small " i " with capital " I " but please do bear with me as i prefer to use " i " for myself and not " I " and all the spaces and expressions i give may stay as my style. Thank You :))