A Party With Panipuri

Who invited these little tidbits to the party? To be honest, I had absolutely no clue when I stumbled on these small pieces of joy on a night out in Mumbai. They were being served on a clear cart on the street to various hungry people in a slapstick, and, less than sanitary conditions. Just money, the snacks, and hands. I didn't know what to make of it. 

Pani (which is flavoured water) and puri (meaning a hollow, fried crisp pastry or bread) is an Indian street stall dish served all over the country, and I encountered it in all variations in Mumbai, Delhi, Dharamsala, and everywhere in between. It is a very strange concoction of the aforementioned fried crisp, tamarind chutney, chili, onion, chickpeas, and chaat masala (not necessarily in the same order as the local stall owners put their own twist on it.) 

At first, I had no idea how to eat this food, or even how to order it for that matter, so I observed the locals, noting also how much money was exchanged for how many pieces. It turns out that you get served anywhere between four to eight small pieces, all in rapid fire succession. I noticed that Indians generally like to eat very fast and this became a challenge for me as I eat slowly and like to really chew my food. Not at the Panipuri stalls. Upon ordering, I was handed a small metal plate to hold on to and in rapid fire succession was served six of the pastries. The small plate was not so much for holding each piece as for the tamarind to seep out into, to be consumed at the end as a drink. Some folks even ask for pure tamarind juice at the end of their meal on the plate to drink. I also did this several times. Pure taste bud bliss.   

I really enjoyed the process of making this tasty dish, the vendors have a quick way of using their thumbs of making a small opening in the pastry and then proceed to dunk it into all sorts of tasty looking sides and sauces. For an idea of how it is made, have a look at this video (soundtrack included!) I found a simple recipe for you to get an idea of how to make it here. If you are living in the Toronto area, go and try these strange concoctions at Bombay Chowpatty, it is definitely worth it!