Golgappa (or pani puri, puchka, etc depending on the part of India you are from) is a common Indian street food snack. It is a hollowed out shell that is filled with stuffing and then topped off with spiced water. Pani literally means “water” in Hindi and to me is the essence of a good golgappa snack.
When I was younger and visiting New Delhi, our first stop would be eating golgappas from the street vendors. Not the most sanitary thing to do (my mom would immediately medicate us hoping to kill anything that might make us sick) but we couldn’t resist. It wasn’t something easily available in the United States and was a delicacy for us.
Years later, my mom perfected her own technique to make pani from scratch. She became known among our family and friends for making the best pani in town. Whenever her grandkids visit, it is the first thing they ask her to make and she happily obliges.
This recipe is only for the pani. Here is how she makes it:
- 2 bunches of cilantro
- 1 bunch of mint (the bunch will be smaller than cilantro)
- 1 in of ginger
- 3-4 Thai Bird Chilies or jalapenos
- 8 oz lemon juice (she uses the bottled kind)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2-3 tsp raw mango powder (amchur)
- 2-3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black salt (kala namak)
- 8-10 glasses of water
- Add to the food processor cilantro, mint, ginger and chilies. Cover your food processor and turn on. Through the food processor tube, add lemon juice and blend.
- Open the food processor and add cumin seeds, coriander powder, raw mango powder, both salts and blend.
- Empty out into a pitcher and add 8-10 glasses of filtered water. I like filtered so that it doesn't alter the taste of the spices.
- Taste and adjust seasonings according to taste. You might need to adjust raw mango powder, chilies or black salt depending on how potent they are.
Tell me what you really think