Gol Gappe/ Paani Puri

They are more than just street food for India. The word ‘Golgappa’ can be broken down into two to get an essence of the dish: ‘Gol’ refers to the crispy shell, and ‘gappa’ refers to the eating process since Golgappa is eaten one at a time. Historically, it is believed that ‘Phulki’, believed to be the precursor to Golgappa, first originated in Magadh. However, the person who invented it is lost in the pages of history. Though these could be claimed as the precursors to Golgappa, the ingredients used might be very different. Two important ingredients of Golgappa are potato and chili and both came to India 300–400 years ago. Prominent food historian Pushpesh Pant is of the view that Golgappa originated around Uttar Pradesh and Bihar about 100–125 years ago. According to him, it is possible that Golgappa was made out of Raj-Kachori. In between other delicacies, someone made a small ‘puri’ and ate it.

Ingredients

For Jaljeera Or Golgappa Pani

• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon tightly packed tamarind
• ⅓ cup mint leaves — loosely packed
• 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
• 1 black cardamom — seeds remove and kept
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder) — can also use lemon juice or kachri powder or bel powder
• 1 teaspoon chaat masala
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 1.5 cups water added later
• black salt as required — can also use rock salt or regular salt

For Golgappa Stuffing

• ⅓ cup white chickpeas
• ⅓ cup black chickpeas
• 2.5 cups water, for cooking chickpeas
• ½ teaspoon salt for cooking chickpeas
• 2 to 3 potatoes
• water as required for cooking potatoes
• ½ teaspoon salt for cooking potatoes
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or add as required
• ½ teaspoon chaat masala or add as required
• ¼ teaspoon black salt or add as required

Other Ingredients

• 1 medium bowl of tamarind chutney
• 25 to 30 golgappe

Instructions

Making Golgappa Pani Or Jaljeera

• Soak 1 tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ¼ cup hot water for about 20 minutes.
• Take ⅓ cup loosely packed mint leaves in a small grinder jar. Only use the mint leaves. Do not add the stems.
• Add the soaked tamarind along with its water. Make sure there are no seeds in the tamarind.
• Add the following spices — 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon fennel, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and seeds removed from 1 black cardamom.
• Now add 1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder), 1 teaspoon chaat masala, 1 pinch asafoetida (thing), and black salt as required.
• If you do not have dry mango powder, then you can add some lemon juice. Instead of dry mango powder, kachri powder or bel powder can also be used. Instead of black salt, you can use rock salt or sea salt.
• Grind to a smooth chutney.
• Take the jaljeera chutney in a bowl. Also, add 1.5 cups of water.
• Mix very well. Check the taste of golgappa pani and add more salt and dry mango powder if required. You can also add some lemon juice if you want.
• If you want then you can keep this golgappa pani in the refrigerator.

Making Golgappa Stuffing

• Rinse and then soak ⅓ cup white chickpeas and ⅓ cup black chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. Later drain all the water and rinse the chickpeas very well in running water.
• Add the chickpeas to a cooker. Also, add 2.5 cups of water. You can also add just one type of chickpea.
• Add ½ teaspoon salt.
• Pressure cook on a medium flame for 18 to 19 minutes. When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, open the lid and check if the chickpeas are cooked well or not. If not, let the pressure cook for some more time till the chickpeas are cooked well.
• Drain all the water and take the chickpeas into a bowl.
• In another pressure cooker, take 2 to 3 medium-sized rinsed potatoes. Add enough water just about covering the potatoes.
• Also, add ½ teaspoon salt. Pressure cook them for 5-6 whistles or 9-11 minutes on medium flame.
• When the pressure settles down on its own in the cooker, remove the potatoes. Let them cool a bit. Then peel and chop them. Add the chopped potatoes to the cooked chickpeas.
• Sprinkle ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon chaat masala, and ¼ teaspoon black salt or add as required.
• Mix everything well. Keep aside.

Assembling Golgappa

• Keep all the elements of golgappa before assembling them — jaljeera pani, tamarind chutney, chana, and potatoes stuffing. Take the golgappa puri on a small plate. Crack open the top with a spoon or with clean fingers.
• Place the chickpeas and potato stuffing inside the golgappa puri.
• Add a spoon of some sweet tamarind chutney (less or more as per your preferences)
• Now add a spoon of the jaljeera pani or golgappa pani.
• Have them immediately.

You can also arrange all the golgappa elements on the dining table and let people make the golgappa for themselves.