Gol Gappe (Pani Puri)

Gol Gappe is everyone’s favorite. This is one of the most consumed street foods in India after momos. This is one street food which now claims international reputation and is loved by everyone.

And it comes with a lot of variations and different names all over India. It is called Gol Gappe most commonly, but it is also known as Pani ke patashe (or batashe) in Haryana,  Puchka in Bengal, Gup Chup in Orissa, and so on. I have seen people make a lot of variations in the stuffing and the pani of the Gol Gappe too. Amritsar is known for serving five different kinds of pani, the most common varieties are Jeera Pani, Heeng Pani, Pudina Pani, Kal Mirchi Pani, and Kevda Pani or Imli Chutney Pani for the sweet version along with the dry curd version.

COMPONENTS:

If you would deconstruct Gol Gappe, then it is made up of 4 primary components:

a) Gol Gappe Puris or the fried and puffed balls: These could be made out of Suji/Semolina or Wheat flour.
b) Stuffing: This is primarily made with boiled potatoes and seasoned with spices. Adding boiled chickpeas, onions, etc. are some variations
c) Gol Gappe Pani: Or the tangy water that the puffed Pooris are filled with
d) Imli ki chutney/Saunth: For people who like their Gol Gappe to have a sweet and tangy flavor

VARIATIONS:

In this recipe, I am making all the three key ingredients from scratch since we have been trying to avoid eating out during this  COVID scare. Before that, we would usually buy Gol Gappe Pooris from the market and then just make the Pani and Stuffing at home and enjoy a quick chat. You can either buy cooked Gol Gappe Pooris or get ready to fry Gol Gappe Pooris which can be either fried or cooked in the microwave easily.

I am making the Wheat flour version of the Pooris since I like the whole wheat pooris as they are really lightweight. I add a little semolina to get softer Pooris.

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hour
SERVINGS: 20-25 pooris
DIFFICULTY SCALE: High

INGREDIENTS: 

For the Pooris –

1. Whole wheat flour – 1.5 cups
2. Semolina/Sooji – 2-3 tablespoons
3. Salt – 1.5 teaspoon (or to taste)
4. Warm Water – 1 cup
5. Oil – 1 tablespoon

For the Stuffing –

6. Boiled Potato – 3, large
7. Boiled chickpea – 1 cup
8. Black Salt – 1 teaspoon
9. Roasted cumin powder (Bhuna Jeera Masala) – 1/2 teaspoon
10. Chaat Masala –  1 teaspoon
11. Red Chilli powder – 1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste)
12. Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
13. Chopped Coriander leaves – 1-2 tablespoons

For the Pani –

14. Mint Leaves – 1/2 cup, ground
15. Dry Ginger powder – 1/2 teaspoon
16. Lemon juice – 1 lemon
17. Jaljeera powder or Pani Puri Masala – 2 tablespoons
18. Roasted cumin powder (Bhuna Jeera Masala) – 1/2 teaspoon
19. Black salt (or regular salt) – 1 teaspoon
20. Coldwater – 700ml (approx.)

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

1. Heavy bottom kadhai
2. Pressure Cooker
3. Potato Masher

RECIPE:

For the Pooris –

1. Add the whole wheat flour and semolina flour in a mixing bowl along with some salt and a little oil.
2. Mix the flours well with your hands and then start adding a little warm water and start kneading the flour. Make a tight dough as we do for Pooris.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Knead the dough again to work up the gluten and rest it again for 15-20 minutes.
4. Repeat the same steps again 2-3 times until we have a soft and smooth dough.
5. Heat some oil in a heavy bottom kadhai. This will take a few minutes.
6. In the meanwhile, we will start rolling out the Pooris. Take a medium size dough and start rolling it out to a thin flatbread.
7. Use a cookie cutter or a small glass to cut small circles and make pooris. Cover them under a kitchen towel to keep them moist.

8. Make sure the oil it at medium-low heat. Start adding 1-2 pooris at a time and press them gently to make them puff.

9. Cook on both sides. Remove them from the oil once they are light brown and cooked nicely.

All the papdis that don’t puff up and are flat, can be used to make this exquisite Bhalla Papdi Chaat. If you using store-bought Pooris, then you can skip these steps.

For the Stuffing –

10. Boil chickpeas and potatoes separately and cool them down.
11.  Mash 3 potatoes using a potato masher and add some boiled chickpea to it.
12.  Add in lemon juice, roasted cumin powder, black salt, red chilli powder, chat masala, and a little dry ginger powder to the potato and chickpea and mix well.
13. Add a little finely chopped coriander leaves and the mix is ready.

For the Paani –

14. Grind some mint leaves into a paste.
15. Take a large mixing bowl and add the paste to it along with the jal jeera masala, dry ginger powder, and roasted cumin powder.
16. Add in cold water to the bowl. I used a mix of 50% cold water and 50% water at room temperature since I didn’t want the Paani to be too cold.
17. Add lemon juice and salt and adjust the taste according to your taste buds. I didn’t add any chilli to it since the Jal Jeera powder has chilli but you can add some additional chilli powder for a nice kick.

Serve the Gol Gappe with tamarind chutney, stuffing, and the tangy Paani and enjoy it!

Street Food Fan?

Are you a big street food aficionado like me and can’t get enough? If yes, then don’t miss out on these incredible recipes:

1. Steamed whole wheat dumplings/momos/dim sums
2. Ragda Patties
3. Dahi Bhalle
4. Pao Bhaji
5. Vada Pao