A discussion about Indian cuisine is incomplete without talking about the Indian street food. Agree? I mean imagine Indian food without chaat papdi, dahi bhalle, kachori, samose and our evergreen gol gappe. I simply cannot do without these. No matter what the season might be, a round of gol gappe every other week is a given for me. And during seasonal changes it is mostly followed by a cough syrup before sleep but well, no complaints. Gol gappe is a weakness of many and I’m no different. This humble deep-fried, tangy street food snack is packed with yummy goodies and tantalising flavoured water. Did you know the mouth-watering treat change as you move from state-to-state across India with respect to taste, flavour and even name? From pani puri in Maharashtra to Puchka in West Bengal or Gol Gappa in North India and Gupchup in parts of Odisha, this humble treat has many names. Even the recipe or stuffing isn't the same everywhere and keep changing with subtle ingredients. Some like it more teekha while some like to balance it with some meetha. Regardless of how you like your gol gappa, you can make it at home too. Yes, you read that right.
The puri of gol gappe comes in two varieties- one that is made of aata flour and the other made of sooji. Aata one is crispier while sooji is a bit softer. But you can make both of it at home with all the boiled potatoes, chana, teekha paani and chutneys. We’ve got a few tips and tricks to ace the gol gappa game at home.
1. Kneading The Dough
The kneading of the dough to make pooris is one of the most important parts of the process. The crispness of your pooris, the elasticity and the texture, all depends on this step. The kneaded dough shoudn't be soft nor too hard. While making sooji pooris, if you make the dough soft, then you can add 1-3 tsp more of the sooji. If the dough looks hard, then sprinkle some water and continue to knead. Same for the atta dough. The correct texture of the dough will also help in puffing pooris and helps them stay crisp. Always cover the dough with a damp cloth.
2. Rolling The Dough
The pooris need to be very thinly rolled. If not thin, the base becomes thick and remains soft even after frying, which will not give you the market-style gol gappas. If the dough is not rolled evenly, the pooris won’t puff up.
3. Frying The Pooris
Don not overcrowd the wok in which you are frying. The oil should be medium hot and fry even post the pooris are golden, keep them in the oil getting fried for a few seconds. Frying this way gives a crisp texture to the pooris from outside as well as inside.
Here’s a recipe of Gol Gappe to try at home.
