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Puneri snacks are all about crunchy textures, uncomplicated and fun flavours and simple cooking techniques. Instead of the usual chips and dips routine, go for reliable and quick to prepare Puneri snacks when you are hosting a weeknight hang at home.
These Puneri bar bites can bring a slightly nostalgic, comforting and spiced note into your bar bites menu. With low-effort prepping, they can be put together even at the last minute in the middle of the week. Turn your bar bites into instant crowd-pleasers by infusing that distinct Puneri touch into them. Pair the snacks with both classic and signature cocktail blends inspired by a touch of desi flavours.
Kothimbir Vadi
Cocktail Pairing: Whisky Ginger Highball
While this is a favourite across Maharashtrian cultures, the Puneri culinary landscape has slowly infused the kothimbir vadi with its own flair. A mix of rich history and a budding metropolitan charm, Pune’s cuisine borrows from its cultural heritage and is greatly influenced by the pronounced flavours of spices and condiments.
This bold and robust essence has seeped into the kothimbir vadi too, a savoury mixture of steamed coriander and besan. Laced with the spicy touches of ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and cumin powder, the kothimbir vadi is deep fried until perfectly crispened. Serve it with a whisky highball whose textural sparkle complements the kothimbir vadi’s crunch.
Sabudana Pops
Cocktail Pairing: Mint Mojito
Puneri cuisine is incomplete without sabudana or sago. Sabudana khichadi is a breakfast staple in many households and sabudana vada, a bonafide treat on fast days.
Turn a straightforward sabudana and potato mixture inherent to Puneri food culture into little poppers which can be deep fried at a cocktail party. Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, the sabudana pops can go well with coriander chutney or a light cucumber raita. Serve them with mojitos or chilled, sparkling drinks, in a combination that brightens up your palate.
Bakarwadi Chaat
Cocktail Pairing: Classic Old Fashioned
If there is one snack which thoroughly personifies Puneri cuisine, it is bakarwadi. This is a deep fried, namkeen-style bite generally served in the afternoons with a steaming hot cup of masala chai. Turn the bakarwadi into a chaat-like snack by crushing at least half a dozen of these small, stuffed, crispy rolls on a platter. 
Top them off with chopped onions and tomatoes, some fresh coriander, tamarind chutney, green chilli chutney and salted peanuts. Finish the chaat off with sev and whisked yoghurt. Pair this lipsmacking, bold and crunchy treat with a classic old fashioned whose robust whisky flavours complement the deep, spicy flavours of the bakarwadi.
Misal Bites
Cocktail Pairing: Masala Margarita
Spicy misal pav is one of Puneri cuisine’s most iconic dishes. Turn this classic delight into a bar snack at a sophisticated cocktail gathering by making little misal bites that pack a lot of heat. Make misal first, which is essentially a sprouts-based gravy, and serve it with namkeen in little edible tart shells. Alternatively, pour the misal in small bowls with a side of slider buns or mini pavs to be eaten as a spicy, gravy-soaked bite between sips of a bright, chaat masala-infused margarita.
Chicken Sukka Toast
Cocktail Pairing: Boulevardier
Simply cooked in a masala comprising dried spices like bay leaves, pepper, cumin, star anise and dried red chillies, minced chicken takes on a very delicious quality that fits right into a cuisine known for its mild spice and layered flavours.
Cook the minced chicken in a tempering of onions, mustard, green chillies and the fresh masala. Place it on little toasties to turn the sukka into an elegant bar bite whose flavours complement the slight sweetness of bourbon cocktails like the boulevardier or even the caramelised nuances of dark rum-based drinks.
