Panipuri

Panipuri is the quintessential one-stop solution for any snack aficionado. The crunch of the puri complements the spicy, tangy, flavourful water, a combination that's experienced best standing at a stall with loved ones.

Immediately recognisable, the Indian origin snack has several different names based on the region, with slight variations in recipe and taste. Called Panipuri in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, it's referred to as Phuchka in eastern India, Gol Gappe in north India, Pakodi in some inner pockets of Gujarat, Paani ke Patashe in parts of Haryana, Patashi in Rajasthan, Gup Chup in parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, and Telangana, Phulki in easter Uttar Pradesh, and Tikki in Madhya Pradesh’s Hoshangabad, among many others.

To make Panipuri from scratch at home, you will need semolina, wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and water for the flour. For the water, one needs green chillies, coriander, mint leaves, tamarind paste, water, boondies, black salt, jaggery, and cumin seeds. For the puri filling, combine mashed potatoes, boiled chickpeas, salt and pepper. Serve with spicy and sweet chutneys!

Panipuri has ambiguous origins. One story states that in the Mahabharata, Draupadi comes home so her mother-in-law Kunti can give her a task while the Pandavas were in exile. Kunti, to test Draupadi, gave the latter some leftover potato sabzi and only enough wheat dough for one Puri. Her instruction was that Draupadi must make something that would satisfy all five of her sons. It's in the face of this challenge that Draupadi seemingly came up with Panipuri. Impressed, Kunti offered the dish immortality.

Another story goes that Panipuri is connected to the kingdom of Magadha, one of ancient India’s 16 Mahajanapadas, situated on the banks of River Ganga. Greek historian Megasthenes and Chinese Buddhist pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang present accounts of Magadh and its capital Pataliputra. And Phulkis, Panipuri’s predecessor, seemingly originated there.

Culinary anthropologist Dr Kurush Dalal believes that Chaat, a predecessor of the modern Panipuri, was created in modern day Uttar Pradesh, during Shah Jahan’s reign in the late 17th century. The story goes that royal doctors advised the public to eat more fried and spicy foods to balance out the alkalinity of Yamuna’s water. The dish then spread to the rest of India through migrant workers over the last century.

But wherever it originated, its versatility and pure bursts of flavour are proof of its longevity.