Golgappe: Indian Street food with lots of flavours and names

Golgappe/ Paani puri/ Phuchke are the most loved street food of North India that is famous all over the world.

The name of Golgappe is more than enough to start mouth watering.

What are Golgappe?

Golgappe are small puffed balls prepared from wheat flour or semolina and served with different types of spiced water with different flavours. Different states of India not only show a different pattern of flavour, taste but also method of preparation and serving. As far as name Golgappe is concerned there are many other names for this lip smacking snack all over the country. For instance Golgappe is also known sa Puchke, Paani Patasha, Pani Puri, Padake etc.

What are different names for Golgappe in India?

1. Pani puriGolgappe known as Pani Puri commonly in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and parts of Nepal. Pani puri is served with hot Ragda(thick white peas curry), sweet tamarind or dates chutney and mashed potatoes.
2. GolgappeThis name is common in North India. Here it consists of potato and chickpea stuffing and served with chutney and tangy water.
3. Phuchka In Assam and West Bengal Golgappe are called Phuchka and this is one of the favourite street food. Phuchkas are stuffed with mixture of boiled gram, green chillies, mashed potatoes in addition to spiced and tangy water.
4. Pakodi In Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh Golgappe are also called Pakodi. Sev is also added with stuffing of boiled and mashed potatoes and chickpeas. Green chillis alongwith lots of mint is added to the water which makes it a perfect khatta meetha snack.(sweet and sour)
5. Paani ke PatasheIn Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Golgappe are commonly known as Paani ke Patashe with tangy and spicy water.
6. Gupchup In Odisha, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh Golgappe are called Gupchup stuffed with only white peas or chickpeas. It is served with spicy water.
7. Padaka, PhulkiIn some parts of Uttar Pradesh Golgappe are called Padaka, Phulki.
8. Dahi PooriDahi Poori basically originated in Mumbai. Here instead of spiced water thick curd is used with sweet and sour chutneys.
9. Sev PooriSev Poori also has origin in Mumbai. Here Golgappe are served with mixture of boiled potatoes, onions topped with different types of chutneys- chilli, garlic and tamarind chutney with lots of sev over it. However Sev Poori is seasoned with raw mango or pomegranate seeds with few drops of lemon and chaat masala. This makes a very refreshing evening snack.

Recipe For Golgappe Making at Home

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Semolina (Sooji)
• 1/4 cup all purpose Flour ( Maida)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Water to make dough
• Oil for deep frying

How to make Golgappe at Home

1. Take a bowl and add sooji, maida and salt and mix it well.
2. Add some water to knead a semi stiff smooth dough. After that cover the dough with damp cloth and set aside for 20- 25 minutes.
3. Knead the dough well again and divide into 25-30 parts.
4. Roll each portion into thin rounds( pooris) of around 1.5 inch.
5. Heat oil in wok over medium flame. When oil heatens up start adding small pooris into it press with ladle to puff them. Set the flame to low now and remove puffed pooris from oil.
6. Prepare other pooris similarly and remove on kitchen towel. Each poori would take around 2-3 minutes to fry properly. Golgappe are ready. Serve with good stuffing and enjoy differnt flavours of Golgappe with different type of spiced water like Hing pani, Adrak pani, Pudina pani, Jeera Pani, Lehsun Pani, Khatta Meetha Pani, Dhaniya Nimbu Pani

Recipe Tips:

• Wheat flour can be used in place of semolina (sooji)
• Prepare large amount of Golgappe once and store in airtight container.
• Unpuffed Golgappe during frying can be used as papdi for different types of chaat and snacks preparations ( Bhel puri, Bhalla Padi, Corn Flakes Chaat)

Flavours of Golgappe

The flavours of world famous North Indian street food Golgappe are basically defined by type of spices or herbs used in water. Here are few flavours of Golgappe:

• Hing
• Pudina
• Jeera
• Khatta Meetha
• Dhaniya Nimbu
• Lehsun
• Adrak

Hing Paani for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
• 2 tablespoon imli paste (Tamarind)
• 1/4 teaspoon black salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
• Salt to taste

How to Make Hing Paani for Golgappe

1. In a mixer jar add all the ingredients with some water and make a paste.
2. Add this paste in 2 cups of water. Quantity of salt can be adjusted accordingly.

Jeera Pani for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon roasted jeera
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt to taste

How to make Jeera Pani

1. Take mixer jar add all the ingredients with some water and make a paste.
2. Add this paste in 2 cups of water. Add salt according to taste.

Lahsun Pani for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cloves of Lehsun (Garlic)
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt
• Salt to taste

How to make Lehsun pani for Golgappe

1. Add all the ingredients in a mixer jar with some water and make a paste.
2. Add this paste in 2 cups of water. Quantity of salt can be adjusted accordingly.

Pudina Pani for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 green chilis
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala

How to make Pudina pani for Golgappe

1. Take mixer jar add all the ingredients with some water and make a paste.
2. Add this paste in 2 cups of water. Adjust the quantity of salt accordingly.

Adrak Pani for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 1 inch of ginger piece
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt
• Pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)
• Water
• Salt to taste

How to make Adrak pani for Golgappe

1. In a mixer jar add all the ingredients with some water and make a paste.
2. Add this paste in 2 cups of water. Quantity of salt can be adjusted accordingly.

Khatta Meetha Pani (Sweet and sour) for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 80 gms Jaggery (Gud)
• 50 gms Tamarind (Imli)
• 4-5 Dates
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black salt
• Salt to taste

How to make Khatta Meetha Pani (Sweet and sour) for Golgappe

1. Remove seeds from dates and tamarind. Wash and add 1 tea cup of water. Leave for 2 hours.
2. Cook all for 5 minutes with jaggery. Blend in a blender and strain.
3. Add chilli powder, cumin seed powder and salt and mix well.
4. Add water to maintain the consistency.

Dhaniya Nimbu Pani for Golgappe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped mint leaves
• 2-3 green chillis finely chopped
• Black salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

How to make Dhaniya Nimbu Pani for Golgappe

1. Process fresh coriander, mint and chillies in a blender to make a smooth paste with a little water if requires.
2. Add this paste in 2 cups of water and mix well
3. Add black salt and sugar. Transfer to a bowl and add lemon juice to it.