Calcutta Style Puchka

( 123 Votes )

Details: Written by Archana Doshi; Hits: 38498

Calcutta is very famous for its street food culture. It’s a place one will fall in love with in terms of shopping and street food to keep you going through all that shopping! Puchka’s as they are called in Calcutta are the best street food you can have in India on a hot summer day, a rainy day, a gloomy day, basically a day you want your mood to be high lightened. A spicy tangy thirst quenching street food, there is so much one can talk about this famous dish which is popular all over the world.
Around India, this dish is called by different names, In Maharastra and region its Pani Puri, Delhi and northern regions of India its called Gol Gappa, Calcutta Puchka and other parts of India, essentially pani puri. So what ever you choose to call it, with subltle modifications to this recipe you can get your desired taste.

Calcutta style_pani_puri_puchka_gol_gappa

What these are: Little puffed and crips puris, stuffed with spiced poatoes, then dipped in tangy spicy flavored water and eaten as a whole!

Before you try these pucka’s at home, if you are a novice to this dish, then its better you try them on the streets or a restaurant to understand how this dish has to be savored.

Makes: 20 puri’s
Cooking time: 30 minutes for the potatoes and kala channa
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

20 store bought puris’s
½ cup chopped onions
1 recipe of Date and Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients for the Pani

5 cups water
1 cup finely chopped mint
1 cup finely chopped coriander
1 tablespoon chopped green chilli
½ teaspoon of chilli powder
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp (or 1 cup of freshly squeezed tamarind water)
1 tablespoon black salt
1 tablespoon roasted and powdered cumin
1 tablespoon chaat masala powder
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the filling

½ cup boiled black chick peas/kala channa
1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon moodi masala (optional – but a must for the Calcutta style, the recipe of which is a trade secret to the street vendors)
(I typically get my stock from calcutta and till date have not been able to replicate it at home)
Salt to taste

Method for Pani

Blend all the ingredients and strain; discard the residue. Add about 3 to 4 cups of water. Refrigerate before serving or just add ice.

Method for Filling

Mix all the ingredients and set aside.

Serving the Puchka’s/Pani Puri’s

Tap the Puri at the center lightly to make a half inch hole in it.

Add about 1 teaspoon of the filling into the puri.

Now add 1 tablespoon of the Date and Tamarind Chutney. This is optional for people who do not like the sweet taste along with the sour taste. Some like the pani to be chilli hot, some like it sweet and hot, some like it just sweet. So alter it to your taste and have fun.

Dip the filled puri into the chilled pani water, garnish with chopped onions and serve immediately.

Alternative serving suggestions for the filling

You can make the filling healthier by adding boiled green moong and spice it according to your taste.

Or just boiled spiced potatoes. So basically, the filling is a lentil/ potato mixture. Experiment the filling with your imagination with a spiced mixture.

Comments

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0 #59 kavya 2013-04-30 07:31

I love street food

I'll def try it out :-)

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0 #58 sarbani ganguly 2013-04-09 06:40

i wiill try it at home...

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0 #57 NightTrain 2013-03-23 04:01

Back in 1972-74,when I was working at the American Consulate, I would go to the New Market to get my daily fill of puchkas from the walla there. I thought he had the best. From there, I went to Naizam's to finish my evening meal by getting Karti kabob's. It was so entertaining just to watch them make the kabobs. Missing Calcutta, my home away from home.

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-2 #56 kitchen equipment 2013-03-18 10:16

Gol Gappas in Delhi or Puchkas in Calcutta ... they are always very yummy. Thanks for sharing this recipe. You are in demand on Google+ Site.

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+3 #55 Archana D 2013-01-17 12:37

Quoting Sally:

I have to say I'm going to try this recipe at home (and the puri recipe that was left by Kris).. When I visited Calcutta many years ago with my family, one of my favorite experiences whilst there was when my mother introduced me to the puchka man!! and nothing like I had ever experienced before.... If I can replicate a little something from back home for her now she is in poor health I hope it will lift her spirits and bring a smile back to her face and on a personal note think it would be awesome to taste them all over again!! so thank you for disclosing your recipe.. Much appreciated!

Sally I do hope you enjoy making it and your mother loves it.

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0 #54 Sally 2013-01-17 12:26

I have to say I'm going to try this recipe at home (and the puri recipe that was left by Kris).. When I visited Calcutta many years ago with my family, one of my favorite experiences whilst there was when my mother introduced me to the puchka man!! and nothing like I had ever experienced before.... If I can replicate a little something from back home for her now she is in poor health I hope it will lift her spirits and bring a smile back to her face and on a personal note think it would be awesome to taste them all over again!! so thank you for disclosing your recipe.. Much appreciated! :-)

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-1 #53 Ovirup 2012-12-28 14:36

Amazing, we were planning for a pre-NYE chat party at our house (in London), and you showed us the way... have a wonderful year ahead :)...except that getting the 'moodi masala ' could be a formidable task.

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