By: Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Pani Puri is one of the most popular street foods available all over India. In north India, Pani Puri is called gol gappe, gup chup, pani ke pataashe or phulkis. The signature element of this recipe is a spicy stuffing made out of a potato-chickpea mash and really tangy water, liberally infused with mint leaves.Pani Puri is not just any other street food for Indians; it’s a cultural identity for many different states.
In Mumbai, it is predominantly the hot ragda (thick white peas curry) variety that you get with the tangy green and sweet tamarind chutney. What vada pav is to Maharashtra, gol gappe is probably to North India. Every street and corner is lined with gol gappe vendors in different parts of North India. It is basically a Puri that is broken in the center and then dipped into a mixture of ragda, potato, spicy and sweet water. It is enjoyed with sev, and the sweet chutney is mostly left out while onions are incorporated. The flavored water is usually heavy on mint and green chilies. One of the major reasons to love pani puri is its tangy, spicy and at the same time sweet taste.
Pani puri in many ways is nearly almost the favorite street food across the country. The taste it produces arouses every taste bud in the mouth.In India, one can find a stall at a stone’s throw distance and so the problem of supremely hungry people like us is solved by walking just few steps to the stall.
We have all seen groups of women gathered around a Pani Puri seller enjoying the sweet and spicy treat. Paani Puri not only serves hunger issues but also helps you balance your emotions.Pani puri continues to bring a smile on millions of faces. And it acts as a perfect appetizer before a meal.
Most of the time, the panipuri walas are very sweet that they make alterations to your dish as you want (like bhaiyya thoda zyada teekha daalna, bhaiyya without pyaaz…etc). Another reason for loving panipuri is the panipuriwala himself. In this busy world, he listens to you and makes you those breathtaking panipuris as well. This is one of the signs that you love panipuri.
Firstly, street foods lack hygienic preparation. Also, if there are open drains around the food stalls, it could be dangerous. An innocent dish as it may sound, this is also considered one of the most unhygienic things to eat. Forget about the calorie and the saturated fat involved in the cooking and eating process, our concern is even deeper.
Eating Pani Puri is healthy if it is made at home or eaten at a healthy place. Eating panipuries on the roadside is as horrible as their roadside counterparts is a really bad idea. We are always fond of road side foods, no matter what it is. We never know that the water that’s being used is hygienic or not and if the hands are as clean as expected to be or not. It is often seen that street vendors often add unclean water due to non availability of clean water and are not aware of how to prepare food hygienically. Most of the Pani Puri vendors do not have a permanent set up for serving dishes. They use whatever is available at that particular point of time. Pani Puri is not exactly a restaurant dish. It is mostly sold by street vendors, and people have never seen them washing their hands. They do all sorts of unhygienic things and serve Pani Puri with bare hands. He would always wipe his hands on the same cloth after everything that he did. It is also reported that they sell in un-hygienic environment, also they make the puri in bulk in ground in a congested room on a floor where 20 guys stay together in shared rooms. Pani Puri is not healthy because puries are deep fried, contains potato and tamarind chutney, but if eaten in limit, it does not cause any harm and its yummy to taste. The hygienic lies in which place you are eating. If you eat this in a hygienic condition, then there is no problem.
