About Pani Puri, Golgappa: A Delicious Indian Dish

Pani Puri is a dish that originated in the Bihar region of India. Also known as golgappa, pani puri is a popular street snack served by vendors. Many find this dish delicious, fun and easy to eat. It is a combination of sweet, salty and tangy flavors.

The origin of this Indian dish's name is that Pani is from the Hindi word for water. Puri is an Indian bread created by frying dough. Put both elements together and you have pani puri.

This dish is made of hollow round puri that is fried and filled with a mixture of ingredients according to the customer's liking. These filling ingredients include water, potato, tamarind and onion. It can also be filled chickpeas and chili.

Each piece of pani puri, or golgappa, is small enough in size it can be eaten without taking a bite. As one takes a bite into this delicacy a variety of flavors are released. It can be messy if one isn't careful not to spill the filling. Have a napkin handy.

Regions in India have different variations of pani puri, or golgappa. It is made with different types of flavored water including mint and water and lemon juice and water. A popular variety of pani puri is filled with boiled potatoes. Some people prefer sweet fillings, while others choose spicy fillings. Pani Puri can also be eaten with onions or nuts.

A single serving portion size of pani puris is 5 to 8 pieces. The most common place to get pani puri is from a street vendor. Pani Puri can be sweetened or contain extra filling based on the customer's order preference. Customers are given a small plate and served the pieces one by one. The vendor remembers each customer's preference and serves the customers.

In a restaurant setting customers can also receive a plate of pani puri, or golgappa, and fill the hollow bread shells themselves. They poke a hole in the top of each hollow shell and fill it to their liking. When made in the home, some people choose to fill the shells with vodka. This is not a common ingredient for street vendors.

Pani puri is growing in popularity in restaurants India. This dish has also had an influence on Nepal because of its popularity in Bollywood movies.