Will all due apologies to Shakespeare…a pani puri by any other name is just as yummy! Be it the pani puri of Mumbai, the puchka of Kolkata, the gol gappa of Delhi…sluuurp…the pani puri reigns supreme as a gastronomic delight amongst street food. It surprises me no end as to how something so simple, unassuming & economical can be so full of flavour. But mind you, not everyone can conjure up a good pani puri. I’ve tried at different places, all over India, and can vouch for that. I for one believe there's none to beat the pani puri at Krishna's. Ah!The taste lingers for long after.
As the overflowing puri lands on your tongue and sends tingling sensations through the taste buds you come alive. As you close your gaping mouth over the puri, it goes crunch giving way to an avalanche of the soft filling. Be it garam naram chana, or the mashed potato or just about anything…. combined with the tangy, sweet chutney, along with the cool, spicy pani… the sensation is heavenly. I bet there isn’t one person in the world who has eaten pani puri and not liked it. Ofcourse some like it less and some like it more and some like me…well… we need a regular dose of it to maintain our sanity!
I remember first eating it in Ahmedabad. I must have been around 10 or so and we were on a family holiday. It was a cool evening and we had gone sight seeing. On way we stopped for a snack. Dad introduced me to it. Ever since I have been an ardent, die hard fan. I still remember the unique combination of the hot filling and cold water. Hmm…if ever there was a heaven…that was it.
God bless the soul who invented the pani puri! A thousand salutations unto thee.
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