Puchka – The Real Deal

The beauty of India lies in its diversity. This is manifested in the culture, traditions, language and food of the various states and even smaller regions within the states. Being a foodie I am normally interested in trying out the dishes that are unique to each region. But there is a pan Indian dish that has intrigued and puzzled me for a long long time. Call it puchka, golgappa, paanipuri or anything else that you like, I am certain most of you have feasted on it at some point or there other. Such is the popularity of this dish. which to my mind is undoubtedly the most popular Indian street food, that its stalls have the longest line at shaadis despite there being dozens of other delicacies.

I grew up devouring Bengali puchkas during my winter holiday trips to Calcutta & Coochbehar. Sikkim, where I lived, had no variation of this dish at that point of time. It did have momos – the invasion of which we shall talk about in another post.  As my lifestyle became more nomadic, I was introduced to the golgappa (in Delhi & Punjab), the paanipuri (in Maharashtra & Gujrat), the bataasha (in UP) and the gupchup (in Orissa, Jharkhand & Chattisgarh). Each of these variations has their own unique taste derived from the subtle differences in the paani and masala being used.

The fight for supremacy is between the three metros – Delhi golgappa, Kolkata puchka and Mumbai paanipuri. Chennai could possibly promote a sambar/rasam based contender and enter the fray as well. The bataasha and gupchup which are fairly close cousins of the golgappa and puchka respectively can be termed as regional players and are hence discounted.                

Lets begin with a mouthful of the golgappa. Much like the Punjabi aunties who gorge on it, the golgappa is the biggest in size. The streets of Delhi and Punjab are laced with any number of them trying to gobble one full golgappa without breaking it. The focus in the golgappa is on the paani which is akin to pudina dominant jal jeera. While this spicy paani is much in demand with people drinking multiple platefuls after eating their golgappas, the sweeter saunth version is also very popular. The ‘hep’ cities like Delhi and Ludhiana offer pure mineral water paani for those who are health conscious. There are also other options like jeera paani and hing paani which offer more novelty and less taste. The masala of the golgappa takes a complete back seat with only plain boiled aaloo and channa being used. This to my mind is its undoing.

\Moving on to the puchka which along with the jhalmuri is just as much a part of Bengali heritage as Rabindro sangeet. Sized to perfectly fit the east Indian mouth, the puchka is precisely prepared. You get to taste both the paani and the masala at the start so that you can spice it to suit your palate. The key differentiator for the puchka is the generous use of imli in the paani which gives it that tangy taste and livens up your taste buds. The masala is a well mashed mixture of potatoes, channa, dhaniya, mirch and an array of spices. Unlike the golgappa which is drowned in the paani, the puchka is equally filled with both the paani and masala. This along with the extremely reasonable pricing makes the puchka a massive hit.

And finally we come to the paanipuri. In the mad rush that is Mumbai, multi tasking is the order of the day and even the paanipuri is not spared. The ragda that is used as the masala essentially comes from ragda patties (or pattice as most street carts spell it). The paani is similar to that of the puchka but lacks the tanginess. Kanda is served alongside the paanipuri as an accompaniment and in true Indian style people end up eating more of it than the paanipuris. Interestingly many more people eat the paanipuri without the paani as compared to the golgappa or puchka.

No blog on the puchka / golgappa / paanipuri can be complete without mentioning its secondary variants. The paani is replaced by dahi to create the dahi puchka in north and east India. Golgappa gluttony in Punjab is followed by the sukha which is a big golgappa stuffed with masala and topped off with pakodi and what else but paneer (read more in Everything Sells In Punjab With Paneer). Similarly puchka excursions are incomplete without chur-mur which is a puchka chaat that even Chandi Chowk would be proud of. But Delhi created the mother of all variants with its ingenious vodka golgappa. I mean how can you resist getting drunk on something that yummy. 

All in all, the golgappa is dominated by the jal jeera paani and the paanipuri by the ragda. The puchka scores the win with its well balanced flavours. That’s the opinion of a man who can eat a half century of puchkas while being dismissed in single figures at the golgappa and paanipuri stand.