Google Doodle Celebrates Everyone’s Favourite Pani Puri; Here’s How to Make Gol Gappa at Home!

Today’s interactive game Doodle celebrates pani puri, a popular street food with a crispy shell filled with potatoes, chickpeas, spices or chillies, and flavoured waters. On this day in 2015, a restaurant in Indore, Madhya Pradesh achieved the world record for serving the most flavours of pani puri by offering 51 options!

What’s in the name? Pani puri, gol gappa and puchkas

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This snack goes by different names as there are many regional variations across India. In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, pani puri describes the bite-sized street food commonly stuffed with boiled chickpeas, a mixture of white peas and sprouts dipped in spicy, spicy bread.

In the northern states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi, the sweet stuffed with potatoes and chickpeas dipped in jaljeera-flavoured water is called gol gappe or gol gappa.

The name puchkas or fuchkas is used in West Bengal and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, the key ingredient of this variety being tamarind pulp.

Who invented pani puri?

One legend is that the epic Mahabharata proposes that the newlywed Draupadi invented pani puri when she was challenged to feed five men of scant means. With just some leftover aloo sabzi (potatoes and vegetables) and a small amount of wheat dough to work with, Draupadi got creative. She filled small pieces of fried dough with the potato and vegetable mixture. Thus the pani puri was created.

While there are many different types of filling and pani for everyone’s unique palette, there are two things everyone can agree on: eat the pani puri quickly to avoid the puri becoming soggy or runny and always eat it in one bite. to prevent it from falling apart.

In today’s doodle, you can play the interactive game and help a team of street vendors fill orders for pani puri. Choose puris that match each customer’s taste and quantity preference to keep them happy. Let’s serve!

Recipe to make pani puri at home:

Sure! Here’s a recipe to make Pani Puri at home:

Ingredients:

For Puris:

• 1 cup semolina (sooji)

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida)

• A pinch of salt

• Water, as needed

• Oil, for deep frying

For Pani (Spicy Water):

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves

• 1 cup fresh coriander leaves

• 2 green chillies

• 1 inch piece of ginger

• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder

• 1 teaspoon black salt

• 1 teaspoon chaat masala

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 4 cups chilled water

For Filling:

• 1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes

• 1/2 cup boiled chickpeas

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions

• 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

• 1/4 cup tamarind chutney

• 1/4 cup mint chutney

Instructions:

Puris:

• Combine semolina, all-purpose flour, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl.

• Gradually add water and knead the mixture into a stiff dough.

• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and rest for 15-20 minutes.

• Divide the dough into small portions and roll them into small circles.

• Heat oil in a deep pan for frying.

• Carefully slide the rolled puris into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp.

• Remove the puris from the oil and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Set them aside.

Pani (Spicy Water):

• Combine mint leaves, coriander, green chillies, and ginger in a blender. Blend them to a smooth paste.

• Transfer the paste to a large bowl.

• Add roasted cumin powder, black salt, chaat masala, black pepper powder, lemon juice, and chilled water to the bowl.

• Mix well until all the ingredients are combined. Adjust the spices according to your taste.

• Place the Pani in the refrigerator to chill.

Filling:

• Mix mashed potatoes, boiled chickpeas, finely chopped onions, and coriander leaves in a bowl.

• Add salt and chaat masala to taste. Mix well to combine.

Assembling:

• Take a puri and make a small hole in the center by gently pressing your thumb.

• Fill the puri with a spoonful of the prepared filling.

• Drizzle some tamarind chutney and mint chutney over the filling.

• Dip the filled puri into the chilled Pani and place it on a serving plate.

• Repeat the process for the remaining puris.

Serving:

Serve the Pani Puris immediately and enjoy the burst of flavours.

Note: You can adjust the spiciness and tanginess of the Pani by adding more or fewer green chillies and lemon juice. You can also customize the filling by adding sweet chutney, sprouts, or sev according to your preference.