Paanch Paani- The Water Balls
While Delhites call it the 'Gol-Guppa' and the Mumbaikars refer to it as 'Paani-Puri', the most obnoxious name I've come across for this delicacy, on some random restaurant’s menu card, has been, without any doubt, 'Water Balls'. No matter the name, this delicacy is definitely much loved in each and every part of the country.
For all the lovers of the dish, a "can't afford to miss" variant is Paanch Pani in Noida (UP), just 10 minutes off Delhi from Mayur Vihar. Cutting through sector 18 at a traffic signal crossing, you find a small joint right at the corner, with an excessive crowd. So much crowd, that the place often shuts down early due to total consumption of the stock!
I don't think you’d find another place where a plate of paani puri has six variations to keep your taste buds tickling, at a throwaway price of Rs. 12 a plate. The first five variations are different preparations made with water (which is where it gets its name from) and the last is a dahi puri so that your tummy doesn’t start playing tricks on you.
The first water has hing (which tastes like chatpata hing goli!). This is given first to ensure your tummy digests everything. The other variations are pudina (its like chaat!), jal jeera, kesar kewda and kali mirch; and trust me, pepper never tasted yummier! After this cocktail concoction in your tummy, the last is a no water dahi filled puri to calm the tummy. This is one pani puri wala, I've heard of, who uses clean water, promises you the taste and also takes care of your health!
The shop also keeps faluda kulfi with sweet noodles kesar topped with rose flavour, steaming aaloo tikkis with variety of chutneys, papri chaat and bhalle papdi. To cater to the chicken lover punjabis and dilliwalas, the joint has a small sister shop adjacent to it which makes tikkas, momos, chinese and the tandoor has lots more to offer. Owing to its popularity, the joint has every popular ice cream vendor standing right next to it.
Mad experimental families, like mine, often venture there for dinner. Our mostly fixed menu for four adults is two plates of chicken momos one steamed one fried, one round of gol guppas, one aaloo tikki, one bhalle papri chaat and ice cream or faluda! Yes our appetite suddenly sky rockets there! Sounds mouth watering and sumptuous doesn’t it?
Ishita Bhattacharya
[ratings]
[image courtesy: http://tinyurl.com/bzkmqr]
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