Paani Puri? I want Phuchkas!
They are crispy and they promise to make your eyes water post consumption. Yet, they’re called differently in every state. Savour this one !
Saiyona Ghosh
21.09.2009
Food

More than being a Bengali by birth, I have been a Bengali by appetite and so the immense unique taste that I developed for food, more so, for Junk Food always left me searching and yearning for the Kolkata Phuchkas here in the cosmopolitan of Pune.
I remember the first time I tried the Paani Puri in Pune about two years back, it left me wondering why did they (read : Paani Puri Walas) combine the extreme hot and the cold. The hot boiling Ragda which they put inside the Puri never appealed to me and so my search for a Phuchka Wala in Pune continued and until today evening when I chanced upon one all the way from the City of Joy, Kolkata, opposite to the famous Coffee Stop in Model Colony.

The Ragda filling used in Maharashtra.
The filling for a phuchka is made with a mixture of mashed potatoes, assorted spices, tamarind juice, lemon and coriander put together in proportion. After the mixture is put into the phuchka, it is then dipped into raw tamarind water and it is then served on a small bowl made of dried leaf.
From a distance I could make out that the man had his phuchkas placed in the shape of a huge turban wrapped typically in a huge red muslin cloth. Expecting a “No” as an answer, I still asked asked him whether Churmur, another famous Kolkata junk food made by them by crushing dry phuchkas with boiled mashed potatoes and other spices with an extra dash of raw tamarind water. Surprisingly he had that too.
The phuchkas are priced at a nominal 5INR per plate and with that comes along an extra dry so that the taste of the snack lingers on for a considerably long period of time.
The experience is fulfilling especially for those who are accustomed to a potato mixture inside the puris instead of the hot ragda. So all you people who wants to take a first hand at the Paani Puri ala Kolkata go ahead treat your taste buds and all my dear Kolkatans, there is another reason to rejoice after the famous Oh! Calcutta.
Saiyona Ghosh
[ratings]
[image courtesy: http://wikipedia.com]




Yummy !!!!!!!! I love them… My mouth is watering…
d article left me mouth watering,,,,nycly expressed…
Hey, did he have Aloo Kabli too?
@poonam don’t know whether they have aaloo Kabli. but since they have churmur, i m hoping that they have aloo kabli. moreover the guy has specially come down from Kolkata to do business here; so i guess there is a high probablity that he makes it too.
a puchka is a paani puri (only some parts are missing)..
.
.
but then again , i’m not a complete fool , there are some parts missing
Brilliant!!! even I was in search for such a place in Pune .. Will surely check it out .. If you have some more info about bong food .. keep posting ..
… From your vivid description, I guess they would have that too. thanks!
and yes … Phuchka doesnt just end there … I prefer Aloo kat (or kabli) as a desert after that
I tried looking for this place but couldnt spot it, can you please describe the address once more. Is this place near Iceberg where Coffee Shop have shifted?
yes, that's the location. the guy is on the opp footpath where the kids park thr bikes.