Friday 20 August 2010

If you haven't eaten this, you haven't lived.

One of the most important aspects of life is food. To be more specific - good food. Although I live abroad, I’ve spent my entire childhood in India. While I have been exposed to many different cuisines, I’ve always enjoyed Indian food the best. And while India has a variety of cuisines (north Indian, south Indian, Andhra, Chettinad, Rajastani, Maharashtrian, Punjabi…well practically every state has their own cuisine), there is nothing more wonderful, nothing more creative, and nothing more delicious, than a local Indian delicacy known all over the country as pani puri.  

Here’s a picture of this amazing dish:


For all those going ‘Eh?’ this is how it’s done - you take one of those puris and poke a hole at the top, just one. Then you stuff the puri with whatever you want; potatoes, chickpeas, onions, lentils. I usually love it with a mixture of mashed potatoes and lots of different powdered spices. Once it’s full, you dunk the puri into a bowl filled with pani (which, roughly translated, is nothing but water, but in this case it is tangy water again mixed with lots of powdered spices and chutneys). You then put the whole thing into your mouth in one go, and when you bite, the pani splashes, and you know you’ve reached Heaven. 

I think my favorite pass-time in the whole world would be to have a pani puri-eating competition, just like Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Here’s a shot of the scene:


 Wouldn't this be absolutely amazing?!

11 comments:

  1. lol. You are absolutely right, if you haven't tasted pani puri yet, you haven't had good food at all. I am a big fan of pani puris myself, not just that but i love all the other delicacies from the same family; bhel puri, sev puri, dahi puri and one of the best, CHAAT!

    My mouth is practically filled with water by just mentioning their names!

    And i must say the picture of panu puri here is VERY tempting!

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  2. Dude. All those dishes you mentioned are collectively known as 'chaat'.

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  3. Well, no offence, but this doesnt look all that appetizing to me. To start with, I dont see how you can eat with with a fork and spoon..

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  4. LOL. I bet youre not Asian then. Youre supposed to eat it with your hands. And yea its a little messy, but that's one of the reasons it is so great :)

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  5. Well youre right, I'm from Norway *sheepish grin*

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  6. Exactly, the fact that you stuff the entire "puri" in your mouth and then the water splashes inside, and a little outside too, (:P) makes it so much fun to eat!

    You should really try it, it is heavenly delicious!

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  7. Haha, I'll keep that in mind if I ever visit India :)

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  8. Great!

    Ali - I KNOW. Nothing like it. Ever.

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  9. The picture looks tempting for sure!

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  10. ah!
    You've just made me soooo hungry! You have no idea! lol.
    I've never tried Indian food, but you're making me WANT to try it!
    oh my. I wonder if my city has any Indian restaurants? Regardless, I don't think it'll taste as good as the Indian food YOU eat. Authenticity can not be beaten! lol.

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  11. Amanda - You have no idea :)

    Natalie - You're so right, authenticity can never be beaten. You should totally visit India sometime :)

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