U for Ultimate Street Foods

Standing on the roadside and having spicy Phuchkas crack open in your mouth and cover your tongue with that blast of flavors – this is a feeling unparalleled. Or maybe its comparable to licking your lips after having a plate of even spicier Ghoogni (chickpea masala). This group of food is what we lovingly call “street food”. But it’s a mere label which encompasses a world of joy, taste, colors and fun.

The extreme joy that these street foods such as these can give us is something we have missed sorely for the past year. So, here’s how we can recreate that feeling by trying these dishes at home.

• Papri Chaat or Sev Puri

Ingredients:

For the Papri/Sev:

Maida (Refined flour) – 200gms.

Salt – a pinch

Oil – 2 tsp. for dough + for deep frying

Water – ½ cup or as required

For the topping:

Potato – 2, medium

Chickpeas – 1 cup (~75gms.)

Onion – 1, medium

Curd – 1 cup (~200gms.)

Sugar – 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds – 3 tsp.

Black Salt –  to taste

Jhuri bhaja / Sev – 1 cup

Sweet Tamarind Chutney:

Tamarind – 5gms. (small pulp)

Water – as required

Salt – a pinch

Sugar – 4/5 tbsp. Or as required to taste

Method:

1. Take the maida in a bowl. Sieve it once for smoother dough. Add the salt and oil and knead gently till the maida forms loose clumps in your hand.
2. Now add water little by little and keep kneading. The final dough should be soft and stretchy. Pat oil lightly over the dough and set aside for atleast 30 minutes.
3. Soak the tamarind in bowl of water for about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and the chickpeas (separately).
5. Once the 30 minutes are up, roll out the dough to 6” round and 2 cm. thick circles. From these using a bottle cap or a small glass, cut out smaller rounds. Make 3 slices over these rounds to prevent them from puffing up.
6. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry these small papris till they are golden blonde.
7. In a pan/kadhai, add the tamarind soaked water, salt and sugar and let it boil and thicken. Adjust taste and thickness. It should be mostly sweet and tangy and of trickly texture.
8. Dry roast the cumin seeds in a frying pan. Once it cools, grind to a fine powder in a mixer.
9. Chop the onions to a fine dice.
10. Take the curd in a bowl, add sugar and beat well till its smooth.
11. Mash the potatoes. Mix the chopped onions and chickpeas.
12. All mis en place is ready. Time for it all to come together.
    1. Lay out the 6 papris on a plate.
    2. Put a dollop of potato mixture on each. Sprinkle black salt.
    3. Cover generously with the beaten curd. Drizzle the tamarind sauce all over.
    4. Sprinkle the roasted jeera powder and finally top them with sev / jhuri bhaja.

• Phuchka or Golgappa or Pani Puri

Ingredients:

Phuchka –  1 packet

Potato – 2, medium

Bengal gram (brown)/ chhola – ½ cup

Onion – 1, medium

Tamarind – 5 gms.

Salt – to taste

Lemon juice – 2 tsp.

Green chilli – 1

Coriander leaves – a bunch

Jaljeera – 2 tsp.

Water – 1 bowl

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes and the chhola.
2. Soak the tamarind pump in a small bowl of water for about 15 minutes.
3. Chop the onions, green chilli and the coriander leaves.
4. Mash the boiled potatoes. Add the chhola, onions, coriander leaves, green chili.
5. Add salt, 1 tsp. lemon juice and part of the tamarind pulp. Mix well together. It should taste salty and tangy.
6. In a big bowl of water, add the tamarind water, remaining lemon juice, jaljeera and salt and mix. Alternatively, you can add panipuri masala.
7. Now, you eat. Crack open each phuchka ball, stuff with a dollop of potato mixture and dip the whole thing in the tangy water. Eat in one go!

Tip: To make the phuchkas from scratch, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQNW67WtaYU

• Jhalmuri or Dry Bhel

Ingredients:

Puffed rice (muri / bhel) – 75 gms.

Potato – 1, medium

Onion – 1, medium

Tomato – 1, medium

Coriander leaves – 1 bunch

Green chilli – 1

Lemon juice – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Tamarind chutney – 1 tbsp.

Chanachur / farsan / Sev –  2 tbsp.

Peanuts (optional) – handful

Oil (optional) – 1 tsp.

Method:

1. Boil the potato. Peel and chop into medium chunks.
2. Chop the onion, tomato, coriander leaves and green chilli.
3. Prepare tamarind chutney as in steps 3 & 7 of Papri Chaat recipe.
4. In a bowl, take the puffed rice. Add all ingredients and mix well.
5. Jhalmuri is ready!

Sitting at home can be really demotivating and at times can leave you totally listless. Spicing up your lulling routine with these recipes on weekends or holidays will inject the very much required happiness in your life. For me atleast, food is joy!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 21 – Letter “U”.