Disclaimer: Eating street food is a delicious risk. One may be susceptible to food and water contamination and water borne diseases or a stomach virus. Eat at your own risk.
Pani Puri or Golguppa
Pani Puri is known by many other names Gol guppa, Gup chup, Phoochka etc. ‘Pani Puri’ is a hallow wheat ball which is eaten after stuffing it with potatoes, onions & gazpacho beans and spicy tangy flavored water. The art of eating a golguppa involves opening your mouth wide and stuffing the whole dripping puri in your mouth in one bite. It’s a messy yet the yummiest street food anytime.
I had been craving this mouth watering snack since sometime and had been drooling over the very mention of panipuris 😉 My family surprised me with a panipuri treat one day, stopping at a stall in KBR park in Jubilee hills, Hyderabad. This stall offers snacks like samosas, chaat, ice cream etc but also serves panipuris hygienically! A server wearing gloves first takes the hollow ball puri and makes a hole in the puri with the thumb, then stuffs the potatoes and onions into it and dips the puri in a big pot of spicy tangy water filling the puri. The puris are served in a bowl as an when you finish the previous one.
Eating golgappas is always fun. They can be eaten at home more hygienically too by preparing the spicy tangy water and the fixings at home and buying the hollow puris from the groceries or from the sweet and savories shop. The puris can be made from scratch too by making the dough and rolling and frying the puris.
The best fun of eating golgappas is eating with others and comparing your speed and numbers of puris consumed.
Mirchi Bajji
Mirchi Bajji’s are green chilli or jalapeño poppers. These are breaded peppers stuffed with tangy sauce. They are hot, spicy, tangy and scrumptious snacks eaten with tea time and are a great snack on a cold and rainy day.
Any time we smell the fresh smell of rain or any time we get wet in a sudden thunderstorm, or anytime it’s just a damp cold day, most of us Indians are mentally psyched to crave for a fried jalapeno popper Mirchi Bajji or fried onion fritters- Pakoda;)
The convenience of buying from the stalls makes locals try out various outlets and find the best. A very popular one during my early years in Hyderabad, India used to be a place called Gokul in Koti; I haven’t eaten recently there but it’s still known to be popular. My family here after reviewing various stores, have traced yummy mirchi bajjis in a stall in Mallepalli, and one in Jubilee hills Hyderabad . These places have the yummiest and scrumptious mirchi bajjis.
Mirchi Bajjis can also be made at home. ..Recipe on Hotsweetspicyrecipes .com
Samosa
Samosa is a deep fried triangular stuffed pastry. The smaller Onion Samosas are the ones sold in Irani hotels while the larger Potato stuffed Samosa ‘s are sold in Mithai Bhandars ( sweet and savories stores)
Hyderabad is famous for the unique onion samosa which are deliciously crunchy bites. This samosa snack is served and sold mostly in the Irani Tea Hotels of Hyderabad. Irani Hotels are also famous for their very famous Irani chai. This chai is very unique and quintessentially ‘Hyderabadi’.
The Potato stuffed samosa pastry served along with green chillies and spicy chutney is a popular tea time snack across India. Alampur Sweet shop, in A.C. Gaurds, Hyderabad sold some yummy ones.
Samosa’s also can be made at home; and if deep fried food is not your choice, they can also be baked!
