Pani Puri ( PP) is my second favourite dish. However it was not love at first sight.

I was introduced to PP at a ladies stall in one of the exhibitions, while at Trichy. It was not available in TN in the 1980’s as it is now. . I did not like it then & thought it to be  some old puri with undated manufacturing origin and some rasam like tamarind water. Weird combination.

Post 1997, at Mumbai, initially, I Iiked the sev puri more  and not the PP.   At Juhu beach, I used to wonder how at all the ladies were after it. I felt that any one who liked PP should definitely be aliens.

Our neighbours took us to a dinner treat of dilli chaat items at Linking Road Bandra ( Elco Market). Since I was not in good mood, i did not have anything that day disappointing  my neighbours. However my wife went gaga over the PP and the pani served with the puri  there. So 3 days later I stealthily went there alone, to see what was so nice about the PP there. I was bowled over. This road side joint later became a full time restaurant. 

Since then I became an ardent fan of PP. In all my hectic tours all over India, I dash out to the nearest PP vendor the first thing in the evening.

PP’s come in two varieties – one made in wheat flour (more tasty, common and popular ones) and other in Rava. There are many options in what you stuff in the PP’s. The more sophisticated joints offer a mixture of sprouted dals and all sorts of rubbish, spoiling the very taste /meaning & purpose.

The ones with a classic taste are made from hand-mashed boiled potatoes, some channa, with right proportion of  lal mirchi and imli chutneys. The preparation of this filler is a separate art to purists like me. A mild favoured unchilled pani best suits this type of filler. In metros pani is mostly chill and is more hotter.

In some places they use hot channa based fillers. I like them only in monsoons.

In Gujarat, in places like Mundra, PP is available right from 6 AM through out the day & night. It substitutes for breakfast there for most. Whereas in most places across India it is best an evening snack.

I generally like the ones available in most of Gujarat-road side vendors, Korba (Chattisgarh), Balasore (Orissa). The shop vended ones do not taste the same as the road side ones. Juhu & Bandra are also good but we need to specify the filler. In Pune, Kalyan joint provides fairly good ones. In Ahmadabad, the Municipality Market in CG road ( famous also for aloo tikkis)  is a popular place with numerous joints. Delhi has so far been disappointing.  At Indore ( Chappan bazzar)  &  Surat (Polar Circle) (famous for pannier chilkas) are favourite places.

As an unwritten rule, the vendors who have the maximum female crowd, serves the tastiest PP’s in any city.  So it is easy to identify the good joints. I honestly go there for the PP’s & not the female crowd.

PP’s come in variety of price range starting from 4 for a rupee at Anand, 10 for 10 ruppees , six for 10 ruppees ( in most places) and the costliest ones at 6 for Rs.50 ( not worth it)

I always look forward to the  last “masala” piece given without the pani that always leaves the lingering satisfying taste in the mouth. yeh dil maange more.

 Pani Puri ( PP) is my second favourite dish.