Odisha Gupchup Pani Puri Odia Style

Method

1. 1

   Make the gupchup shells (skip if using ready-made): Mix semolina, maida and salt. Add soda water gradually to form a stiff dough. Rest 20 minutes. Roll thin (1 to 2 mm). Cut into small rounds using a small glass. Deep fry in hot oil — press each down with a spoon as it fries so it puffs into a hollow ball. Fry on medium until golden. Drain.

2. 2

   Make the potato-chickpea filling: Mix mashed potato with boiled black chickpeas, cumin powder, red chilli powder, amchur and salt. Mix well. Taste — it should be spiced and tangy.

3. 3

   Make the pani: Combine strained tamarind water with cold water, black salt, roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, strained coriander water, sugar and salt. Stir well. Taste — the Odia gupchup pani should be both sour and slightly sweet with a strong tamarind note. Refrigerate.

4. 4

   Check the shells: Take one shell. Using your thumb, make a small hole in the top centre by pressing inward. The shell should be hollow inside. If any shells are not hollow, they were not fried correctly.

5. 5

   Fill just before eating: Fill each shell with 1 tsp of the potato-chickpea filling, pressing in firmly.

6. 6

   Dip in the cold pani: Take a filled gupchup in one hand. Dip it entirely into the bowl of cold tangy pani — let it fill slightly through the top hole.

7. 7

   Eat in one bite: Pop the entire gupchup into your mouth in one bite. The explosion of the tangy pani mixing with the spiced filling inside the crispy shell is the experience.

8. 8

   Continue for each piece: Fill, dip and eat each gupchup one at a time. The shells soften within seconds of dipping so they must be eaten immediately.

9. 9

   Refill the pani bowl: Keep extra cold pani in a jug to refill the dipping bowl as needed.

10. 10

    Serve with extra chutney: Optionally serve a small side of sweet tamarind chutney for those who want extra sweetness between bites.

11. 11

    Note: Gupchup is the Odia name for what is called pani puri in North India and puchka in West Bengal. Each region has its own version — the Odia version is distinguishable by the use of black chickpeas in the filling (rather than white peas or sprouts) and a pani that has both the sour tamarind note and a slight sweetness. In Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, gupchup stalls open from 4 pm and the queue of customers lasts until late evening.