Karuna John does a round of some of the city’s finest paani puri joints.
Gangotree
The succulent rosogolla lies drenched in whipped curd, topped with swirls of sweet-sour date-tamarind chutney, sprinkled with a spice powder and coriander leaves. Owner-chef Raj Sethia of Gangotree created this rather strange chaat on a whim, and hadn’t the foggiest that it would become the stellar attraction on his menu. The rosogollas are squeezed till they only retain a drop of syrup at their core. The chenna (soft cottage cheese) adapts well to the curd and the chaat masalas.
Each spoonful of the rosogolla chaat (Rs 40) delivers a cooling mouthful perfect for a hot afternoon. But Sethia, not content with merely tampering with that Bengali staple, decided to forge ahead east and created the Chinese paani puri (Rs25) and ghevar chaat (Rs 35). The first contains Manchurian masala in a thin vinegar-spiked sauce encased in a paani-puri shell. There is no paani (spiced water) in the puri but a bite will make you reach for water. The ghevar (a honeycomb-like Rajasthani sweet made from flour batter-fried in ghee and dipped in syrup) is spared its sugary bath and doused in hot channa masala.
4108, Highpoint IV, 45 Palace Road (2226-8484). Daily 11am-11pm. No cards. 125/1, 1st Main Road, KHB Colony, near Jyoti Nivas College, Koramangala (4130-8335). Daily 11am-11pm. No cards.
Calcutta Victoria Chaat House
Four in the evening is a good time to meet 22-year-old Ram Raje. That’s because this is the hour when the paani puri maker turns serving up the snack into a performance art. In a tea ceremony-like ritual, Raje, who calls Allahabad home, undrapes the big basket of puchkas (puffed dough shells) pokes a hole in one, stuffs it with boiled channa and potato and dunks the orb in sour and spicy cumin-tamarind water.
Now, quickly, the puri needs to be transported to your mouth and make sure to down it in one gulp. This is when the flavours and textures explode on the tongue. The diced potatoes, boiled Bengal gram and fresh coriander jostle with the sweet-sour-pungent water. Those waiting their turn for the paani puri (Rs 10 for six) often dig into Victoria Chaat’s ragda patties (Rs 15). The fried potato patties are doused with hot chickpea gravy and are garnished with hot-and-sweet chutney. Slivers of raw onion and a sprinkling of golden sev (savoury fried vermicelli) add texture and taste.
Remember to ask for a sukha (dry) batasha (as the paani puri is called in Uttar Pradesh, the supposed land of its birth) and watch Raje smile as he slips you the last dry shell stuffed with potatoes and spice dressed with a few drops of lemon juice. It costs nothing.
18, Jeevanbhima Nagar, 10th Main, HAL 3rd Stage (99027-33312). Daily 4-10pm. No cards.
Kartik’s
The metro construction displaced Kartik’s Mithai Shoppe from its place on CMH Road to a few lanes away on 2nd Main. They have everything that north India calls chaat, and put together some delectable plates that can rival those found at Nathu Sweets in New Delhi’s Bengali Market.
If you want to veer from the originals, try the dahi pakodi (Rs 23) – the golf ball-sized dahi bhallas (dumplings) are a delight. Soft clouds that become apt vehicles for the dressing of yoghurt, tamarind chutney, mint and coriander chutney and a graphic kollam (rangoli) pattern drawn with a pinch of Kartik’ s special spice blend. Light and instantly cooling, this is a dish to dampen tempers.
In its close cousin, the dahi puri (Rs23), this coolness is stuffed in a shell and covered with an extra ladle of creamy yoghurt. If you are on the hunt for spice, ask for the Bangalore special masala puri (Rs23). The papdi disks are heaped with a spicy mix of raw onion, dry chilli powder, are brought together with a large helping of hot channa masala.
153, 9th Cross, 2nd Main, Indira Nagar 1st Stage (4126-4166). Daily 4-9.30pm. All major cards.
Gullu’s Chaat
Gullu’s fan-following in Bangalore is legion. For decades, students in the area, courting couples, senior citizens and all manner of people have made their way to this place, parked themselves on the stone ledge of the wall of the park opposite, and munched mouthfuls of fine bhel puri (Rs 15). Gullu’s has long been on the evening snack agenda of people in nearby Malleswaram, Vasanth Nagar and Kumara Park. Though, unlike most chaat joints, this place is open during the day, you’ll find it is busiest late in the evening.
If you drive over, Jitendra Kumar Garg, the owner, will send a boy over to your car and send across bhel puri (Rs 15) or masala puri (Rs 15). Later, if you wish to stick to the time-honoured ritual, you must ask for the masala Coke (Rs 13 for 200ml, Rs 16 for 300ml) from the little shop next door. It’s a strange-tasting concoction made by adding garam masala powder to the Coke (you get a Thums Up variant as well). As soon as the masala is added, the aerated drink erupts angrily, spraying your eyebrows with a tiny fountain of the sweet-sour drink.
It takes a little getting used to, but Gullu’s bhel, followed by the masala Coke from next door, is a Bangalore routine that must be experienced at least once.
2/1, Serpentine Road, Seshadripuram (98451-02389). Daily 11am-9pm. No cards.
Source : Time Out Bengaluru ISSUE 1 Friday, July 23, 2010
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