5 Golgappe Recipes You Will Be Obsessed With

You know how when someone wants to praise another person, they say, "When the aliens come, this will be the person we will show them as the best of our kind"? Golgappa is the Indian food equivalent of that person. When the Japanese prime minister came calling, PM Modi had him taste this food of the gods—India—in a crunchy, savory, refreshing bite. Call it golgappa, pani puri, puchka, batasha, or what you will, it is truly India’s bae. But why stop at the savory version of the golgappa you’ve always been familiar with? 

Also Read: Gwalior Street Food Vendor’s ‘Spiciest Golgappa’ Leaves Netizens Gobsmacked

The template has been set, and the canvas has been prepared. Now go paint what you will, you maverick artist. Here are five of our favorite unique versions of the golgappa. Make sure you add them to your repertoire. We know you will. Although we do have to warn you about the ‘calories per serving’ detail here, as if one can adequately predict what "a" serving of golgappa is! 

1. MUSHROOM GOLGAPPA   

Taste: Savory  

Prep time + cook time: 15 minutes 

Calories per serving: 350 

This one is new; we bet you have not tried it out. Clean half a dozen big mushrooms and remove their stalks. Make sure there is a nice depression in the mushroom thus cleaned—this is our 'puri'. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan, add ½ teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste, and sauté. To this, add 1 cup of chicken mince and all 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of red chili powder, 12 teaspoon of jeera powder, and ¼ teaspoon of garam masala powder, as well as a handful of coriander leaves. Cook on a low flame. Now, take the mushroom and put the mince filling in the depression. Top with some grated cheese. And bake these mushrooms in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts completely. Remove the tray from the oven and drizzle with the sauce of your choice. Your mushroom pani puri is ready! 

2. SALSA STUFFED PEACH PANNA GOLGAPPA 

Taste: sweet, tangy 

Prep time + cook time: 30 minutes + 15 minutes 

Calories per serving: 84 

You can use store-bought puris for this recipe. The filling is what is of interest. If you want to make the puris yourself at home, you may either use the conventional recipe or you can also try it out with oats. For the filling, you have the salsa and the water. For the salsa, take 1 beetroot, 1 onion, 2 green chilies, and 1 cucumber and dice them all finely. To this, add table salt and black salt as per taste and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and mix nicely and set aside. For the panna, peel one boiled mango and then put it in a grinder with two springs of mint leaves, two peaches, and two cups of water. Strain using a cloth. To this liquid, add black salt and table salt according to your taste and some jeera powder. With these three components, your refreshing and very unique golgappa is ready! 

3. PIZZA AND CHOCOLATE GOLGAPPA   

                              Image: Instagram/cooktubeindia

Taste: savory and sweet 

Prep time + cook time: 15 minutes + 15 minutes 

Calories per serving: 69 

What could be better than having two of your favorite foods (pizza and chocolate) in the form of your other favorite food (golgappa)? We bet you have never tried this before. Now’s the time to do it. To make chocolate golgappa, combine 50 grams of chopped sweet cherries and 50 grams of tooti frooti. Keep aside. Crack open the centers of 10 usual puris. Coat the outer side with 50 ml melted chocolate. Keep inverted on a plate to cool and harden. Use another 10 raisins with chopped tutti-frutti and cherries and set aside. For the pizza golgappa, melt 1 tablespoon butter and sauté 1 chopped onion, 50 grams of bell pepper, and 50 grams of sweet corn. Crack open the center and fill 10 puris with the sautéed veggies (of your choice). To this, add 1 teaspoon chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, and 1 teaspoon chaat masala. Add 1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves and 1 teaspoon grated mozzarella cheese. Microwave for 2 minutes, till the cheese melts slightly. Drizzle 1 teaspoon tamarind syrup. Add 1 teaspoon green chili chutney and 1 teaspoon grated cheese. Sprinkle a pinch of salt. The most unusual golgappas of your life are ready to be served! 

4. SWEEET POTATO GOLGAPPA—KHATTA MEETHA 

Taste: savory, tangy, sweet 

Prep time + cook time: 10 minutes + 15 minutes 

Calories per serving: 86 

First, make a mixture of 1 boiled sweet potato, 1 katori of sweet boondi, and 3 teaspoons of green peas. Add dry masalas to the mixture—1 teaspoon of jeera powder, 2 teaspoons of black pepper powder, and salt to taste. Squeeze lemon over it and mix well. Crack the puris open and fill them with the stuffing thus prepared. Garnish with paneer slices. And drizzle some ketchup or any other hot sauce of your choice, and your unique sweet potato golgappas are ready! 

5. RABDI IN CHOCOLATE GOLGAPPA  

                          Image credits: Instagram/theheartofsimplicity

Taste: sweet, creamy 

Prep time + cook time: 20 minutes + 40 minutes 

Calories per serving: 921 

Take 2 liters of milk and put it on a medium flame. Reduce it to 3/4 on medium flame. Add 250 g sugar and ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder. Your rabdi is thus ready. Take 100 grams of milk chocolate chips and melt them in a double boiler. Meanwhile, make holes in the puris and coat them in the melted chocolate. Allow them to cool and harden by keeping them in the fridge for some time. Remove puris from the fridge and fill the rabdi with the help of a small spoon. You may choose to garnish with some cooled strips of caramel or with some saffron strands.