Phuchka

Let’s face it- there isn’t  anybody who doesn’t  loved phuchka. Although ‘phuchka’ is a classified street food snack from Kolkata, there are other variants of the same found all over India.

Indians take pride over their food, and have a special bond with their street food. However, we Bengalis shared an intricate relationship with food on a different level. As much as we take pride on our Paturi and mutton kosha, our undying love for street food is highly commendable. Phuchka invariably tops the list. The Phuchka is almost an imagery of the streets of Kolkata- an explosion of everything nice. These round, crispy and hollow puris are filled with soft spicy potato stuffing and ultimately dunked in a flavourful tamarind water. But like everything else that we absolutely love eating, the question of hygiene always pops up and is a big bummer. 

Making phuchka at home is quite easy and just needs a handful of everyday ingredients which are easily available. So let’s begin with making this snack which is an amalgamation of different flavours.

Ingredients-

makes 20 phuchkas

For the Outer shell( Puri):

1 cup of Semolina/ Rava/ Sooji

1/4th cup of all purpose flour

Salt as per taste

Water as needed

Oil- 1/2 tbsp+ for frying

For the stuffing :

2 Boiled potatoes (large)

1/2 cup of chopped coriander leaves

2-3 green chillis

2 tbsp of lime juice

1/2 tbsp of red chilli powder

1/2 tbsp of roasted coriander powder

1 tsp of roasted cumin powder

2 tsp of chaat masala

2 tsp of amchoor/ dried mango powder (optional)

Salt as per taste

For the tamarind water :

1/2 cup tamarind paste

1/4th cup coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 tbsp roasted cumin powder

1 tbsp of black salt

1 tbsp of lime juice

2 cups of Water or as required

 

Instruction:

To make the puri-

Combine the ingredients and form a soft yet firm dough. Let it rest for 15 minutes. After resting, take 1/2 the dough and roll it out as thin as possible. Take a round cutter or a bowl and cut out the circles. Repeat with the remaining dough. Alternatively, you can divide the dough into smaller balls and roll them out into puris.

Heat oil and deep fry the puris till golden brown.

To make the stuffing-

Mash the potatoes till soft and fluffy. Add in the other ingredients and mix till properly incorporated.

To make the tamarind water-

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes and then drain. Take the smooth tamarind residue and add the rest of the ingredients and blend till properly incorporated.

Assemble:

Break into the crispy Puri and add in the potato mixture. Dunk it into the tamarind water and enjoy this delicious goodness.