GAPPE SHAPPE AUR GOL GAPPE

There are so many memories that friends bring along.  Right from our first friends when we were toddlers, running  around with them, then as we go to school, the first people we connect with, and then as we grow older we blend along with those around us in school and some near our homes.  There are some who last a lifetime, and some who come and go like a whirlwind.........

What would we do without friends??

Over the years, I have learnt that no friends are perfect, coz we ourselves our not.  To except all that we need of just one person is unfair to say the least.  There are friends who we can cry with, there are those who we can laugh openly with, there are those with whom we can share our deepest thoughts, our lives secrets, there are some with whom we can shop incessantly, there are some with whom we can just be quiet.........  I have learnt that I cant expect one person to be the best.  It is just not possible.

When it comes to being friends, I can always go back to my friends with whom I used to go to our local chaat vaala and enjoy endless servings of gol guppes.  Crispy balls filled with tangy sweet water and some boiled potates and chole to give it a texture............Wow, whoever invented this was a great person.  Indian food would be incomplete without the street food it offers, and gol guppe are an inseparable part of that.

After coming to Nairobi, I have soooooooo miiisssssseeeed the chaats.  There are days, especially evenings when we just looong to have these foods, which satiated our souls and tummies.  But there is nowhere to go.  There definitely is chaat available in Nairobi, but I have never relished them.  They lack the taste and texture.  This has resulted in a lot of learning, yes learning to do these on my own.

When I was in Delhi, earlier this year, I picked up 2 packets of ready to fry gol guppe from our local namkeen store.  So I had these, now I had to arrange for the paani and the chutneys, which I sure did.

And this was the result.  Now I dont crave for them anymore.  Almost every weekend we have a chaat party at our home with Gol Gappe, Chaat Paapdi and Tikki.  No dinner....

Havent tried my hand at making the gol gappe since I have the packets.  Will do so when I run out of them.

Here goes the recipe for the paani

Paani for Gol Gappe

Ingredients

1 cup - mint / pudina leaves
1 big ball - tamarind (add half cup water and microwave for a minute and let rest for 5 minutes)
1 tbspn - kaala namak / rock salt
1 tbspn - jeera powder / roasted cumin seeds powder
1 tspn - hing / asofetida
2 tbspn - chopped dhaniy leaves / corriander leaves
1 - 1/2 litre - water
2 tbspn - raita boondi
2 green chillies (optional)  I avoid it since my LO will say mamma minchi hai
1/2 inch pc - ginger

Recipe

Just whizz everything in the blender except the boondi, remembering to remove the seeds from tamarind.

Strain n adjust the masalas to your liking.

Serve them with some boiled potatoes which are mashed and add a little chaat masala and some meethi saunth (sweet tamarind and jaggery chutney)

Beleive me the first time I did this, we were soooooooooooo happy as if we were having a peice of heaven.