The homesick foodie - Article 1

This is the first article in the series:

I read this interesting article in the New York times yesterday, about how the chaat frenzy has finally hit Manhattan! Here is the link to this article, its pretty interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/09/dining/09chat.html?incamp=article_popular_2

Reading about chaat brought back nostalgic memories (and ofcourse, massive hunger pangs). Afterall, is there anything more satisfying to the taste buds than a smashed samosa covered with channa and extra sweet chutney!

My earliest memories of chaat are the gol gappas I ate at Calcutta, from a road side vendor. He had a big bag of puris and a big clay pot filled with the paani. We had these dhonnais (leaf cups) and he kept dropping puris in it till we had to request him to stop! Eating pani puri is an art. You've got to be able to stuff the entire puri in your mouth, not make a mess, plus savor the taste, and quickly swallow everything - because its already your turn to receive the next stuffed puri. Recently, I made a trip to Madras. I spent many months dreaming up a list of all my favorite restaurants in Madras. Gangothri - the famous chat shop opposite the Stella Maris college was a must-visit. It was a let down though - I dont know if I have become a snob or a cleanliness freak, but suddenly, the sight of the pani puri guy dipping his bare hands into the paani pot was not terribly appetizing.

Most popular restaurants in Madras do offer pani puri in a slightly better way: 6 puris and a cup of pani on a plate. Perfect? no; satisfying? almost.

PS: Dear reader... if you have the perfect pani puri recipe, do post it!