RAWALPINDI: Crispy round papri cups, boiled chickpeas, cubed potatoes and spicy tamarind water; yes, we’re talking about that quintessentially sub continental snack: the gol gappa.

Gol gappas, or pani puri as it is known on the other side of the border, is a staple of street vendors across the region and is a perennial favourite among the young and old alike.

But today, gol gappa vendors are not as common a sight as they used to be. Many recall fondly the summer days when thela wallahs would roam the narrow streets of the garrison city, hawking their wares. The streets would echo with the refrain “Gol gappay wala aya,” – the lyric of an old song.

Traditionally, the round papri is made with whole-wheat flour or semolina (sooji) and fried, much like a puri. Once the round treat cools and turns brittle the shopkeeper knocks a hole into the orb and fills it with chickpeas and boiled potato cubes and serves it with a bowl of spicy tamarind dip. Many outlets serve the gappas with a sweet chutney too.

For many, eating a gol gappa is an art. Once the crunchy orb has been dipped into the tamarind dip, one must eat it quickly, lest it disintegrate all over one’s Sunday best.

“I enjoy eating gol gappas solely because of the tangy imli paani that accompanies it, but if you’re not careful, the whole thing can fall apart in your hands and make a big mess of your clothes,” says Sumaira Rizwan, while snacking on a plateful of gappas at the Commercial Market.

“I can eat more than a dozen at a time and still crave more,” she says as she devours another mouthful.

Shahmir Malik, another street food enthusiast, told Dawn he preferred gol gappas without the dip, as he wasn’t too keen on the added spice that most shopkeepers use in the imli paani. “However, the sweet and sour chutney gives it the flavour I like,” he said.

Mr Malik was of the view that with the advent of bigger snack food outlets, the days of push-cart vendors selling gol gappas in the streets were numbered.

“People prefer to go to the bigger establishments than risk complications,” he said.

But he seems to be the only one who doesn’t like the spicy tamarind dip.

“I always eat gol gappas with imli paani. What is the point of the dish otherwise,” asks Shahid Akram, a resident of Bhabra Bazaar.

He told Dawn that gol gappay and dahi barray are his favourite traditional items to snack on when out shopping with his family.

“It’s healthy,” he insists, maintaining that the tamarind lowers cholesterol levels and chickpeas and boiled potatoes contain instant energy.

Due to their popularity, nearly every major market of the garrison city has a gol gappa vendor lurking somewhere, be it Raja Bazaar, Commercial Market, Saddar or Bahria Town.

“We have been selling gol gappas here for the past 20 years. Most people start coming in the afternoon and we keep selling until quite late at night,” said Sajid Mehmood, a shopkeeper in Commercial Market.

He said that he added red chillies, salt, black pepper and some other spices to make the taste of the imli paani different from that at other outlets. He said that while the recipe was the same, their presentation and cleanliness set them apart.

Saleem Malik, a shopkeeper at the Bhabra Bazaar, said he used fresh vegetable oil to fry the gol gappay, giving them a fresher taste.

“The mixture of spices in the tamarind water is our business secret. We add chillies and black pepper and also some sugar to balance the taste,” he said, adding that he prided himself on making gappas that would not disintegrate while eating.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2015

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