Paani Puri (also known as Gol Gappa) may not be the healthiest of snacks, but heck, it was New Year's Day and I sure as heck wasn't going to order a salad in Brickfields! I didn't get to see fireworks during the New Year's Eve countdown so these will have to do -- Little crisp balls filled with a mild and moist potato and chickpea mixture, topped with sweet crispy bits and onions, to be flooded with tamarind water right before one pops each into one's mouth. The result? An explosion of flavour and textures.
I used to eat these on a fairly regular basis when I worked in downtown KL but I started to develop alarmingly paani puri-like proportions, so now I restrict these treats to special occasions.
Chat Masala used to give us 5 paani puris per serving, now it's down to 4. I hope with the introduction of the GST in April, they won't serve us 3-and-one-thirds of paani puri next. Also, they used to give us tiny ladles to scoop the tamarind water with, this great big unwieldy tablespoon simply won't do. I almost catapulted a spoonful of tamarind water into poor Aravind's face. Chat Masala management, if you're reading this, please bring back our little ladles and proper serving sizes befitting hungry Asian adults. Thanks!