bombay diary: pani puri

you've probably noticed that i haven't been blogging much lately. also, i haven't actually been in london much in the months of march and april. the travel has been pretty crazy. i'm usually good about blogging when i'm on the road but work has taken a precedence like never before and something's gotta give, no?

i was in bombay all of last week on work. but i did get to spend sunday at home with my parents and that was a real treat. gulabi bhai (gb), our long time cook, went all out to feed me my favourite foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. she even made a special effort to make pani puri at home. she knew fully well that it was the one food i craved the most in bombay but that i wouldn't eat it at my favourite kailesh parbhat since i was on a business trip and not willing to take any risk of getting sick before a big presentation.



i love gb's pani puri. she doesn't make the puris herself but the fillings and chutneys she prepares for stuffing in the puris are quite unusual and they add up to a yummy treat. i load up on boiled sprouted mung, boiled potatoes, spicy coriander chutney, tangy tamarind chutney and even onions (!) in every little puri before dunking it in the pani that is usually ice cold and full of fragrant and spicy flavours. while the homemade stuff is never quite the same as the one you eat off the road, the sheer satisfaction of juiciness and crunchiness that you get from pani puri is unlike anything else.